Correction appended.
Ohio coach Frank Solich met with the media on Monday to discuss the Bobcats' 34-30 loss at Cincinnati, as well as the upcoming matchup with UMass on Saturday.
Solich talked about the final offensive sequence against Cincinnati, Ohio’s running backs, Nathan Rourke and a new breakout receiver in Cameron Odom.
Here are the takeways:
— Solich was pleased with the start, but obviously the finish isn’t what the Bobcats anticipated.
— He shouldered the blame for the sequence at the end, and the play calling. “We should have won it. You don't get on the one-foot line very often with downs to go and don't make it work. I took a lot of that upon myself. I felt I could have helped our team a little better in that situation than what I did.”
— Talking with his players about moving on from a tough loss is simple. “If you're unable to push forward and move on from good or bad, then this becomes a very tough game,” he said.
— Solich is happy with the direction the running game is headed.
— Most programs have the capability of scoring around 30 points per game, and Solich knows Ohio won’t entirely shut opponents down. That’s why he preaches the turnover margin as a talking point.
— When asked about whether or not Ohio is better than its record indicates, Solich said that he’s seen improvement game by game: I think we saw a lot of improvement in a lot of areas this past game. We have to get better on both sides of the ball on third down. You look at it statistically, and you don't win football games by being where we are. That improvement has got to come and in a hurry."
— Solich noted that Nathan Rourke should have been on SportsCenter Top 10 plays for a couple of the escapes and moves he had against Cincinnati.
— A reporter called a couple of Rourke’s improvisation plays “wild.” Solich responded: "You call those wild plays. I call them great plays.”
— Solich wants to see improvement on third down, and he said the Bobcats aren’t doing good enough offensively or defensively on third down.
— A.J. Ouellette and Maleek Irons have been splitting carries the entire season, and that won’t change. Solich said the Bobcats like to ride the hot hand, but they still want to rotate them based on series: “Both A.J. and Maleek are proven football players, and you win with those kind of players. So, they're both going to be getting a considerable amount of reps."
— Cameron Odom had a career-high 114 receiving yards against Cincinnati. Solich said his ability hasn’t been used how the Bobcats would like because Odom hasn’t had opportunities.
“The ability has been there, but sometimes there hasn't been enough opportunity for it to show,” Solich said. “Sometimes, it doesn't show quite as well when he's had the opportunity, but I'm glad to see him play the way he did. It adds to the quality of the receivers that we have."
— Solich said he is for continuing the series with Cincinnati. He added that it’s a close trip that attracts fans.
Correction: A previous version of the photo caption incorrectly identified the date the photo was taken. The caption has been updated to reflect the most accurate information.
