On Monday morning, Tim Albin sat down with the press for his weekly conference to discuss the upcoming week in Ohio Football.
Here is what The Post learned after a brief conversation with Albin.
Iowa State's defense is skilled
Coming off of a 4-8 season where the Cyclones don't return much production, the Bobcats seem to have a chance to pull off the upset over a Power Five opponent Saturday. Although Iowa State will have to bounce back from a 20-13 loss against Iowa, the defense only allowed 235 yards and 13 total points (seven more came from an interception returned for a touchdown). Iowa State has only allowed 9 and 13 points this season, and Ohio Coach Tim Albin believes the unit is one of the best in the Big 12.
"We respect all, fear none," Albin said. "They've got an unbelievable defense. I don't see a weakness there."
Turnovers are a point of concern
In last year's 43-10 loss at Iowa State, Ohio had four turnovers including two interceptions thrown by Kurtis Rourke. This season, the Bobcats have already given the ball away seven times, and for an offense that is scoring just under 20 points per game, turnovers have been killers. Ohio Coach Tim Albin knows that if the team wants a chance to score its first Power Five win in years, it will need to hang onto the football against Iowa State.
"Turnovers are of huge concern," Albin said. "We had four last year in Aimes (Iowa). No way you're going to win the game (with four turnovers)."
Offense showing glimpses of strength
Despite getting starting Quarterback Kurtis Rourke back from injury, Ohio's offense still doesn't look like the unit it was at the end of last season. Although the Bobcats gained over 350 yards against FAU, the team still struggled to finish drives and only scored 17 points. The Bobcats' highest-scoring performance of the season so far has been 27 points against Long Island University, a team that is not on the same level as Iowa State. Despite the offensive issues, Albin is optimistic that the Bobcats can build off of the positives.
"There were glimpses in that game at FAU that you saw we're capable on offense," Albin said. "You've got to finish drives, but defense is really playing well, so it's exciting, and we're looking forward to the next challenge."
Ohio crowd
Although Ohio's home opener was against LIU, the team should expect an even louder crowd against Iowa State, Ohio's first Power Five opponent since 2021.
"For us, it's the next one up and truthfully, our community, our support, Bobcat nation, with whomever we're playing is electric," Albin said.
