The Bobcats may have lost two straight, but don’t give up hope yet
Earlier this week, I had a handful of conversations with my fellow students about Ohio football.
Essentially, the consensus was that the season is over and the coaching staff should be fired because they can’t get the job done.
Those people are wrong.
Although the Bobcats were less than impressive the past two weeks, they played in a pair of tough road environments at Kentucky and Marshall, against a pair of very good football teams.
After defeating the Bobcats, Kentucky went to triple-overtime against Florida in its Southeastern Conference opener. The Wildcats are perennially at the bottom of the SEC standings, but still play every week against college football’s best teams.
Marshall has a chance to run the table and finish undefeated. Plus, their quarterback Rakeem Cato is going to be in the running for the Heisman Trophy come December. Ohio witnessed his ability last Saturday, as he threw for more than 400 yards and four touchdowns.
Non-conference games hold little value for mid-major teams like Ohio, especially with only four teams competing for the national championship.
The only game that has actually mattered is Ohio’s week one win at Kent State, because it placed them atop the Mid-American Conference.
Josiah Yazdani’s game-winning field goal as time expired gave the Bobcats an early advantage in the MAC East standings. That kick could be a deciding factor come the end of the year when competing for a spot in the MAC Championship game and a trip to Detroit.
We’re still three weeks away from the “actual” beginning of MAC play, but with a win already in the books, Ohio is sitting pretty. Meanwhile, Bowling Green, the preseason favorite to win the MAC East, has already lost its week one starting quarterback to a season-ending injury.
While the Bobcats offense has struggled and punted to finish most of its drives, Derrius Vick, a redshirt junior quarterback, has started just four games in his career. He’s also only been given the opportunity to play one full game this year, before being pulled in favor of redshirt sophomore JD Sprague.
Ohio needs time to build offensive chemistry. There have been explosive plays, and there’s been many three-and-outs, but the season is still young.
Don’t jump the gun yet, Bobcats fans. You haven’t even seen this team play at home yet.
There will be six home games in the next eight weeks, with the majority being against MAC teams.
Playing against the SEC and rivals is important, but the MAC is what really counts.
Chad Lindskog is the Post Sports Editor and a senior studying journalism. Are you frustrated with the Bobcats? Let him know @chadlindskog or cl027410@ohio.edu
