Ohio completed its last spring practice session Thursday.
The Bobcats gathered around kicker Louie Zervos at the conclusion of Thursday’s practice as they finished up and made as much noise as they could.
With the ending of a mock-game at stake, Zervos banged a field goal through the uprights to complete a final drive that would’ve finished the game 28-27.
It’s those types of situations that Ohio has prepared for all spring. And it's a situation that will come to fruition again Saturday for the team’s annual spring game.
“Coach (Frank Solich) always talks about how practices are like studying, and the spring game is like the final exam,” safety Bo Hardy said.
The redshirt senior, playing in his last spring game, is making the full-time transition to safety from running back, playing in his first spring game as safety.
“If you’ve noticed our running backs, they’re pretty loaded,” he said. “I’m all about team and making the team better, and I thought I would be better used on the other side of the ball.”
Hardy finished off Thursday's practice strong with a few pass breakups and disrupting receivers.
“It was definitely a different transition for me, I haven’t played defense in probably seven years or so,” he said. “It’s come along pretty nicely. Coach has been helping me, the guys are great, they’ve been helping me, as well.”
Possibly one of the reasons for Hardy’s permanent transfer to safety is the arrival of running back C.J. Hilliard, a redshirt sophomore competing in his first spring game since transferring from Iowa.
“I came in trying to learn a whole new offense, so my main focus was getting better on the little things,” Hilliard said. “I still have a ways to go, but for spring ball I think I got a lot better.”
He said there was a learning curve coming in to Ohio’s pistol offense, a change of pace from the downhill, power offense Hilliard is used to.
Hilliard is competing in what many on the team are calling “the best backfield in the MAC." He will look to earn more and more playing time from established Ohio players like A.J. Ouellette and Papi White.
“I don’t think anyone has really thought of it, practice is something that we just do,” Hilliard said. “(In) today’s game, you don’t see a lot of backs except for maybe Leonard Fournette and Derrick Henry carry a team on their back, you see a lot of teams that have a stable of backs.”
With Ohio’s stable backs ready to carry the offense in the fall season, Hilliard said he isn’t too worried. He just wants to go have fun on the field and impress his family, who’ll be in attendance Saturday.
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“I would put a lot of emphasis on it, I wouldn’t look too much into it,” he said. “You still have a long ways to go until the season. The spring game is important, it shows the work you’ve put in. It’s also just a way to see where you need to go.”
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