Bobcats looked like a 5th place east division team today losing 33-25 to Kent State. The game wasn't that close as Kent State led by double digits most of the game. Horrible coaching, offense, defense, and special teams for Ohio. Would be a shock to see Buffalo and Temple beat us as the Bobcats can't stop anything that is defined as a running play from scimage this year. After 5 games and 3 losses in a row the defense looks nothing like the 2006 team. No Matt Muncy or Tyler Russ anymore and their replacements have been major flops so far. MAC coaches will run it down the Bobcats throats the rest of the way. We couldn't stop pathetic La-Lafayett in week 2 and look at the stats Wyoming and Kent State have done against us.
Bobcats had 15 penalties and a stupid one for 12 men on the field in last two minutes which swung field position and momentum back toward Kent State. We lost this game and no fluke. Kent State is very sloppy and they aren't that great either. We scored 58 last two weeks and we blame the offense......no its our fat lazy defensive.
I wouldn't say the Bobcats have blown their bowl hopes yet. We also got off to a slow start in 2006, losing our first MAC game to Bowling Green.
2006 thru 5 games (2-3)
Tennessee-Martin W 29-3
Northern Ill. W 35-23
Missouri L 6-31
Rutgers L 7-24
Bowling Green L 9-21 (@Peden)
2007 thru 5 games (2-3)
Gardner-Webb W 36-14
Louisiana Laf. W 31-23
Virginia Tech L 7-28
Wyoming L 33-34
Kent State L 25-33 (@Peden)
Looking at the glass half full we have Buffalo and EMU on the schedule the next two weeks. That would put us at 4-3 and give us momentum going into the Toledo game.
Kent State has 1 loss in division play. The Bobcats are very much still alive for a division title and a bowl game. It will be tough but still very much possible.
We have not played the kind of defense and special teams play like last year. Akron and BGSU are must wins, but BGSU has to be laughing at our pathetic defense. Will they put 50 on us no problem. Bad teams have more penalty yards than rushing yards and the last three games we managed to do just that. I assumed we could run the ball. We proved we can't even against a MAC team at home. Our QB's haven't been that bad, but WR position has played poorly.
OUBOBCATJOHN Wrote:Bobcats had 15 penalties and a stupid one for 12 men on the field in last two minutes which swung field position and momentum back toward Kent State. We lost this game and no fluke. Kent State is very sloppy and they aren't that great either. We scored 58 last two weeks and we blame the offense......no its our fat lazy defensive.
Sure it was a sloppy game with lots of flags, but sometimes you have to give credit to the opposition, Jarvis had a nice day and could have had 300+ had he not sat out so much. And the Kent defensive front got some nice pressure and did a decent job on your running game.
OU fans...there is nothing like a trip to Western New York to get your team healthy again...unless this is 2001 (or 2003, for that matter).
This team lacks senior leadership. And lacks a coaching staff w/ any creative thinking on the offensive side of the ball. Awful performance.
Be that as it may, Hammer, the point is that this Ohio team is simply not very good. I have a hard time seeing this squad going anywhere.
Kit-Cat Wrote:I wouldn't say the Bobcats have blown their bowl hopes yet.
I can't believe I'm typing this, but Kit-Cat is right. However, his delusional thread about the MAC somehow securing at-large bowl bids is quickly going from pipe dream to mathematic impossibility.
Both MAC divisions are far from being settled. Last year, the Bobcats looked, by all accounts, overmatched against BG at Peden, yet still scrapped their way to a division title and a bowl game. Same could happen here.
We'll see what Solich has up his sleeve. If he's truly the coaching genius many of the Bobcat faithful claim him to be, he will get his team refocused.
BGSUalum1987 Wrote:Kit-Cat Wrote:I wouldn't say the Bobcats have blown their bowl hopes yet.
I can't believe I'm typing this, but Kit-Cat is right. However, his delusional thread about the MAC somehow securing at-large bowl bids is quickly going from pipe dream to mathematic impossibility.
Both MAC divisions are far from being settled. Last year, the Bobcats looked, by all accounts, overmatched against BG at Peden, yet still scrapped their way to a division title and a bowl game. Same could happen here.
We'll see what Solich has up his sleeve. If he's truly the coaching genius many of the Bobcat faithful claim him to be, he will get his team refocused.
I agree, OU's still very much alive in the East. For all we know, they can run the table from here on out in the East and get back to the MACC and a subsequent bowl game. No one in the MAC this year will go undefeated in conference play, I am pretty confident about that.
WMU has a chance with both crossover games at home, and Ball State the only other legit team in the West also coming into Waldo. @ NIU and @ EMU are the only road games and neither is looking like a snake pit right now.
IIRC, the crossover games don't count in the division standings.
But WMU is certainly in a good spot as they control their own destiny. Having Ball State and the Chips at Waldo should help.
But we haven't played the first October game yet, so everything is, really, still very much wide open. By the time the trick or treating is over, we'll have a much clearer picture.
Hard to believe all this negative talk coming from the usually confident Ohio fans. Especially going into UB, which is really struggling.
1. Drew Willey seems to have regressed from his early season games.
2. RB Starks has trouble finding holes.
3. The best running back so far this year is out with injuries.
4. The defense can't sop the run or the pass.
5. The true freshman FG kicker can't hit from beyound 40 yards.
The only bright spot is punter Ben Woods (who is getting plenty of practice) who is having an outstanding year.
Still amazing that UB can go against Big 12 Baylor and match up with them physically and talent-wise (excuse my grammer), pound the ball on the ground at will, but beat themselves with turnovers (5) and penalties. Then they go up the next week against Ball State, and are totally overmatched.
Ironically, "Nebraska Bowl" should be a good game on Sat. Two underachieving teams that need a win. (UB still 1-0 against the MAC East).
Reality hit us Bobcats real hard the last two weeks. We Thought Solich, Mcrae and our defense would deliver two decisive victory at home. The defense has been as bad as the 2005 team. We couldn't stop gardner webb and La-lafayette from moving the ball and that was a real bad sign. We depend on defense and special teams, but those phases are not as sound as last year. 12 men on the field back to back games under 2 minutes in 4qt with the game on the line shows that the coaching staff is not prepared.
BGSUalum1987 Wrote:Both MAC divisions are far from being settled. Last year, the Bobcats looked, by all accounts, overmatched against BG at Peden, yet still scrapped their way to a division title and a bowl game. Same could happen here.
I have to disagree with you there. I didn't think Ohio was overmatched last year against BG. They were at the height of a furry of off-field problems and just looked sloppy and disinterested. The guys on the sidelines did not look like they wanted to be there. They were able to regroup from there.
I'm not questioning the desire or commitment this year, but I am questioning the talent. I just don't think it's there. We can't stop the run. However, if we stop putting Bower out there, we have a shot. Again, I don't think it's a matter of focus.
OZoner, maybe overmatched is the wrong word, but the BG fans who were there believed the Falcons physically dominated the game.
Putting semantics aside, the bottom line is the Bobcats lost that game - an inter-division game at home - and still won the East. All I'm saying is that a bowl is well within reach. Win out in the East.
Perhaps. But the BG game was our only loss at home last year... we've already dropped two in Peden.
At this point, NO & Ft Worth bowl look like they may have openings. The MAC needs 4 or 5 schools with 7 wins. IF Haw does not get in BCS, C-USA could proabblly only send 6-6 team, I like to see Ball St some how slip out there.