Ohio (1-2) returns home to Peden Stadium to host UMass (2-3) on Saturday at noon. In Week 4, the Bobcats started quickly against Cincinnati, but lost a 34-30 heartbreaker on the road. Meanwhile, the Minutemen are coming off a 49-31 win over Charlotte.
Here’s what to know about this week’s matchup with UMass:
All-time series: Ohio leads, 3-0.
Last time they played: Sept. 30, 2017. The Bobcats beat the Minutemen 58-50 in a shootout in Amherst, Massachusetts. A.J. Ouellette rushed for 125 yards and a touchdown. Nathan Rourke finished with 294 total yards.
The UMass report: Coach Mark Whipple is in his 11th season at UMass. This is his fifth season at the helm for this stint in Amherst. His previous stop at UMass was six seasons long before he took jobs throughout the college and pro ranks.
His Minutemen have brought a mixed bag of results so far this season, opening up with 63 points in a win over Duquesne, but then averaged just 19.3 points per game during a three-game losing streak. They hosted Charlotte last week, and dumped the 49ers by 18 in a high-scoring affair.
Led by running back Marquis Young, who has 351 yards and four touchdowns on the ground. UMass has used three quarterbacks this season due to injuries, so the starter is still in question.
Defensively, the Minutemen are 108th in the Football Bowl Subdivision in total defense, giving up 447.8 yards per game, and they’re allowing 39.6 points per game. Needless to say, UMass doesn’t put on a defensive clinic.
How Ohio beats UMass: The Bobcats beat the Minutemen by establishing the run early, getting out to a fast start and finishing off a game. If Ohio can play a full 60 minutes, it should be able to hold off UMass rather easily.
Player to watch: No. 44, Bryton Barr, linebacker
The 6-foot, 225-pound graduate student is the anchor for the Minutemen defensively. He led the team last season with 105 total tackles, nine tackles for loss and five sacks. So far this season, he picked up where he left off last season, tallying 71 total tackles through five games.
