Ohio walked out of the Glass Bowl Wednesday night with one of its biggest wins in the Tim Albin era. With the win, Ohio is one win away from clinching a spot in the always coveted Mid-American Conference Championship game.
For years, Toledo has been one of the best overall athletic programs at the MAC. A win on the road against the Rockets is a tall task year in and year out for every team in the conference.
Despite a slow start on offense, Ohio was prepared with an elite game plan that was enough to earn a 24-7 victory against one of the MAC’s best programs.
Ohio coach Tim Albin quickly praised his coordinators — offensive coordinator Bryan Smith, defensive coordinator John Hauser and special teams coordinator Nate Faanes — in response to the win.
“Good teams find ways to get it done,” Albin said. “They’re a resilient bunch. The staff and their belief is really remarkable.”
Albin and his staff have endured hardships left and right since the beginning of the season, including a season-ending injury in Week One to team captain Jeremiah Wood, the extended absence of defensive leader Austin Brawley and the mass exodus of almost every playmaker from last year’s team.
Despite all these struggles, Ohio looks like the same team it’s been for the last two seasons.
“There were enough pieces back on defense to be really solid,” Albin said. “There’s some really exciting things there on the defensive side of the ball.”
Ohio may no longer have Offensive Player of the Year Kurtis Rourke or All-MAC First Team selections Bryce Houston and Keye Thompson, but it does have a steady foundation for a program that can expect success every year.
Most of that success can be accredited to the coaching staff, even though the team didn’t get the offense start it was looking for.
“Brian (Smith) did a great job at being patient and not hitting the panic button,” Albin said.
Hauser, the team’s defensive coordinator, has stood out after taking over for former coordinator Spence Nowinski, who took a job at Memphis before the season started.
Under Hauser, the Ohio defense ranks No. 1 in rushing defense and total yards since the beginning of MAC play. Against Toledo, it was no different.
The Bobcats held the Rockets to just 39 total rushing yards Wednesday, a major factor in the win.
With the defense clicking and the offense responding, the true story of the game was the team's ability to adjust at halftime. Entering the locker room with a 7-0 deficit, the Ohio coaching staff needed to make some adjustments.
Whatever was said at halftime clearly worked, as Ohio came out and outscored Toledo 24-0 in the second half.
“To come on the road and get this done is huge for our program,” Albin said. “I’m just humbled and blessed to be a part of this group.”
