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 Consistency. It is desired by all football teams, but accomplished by few. Although the Ohio Bobcats find themselves near the top of the MAC East standings halfway through the season, they have spent the month of October searching for consistent efforts.
The first weekend of the month saw the Bobcats scratch out a win against Kent State in a game that saw the OU offense struggle to put points on the board. A week later against Buffalo, the offense put up 37 points, but the injury-laced defense had a letdown, allowing 510 yards to the Bulls.
Ohio is now looking to rebound and keep striving toward a berth in the MAC Championship game when Ball State comes to Athens on Saturday for the school’s annual homecoming game.
Potentially hampering the effort and festivities, however, will be the fact that the ‘Cats could very well still be missing four starters on defense. Personnel issues on that side of the ball have kept the squad from finding the rhythm it had in September.
“We have a lot of new guys who are a little fresh and inexperienced,” senior linebacker Noah Keller said. “They are going to get a baptism by fire, and it will be a learning experience.”
Keller feels, however, that this is a great time for the Bobcats to show off their depth.
“We’ve really recruited well the past couple of seasons,” he said. “I’m not that worried about it.”
Led by strong defensive play through the early parts of the season, head coach Frank Solich and his staff are searching for a solution given the circumstances.
“We can’t make too many adjustments personnel-wise, because there is just nobody to make them,” he said. “As far as schemes, we’ll do a few things differently.”
Keller is quick to point out that the Ball State Cardinals will give the defense a test.
“They have an experienced offensive line and small, but quick, wide receivers,” he said. “They will make big plays in open space. We need to work on getting to the ball quicker to stop them.”
Offensively, the Bobcats had a nice return to form against Buffalo after struggling against Rutgers and Kent State in previous weeks. Quarterback Tyler Tettleton feels finishing drives was the key to getting the offense back on track.
“Our goal is to end every drive with a kick or touchdown and take advantage of red zone trips,” he said. “We were able to do that well against Buffalo.”
Tettleton says the offense is anxious to keep the momentum going.
“We are just looking to stay consistent and continue doing a good job taking care of the ball,” he said. “The defense is banged up, so we need to do our job putting points on the board.”
Ohio will look for the total team effort it desires this Saturday against Ball State Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Peden Stadium in Athens.
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