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 For the second consecutive year, the Ohio Bobcats find themselves in control of their own destiny in the MAC East during the final month of the season. Now the Bobcats will do everything in their power to avoid a repeat of their collapse last season when Ohio lost the division after losing to Kent State in the final week of the season.
“Finishing the season is something we addressed even before the season started,” Head Coach Frank Solich said. “We have approached things a little differently in practice than we did in the past and so far it’s working out.”
“We’ve been saying one game at a time, but we really are starting to take it to heart now,” quarterback Tyler Tettleton said. “We’re locked into the game Thursday.”
The next challenge the Bobcats face will be a matchup against the Central Michigan Chippewas Thursday night in Mount Pleasant. It will be broadcast nationally on ESPNU.
The young squad, CMU comes into the game sitting at the bottom of the MAC West standings with a 3-7 (2-4) record. Despite the record, Solich is making sure the Bobcats won’t overlook CMU.
“They are a young football team,” he said. “They are building for the future, but they won’t tell you that since they have their guys playing well this time of year.”
CMU was the last team to defeat Northern Illinois, downing the Huskies 48-41 on October 1. Since then, Central has lost three of four.
After dealing with Temple’s potent rushing attack, Ohio will have to shift its focus to Central Michigan’s pass offense. Though the Chippewas rank in the top 30 in the nation passing with 269.5 yards per game, the defensive game plan will not change much.
“Our first goal is to always stop the run,” senior defensive lineman Jeff King said. “If we make their offense too one-dimensional, it makes it easier to stop the pass.”
As for the offense, the big-play potential will have a chance to shine against a CMU defense that has struggled with stopping opponents all season.
“Our offense is looking forward to continue what we have been able to do recently,” Tettleton said. “We certainly have a great opportunity in front of us.”
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