Ohio's defense will be strong once again.
At the end of Saturday’s defensive drubbing of the offense, coach Frank Solich said that the team took a few steps back.
But, while the spring game was a huge negative for the offense, there were still some positives to take away from Ohio’s 15 spring sessions.
Here are a few takeaways from both sides of the ball this spring:
Offense:
-Quarterback Greg Windham was the best of the four quarterbacks. He clearly has the strongest arm of any of the quarterbacks and as a redshirt seniors knows the offense the best. J.D. Sprague will have a tough challenge when he returns from his injury.
-The skill positions for the Bobcats are loaded. The running back talent and depth is unmatched by anyone in the Mid-American Conference, and the wide receiver talent is strong, with Sebastian Smith and Jordan Reid leading the way.
-The offensive line, however, is where the offensive plans can unravel. Losing three of five starters from last year’s line, it struggled at times dealing with the talented rush of the defensive front seven.
It may not see a better front seven than the one they saw in practice though. If the line, which is very young, can gel, Ohio could have a formidable offense to complement its defense.
Defense:
-The defensive line, with bookends Kurt Laseak and Tarell Basham, should wreak havoc on opposing offenses next season. While the interior line was mostly a rotational situation, Tony Porter and Cleon Aloese held strong in the middle. The pass and rush defenses won’t be an issue this season.
-The linebacking core is, arguably, the strongest unit on the team. Quentin Poling is the soul of defense at middle linebacker, with hard-hitting Blair Brown next to him. Paired with Chad Moore, the linebackers won’t be an area of concern unless injuries hit. If the linebackers are struck by injury, specifically Poling, the entire defense could fall apart again.
{{tncms-asset app="editorial" id="f2a1ed86-002d-11e6-b4e8-eb89d68e55d4"}}
Conclusion:
There are a lot of ways the upcoming season could go.
If they stay healthy and the offense hits its stride scoring just enough to win, honestly, the Bobcats could be a MAC title contender. The defense should be dominant once again and that could vault them to the top of the conference.
But things can go poorly, too. The young offensive line can take too long to develop. The quarterback position could be a revolving door, and if injuries hit the defense again, any dreams of a championship go flying out the window.
For now, I think that Solich and company will plan around the offensive line’s inexperience early and that could be enough to propel the Bobcats to battle for a MAC Championship berth.
A win against Big 12 Kansas, or an incredible upset of SEC Tennessee, could vault the team in the right direction.
Just don’t let any Big 10 refs call a delay of game penalty this time.
@AGill072
ag079513@ohio.edu
