Ohio Bobcats 2009 Football Betting Preview

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Ohio 2008 Record: (4-8, 3-5)
Ohio 2008 Bowl: none
Ohio Coach: Frank Solich (23-26 at Ohio, 81-45 overall)
Ohio Offensive Coordinator: Tim Albin
Ohio Defensive Coordinator: Jimmy Burrow
Ohio Returning Stats Leaders:

• Rushing: Chris Garrett, RB, 529 yards
• Passing: Boo Jackson, QB, 2,355 yards
• Receiving: Taylor Price, WR, 694 yards
• Tackles: Noah Keller, LB, 104
• Sacks: Kris Luchsinger, DE, 3.5
• Interceptions: Steven Jackson, S, 2

Notable Ohio Returning Players: OT Cole Bunner, WR LaVon Brazill, CB Travis Carrie, RB Donte Harden, DT Ernie Hodge, DE Curtis Meyers, DT A.J. Oxley, G Michael Philbin, LB Lee Renfro, P Matt Schulte, CB Thad Turner, C David White

Ohio Key Losses: LB Michael Brown, G Mike Eynon, LB Chris Hall, DE Jameson Hartke, OT Josh Leuck, S Michael Mitchell, WR Andrew Mooney, CB Mark Parson, C Tommy Stuck

Like the Zips, Ohio finished last year 3-5 in conference play. However, the Bobcats’ 4-8 record was deceiving, as they lost at Wyoming by 1, at CMU by 3, at Temple by 4, at Northwestern by 8, and at Ohio State by 12. In short, the Bobcats were a few bounces away from a bowl berth. Their 1-5 start, however, ruined their chances at a postseason berth.

2009 should be different in Athens. The Bobcats should have a decent offense with 7 starters back. Even better, they have options at quarterback as seniors Theo Scott and Boo Jackson both have had extensive playing time in the past two seasons. Scott was injured early last season and Jackson took over and played well, throwing 19 TDs and 12 picks while running for over 500 yards. Leading receiver Taylor Price returns after snagging 51 balls last year, five of which were touchdowns. The entire backfield returns as well and features a number of different options to tote the rock. However, the Ohio O-Line is questionable despite returning 3 starters, having been held under 100 yards rushing last year 5 times and allowing 23 sacks. The Bobcats should be solid on offense but the strength of their team will be on the other side of the ball. Don’t expect much improvement over last year’s 24 points per game average.

Speaking of the defense, Ohio should be very solid defensively this year and are probably one of the league’s top 3 or 4 units. On the line, senior DE Kris Luchsinger is the team’s returning sack leader and should be the lynchpin of a defense which allowed a division-best 158 rush yards per game. Expect that to improve this year as the linebackers boast the return of the team’s two leading tacklers from 2008, junior Noah Keller (104 tackles) and senior Lee Renfro (83 tackles). Overall, this should be a tough unit against the run. The secondary should be solid as well as senior Steven Jackson is a force against both the pass and run but they do have some holes to fill as only two players return with starting experience. Overall, the strength against the run should allow the Bobcats to mix up their coverages to support their new secondary and the defense should be quite good this year.

The Bobcats have a manageable schedule, facing all six divisional opponents and drawing only one road trip to the West. From the West, they avoid the Michigan teams and draw Ball State and Northern Illinois, neither of which is expected to contend. In the East, they have to travel to favorite Akron, Bowling Green and defending champion Buffalo. However, they only have one road weeknight game and finish up the season with two home games. Overall, the Bobcats won’t outscore anybody this year but their defense is strong enough to carry them. While they are not my choice in the East, I wouldn’t be shocked to see Ohio massage the schedule and win their 2 nd division title in 4 years.

Ohio Big Games: Oct. 3rd @ Bowling Green, Oct. 10th at Akron, Nov. 10th @ Buffalo, Nov. 27th vs. Temple

Ohio’s Strength:

If the line can hold, the offense has the potential to be very explosive. Quarterback Boo Jackson had some great games during his junior campaign and he could be in for a great season as a senior. On the year, he threw for 2,355 yards and 19 touchdowns. His interception numbers were a little high at 12, but that number should improve with a year of experience under his belt. Jackson is also a good rusher and tallied another 333 yards and two touchdowns on the ground. When Jackson is not running the ball, Chris Garrett and Donte Harden will be. Both Garrett and Harden struggled with injuries in 2008 and if they can stay healthy, the ground game could be extremely effective. However, the passing offense is what carried this team in 2008. Taylor Price and LaVon Brazill combined to catch 85 passes for 1,078 yards and six touchdowns.

Ohio’s Weakness:

The defense ranked third in the conference in total yards last season, but there are some big losses. Linebackers Michael Brown and Chris Hall were experienced players and the secondary will have to live without Michael Mitchell and shutdown corner Mark Parson. The Bobcats do get a majority of their starters back, but this is a group that only forced 19 turnovers on the year. If the offense plans to turn the ball over a lot once again, the defense has to step up and create more turnovers. The back seven, led by linebacker Noah Keller, will get most of those turnovers, but it is up to the front four to force the opposing quarterback to make mistakes. Kris Luchsinger is the leading returning sacker with a mere 3.5 on the season. Fellow end Curtis Meyers needs to have a more productive season now that he is a senior.

Our Prediction for the 2009 Bobcats:

Ohio was much better than their recorded indicated in 2008 and that should mean the team will be much better in 2009. There are some holes to fill, but nothing that cannot be dealt with. Coach Solich has enough talent to make a run at a conference championship. Even if they can just win their relatively easy home schedule, the Bobcats can get to the six win mark and at least reach a bowl game.

Ohio Betting Odds

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