The Bobcats practiced Saturday for the second time in fall camp. It was conducted in periods, with a total of 26 periods lasting two hours and 15 minutes. Here are The Post’s observations:
Sights and Sounds
- Peden was preparing for a wedding Saturday morning. Before practice began, a wedding arbor and several rows of chairs had been set up underneath the Perry and Sandy Sook Academic Center.
- Before practice began, coach Tim Albin played two videos on the Peden Stadium scoreboard. The first was a video of former Ohio quarterback Nathan Rourke’s first career touchdown with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. The second was a video of Kobe Bryant talking about stress.
- The three songs played during pre-practice stretches were “6 Foot 7 Foot” by Lil Wayne, “Crunk Ain’t Dead'' by Duke Deuce and “Hard in Da Paint” by Waka Flocka Flame.
Quarterbacks
- Kurtis Rourke split time with C.J. Harris during the 7-on-7 but still took the majority of snaps. Rourke completed passes to Cam Odom, Tyler Walton and Jerome Buckner.
- Rourke also spent a good portion of time working on his running game. The redshirt sophomore rushed for only 17 yards last season, and the Bobcats have everything to gain with another quick-footed quarterback.
- Armani Rogers performed well, pitching to running backs Jake Neatherton and Walter Wilbon III, and he was as capable as ever with his own rushing abilities.
Running backs:
- Although it’s still early in camp, De’Montre Tuggle and Julian Ross both appear to be in peak form. The pair were aggressive when handed the ball and seemed in good spirits during down time.
- Neatherton and Wilbon shined in team drills. Both found holes in the line with ease and Wilbon made a few impressive spins that earned him a handful of cheers from the team.
- Wilbon, a redshirt sophomore, did not play in his first two seasons with Ohio, but Saturday’s practice was a stand out moment for him. He said after practice that he had been studying the playbook more often and working with Jake Miller, director of strength and conditioning, to fine tune his performance.
Wide Receivers and Tight Ends
- Buckner is getting his fair share of reps early in camp. The redshirt junior caught a deep pass from Rourke during the 7-on-7 and might see further attention as camp progresses.
- Odom is a redshirt fifth-year and the most experienced of Ohio’s receivers this season. It’s no surprise that he’s performed well over the past two practices. A shortened season last year will likely be a driving force behind his performance this season.
- Ryan and Adam Luehrman are anticipated to be Ohio’s key returning tight ends and worked closely with the first team Saturday.
Offensive line
- The starting line during group drills, from left to right, was T.J. Jackson, Kurt Danneker, Parker Titsworth, Hagen Meservy and Jay Amburgey. Danneker rotated with Joseph Habinowski throughout the day.
Defense
- Forcing turnovers is still a high priority for the Bobcats’ defense. Jett Elad said after day one of camp that a turnover “is what gets you paid.”
- Development of young talent will be important for the Bobcats secondary this season. Underclassmen like Torrie Cox Jr., Pierre Kemeni and Gio Scales lined up against the first string offense during certain team drills.
Next Up:
The Bobcats return to practice Sunday at Peden Stadium at 9:05 a.m. Practice is open to the media.
