Ohio practiced Sunday morning for the third time in its fall camp. It was conducted in periods, with a total of 24 periods over two hours and 23 minutes. Here are The Post’s observations:
Sights and Sounds
- Sunday marked the first time in fall camp the Bobcats wore shoulder pads during practice. It’s a step in the acclimation process, but even just shoulder pads lead to more impactful team sessions.
- A scout for the Los Angeles Chargers was in attendance for practice.
- For the first time in fall camp, a scuffle broke out between the offensive and defensive lines. The summer heat may have inflamed tensions and caused the fight, but it was quickly broken up by the coaching staff. Coach Tim Albin then brought the Bobcats into a huddle and, as punishment, had them run several laps around the field.
- Julian Ross and Keegan Wilburn have swapped jersey numbers. Ross now wears No. 23, and Wilburn was seen in a No. 2 jersey during practice.
Offense
- Kurtis Rourke was 7-of-8 during the 7-on-7. He completed passes to De’Montre Tuggle, James Bostic, Chase Cokley, Isiah Cox, Nigel Drummond, Tyler Walton and Tyler Foster.
- Rourke seems more confident on his feet and ran the ball outright on several snaps. Although the focus seemed to be on Ohio’s passing game Sunday, Rourke wasn’t afraid to stretch his legs and rush for a few yards.
- Armani Rogers was 3-of-6 during his time in the 7-on-7. Rogers seemed a bit frustrated after two of his attempts were broken up, but completions to both O’Shaan Allison and Tyler Walton brought him back to even keel. In team drills, Rogers split snaps between pass and rush attempts.
- C.J. Harris and Kadin Beler were given fewer snaps than the previous two days.
- Bostic only caught two passes Sunday, but his physicality and athletic ability elevated his performance. The redshirt senior has practiced closely with the first-team offense and will likely be one of Ohio’s top receivers this season.
- Walton made several significant catches off of both Rourke and Rogers. Walton played in one game last season, but the time he’s getting now may lend him to being a frequent backup this year.
Linebackers
- There were two turnovers during team drills today, one of them a pick by linebacker Kyle Kelly. The redshirt sophomore picked off a pass from Rogers and earned some praise.
- Linebacker Ben Johnson might be a player to watch out for. Johnson has shown ample speed power over the course of camp and is likely to become a powerful backup for Jeremiah Wood.
Special Teams
- Before practice began, Jonah Wieland and Jonah Fortkamp were seen performing a few warm-up punts to Tristian Vandenberg. Wieland was also seen taking a few snaps from long snapper Justin Holloway as a warm-up.
- Toward the end of drills, Vandenberg, Wieland and Fortkamp all took part in attempting field goal from progressively further away. Although his footwork was not stand out, Vandenberg seems to have progressed from last season and is on track for a solid 2021.
Next Up
The Bobcats return to practice Monday morning at 9:05 a.m. at Peden Stadium. Practice is open to the media.
