Following back-to-back national TV losses, the Bobcats sit at 1-2 on the season. Last week’s 34-30 loss to Cincinnati included a 21-point lead blown.
Now, Ohio welcomes UMass to Peden Stadium on Parents Weekend. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday. It’s the fourth meeting between the two teams, the most recent being a 58-50 Ohio win last season.
This is our third mailbag of the year at The Post. The sports editors will try to answer all your questions. Do you want to ask one next week? Just comment on the bottom of this article or on our weekly bobcatattack.com thread.
Now, let’s jump into the third mailbag.
“What problem is most concerning?
The 129th ranked 3rd down defense? The 109th ranked 3rd down offense? The 128th ranked total defense? The 127th ranked pass defense? The 116th ranked pass completion percentage? (Nathan Rourke is 124th out of 125 ranked) The 112th ranked scoring defense?” — bshot44
Thanks for the question. These stats may be a small sample size with just three games played, but all are concerning for the Bobcats.
The worst, in my opinion, and the one that needs fixed fast is the last-place third down defense. The scoring defense and total defense are slighted because of the long played allowed.
Third down defense isn’t affected by those big plays. It’s means Ohio is forcing offense’s to be in a third down situation and allowing a conversion. That’s concerning and will effect outcome of Mid-American Conference games.
“Who is likely to get the start/bulk of the playing time at QB for UMASS against Ohio? I heard they had a bit of a three-headed monster and there were some injuries...” — Rufusbobcat94
That’s the key question that Ohio’s been curious about. Either way, the Bobcats feel like they can defend against any of the three. Andrew Ford is questionable, but he’s the one who helped the Minutemen score 50 points last season.
The probable starter is Michael Curtis. Regardless, UMass won’t be as aggressive in quarterbacks leaving the pocket in hopes of trying to get healthy at that position.
“Does Peden Stadium or McGuirk Stadium have more mass?” —@nwolf51 via Twitter
I’ve been to both stadiums, if that carries any weight (get it, mass and weight).
Peden is by far larger with the towers and an actual walking concourse. So because of that, I think that Peden has the upper hand.
