By Uncle Tom George
OHIO GAME NOTES
https://ohiobobcats.com/documents/2023/12/11/Myrtle_Beach_Bowl_Game_Notes_updated.pdf
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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio football team (9-3, 6-2 MAC) is set to take on Georgia Southern (6-6, 3-5 SBC) in the Myrtle Beach Bowl on Dec. 16. Kickoff is set for 11:00 AM ET at Brooks Stadium in Conway, S.C. The game can be seen on ESPN with Drew Carter, Dustin Fox, and Stormy Buonantony on the call.
The Bobcats’ matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield. Russ Eisenstein returns for his 16th season as the “Voice of the Bobcats” and will be joined by Rob Cornelius, who has been a part of the broadcasts for two decades.
SERIES HISTORY VS. GEORGIA SOUTHERN
The Myrtle Beach Bowl will be the first time the Bobcats and Eagles have faced each other.
The Bobcats hold a record of 34-28-6 against Sun Belt competition. Excluding games played against Marshall, Ohio is 1-7 in games against Sun Belt foes.
Georgia Southern is 5-2 against Mid-American Conference opponents. This is the second consecutive year the Eagles will play a MAC program in a bowl game. Last year, Georgia Southern lost to Buffalo in the Camellia Bowl.
SCOUTING GEORGIA SOUTHERN
The Eagles enter the matchup with a 6-6 record and were 3-5 in conference play. In their last game on the road at Appalachian State, the Eagles lost 55-27 (Nov. 25).
On the season, Georgia Southern averages 30.9 points per game while picking up 298.5 yards per game through the air and 124.3 on the ground.
Senior running back Jalen White led the way for the Eagles on the ground. He ran for 891 yards and nine touchdowns while averaging 5.6 yards per carry. The senior also added 65 receiving yards and a touchdown through the air. White had four games with over 100-yards rushing on the year, including a career-high 164 yards against UL-Monroe. Sophomore running back OJ Arnold added 405 yards and four touchdowns in a complimentary role.
Quarterback Davis Brin threw for 3,418 yards and 22 touchdowns this season. Brin, a transfer from Tulsa, had a season-high 383 yards in the Eagles’ loss to Wisconsin. Averaging 285.9 yards per game, Brin led the Sun Belt in passing yards. Brin is tied with Colorado State’s Brayden Fowler-Nicolosi for the most interceptions thrown in the country with 16.
Brin’s top receiving targets include Khaleb Hood, Derwin Burgess Jr., Dalen Cobb, and Jjay Mcafee. Hood was the leading receiver for Georgia Southern. The fifth-year senior caught 94 passes for 917 yards and five scores. Burgess Jr. Made 68 catches for 696 yards and added five touchdowns for the Eagles. Cobb had 33 catches, 492 yards, and two touchdowns. Tight end Jjay Mcafee made 32 catches for 316 yards and added three touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, Marques Watson-Trent was the leading tackler with 117. He made 56 solo tackles, had 13 tackles for loss, 3.5 sacks, and two interceptions. He was selected to the Sun Belt’s All-Conference First Team for his strong season. Defensive tackle Justin Rhodes was a key contributor for the Eagles, making 12 tackles for loss and 30 tackles. Defensive end Isaac Walker led the team in sacks with six. He also forced five fumbles, the most of any Sun Belt player. The Eagles were led in interceptions by defensive back TJ Smith (3) and in pass deflections by Shemar Bartholomew (13).
Kicker Michael Lantz was 23-for-28 for field goal attempts on the season with a long of 48. From inside of 40-yards, Mantz was 17 of 18. He was also perfect on his point after attempts, going 42-for-42. Punter Alex Smith averaged 40.2 yards on 45 punts. He had a long of 58 and had 18 punts downed inside the 20-yard line. DeAndre Buchannon was the leading kick returner for the Eagles. He had 19 returns for 525 yards, averaging 27.6 yards per return. He also had one touchdown on a 100-yard kick return. Khaleb Hood was the team’s punt returner. He made 25 returns for 191 yards.
LAST TIME OUT
Highlighted by quarterback Kurtis Rourke becoming the second leading passer in program history, the Ohio football team (9-3, 6-2 MAC) wrapped up the 2023 season with a 25-14 victory over the Akron Zips (2-10, 1-7 MAC).?
Rourke finished the day 19-for-30 with one passing touchdown on 208 yards. When claiming the No. 2 spot among all-time passers, Rourke passed his brother, Nathan Rourke, who recorded 7457 from 2017-19.?
Junior wide receiver Miles Cross scored the sole passing touchdown of the game and lead the receivers with seven receptions on 103 yards. Redshirt senior Tyler Foster recorded four receptions while graduate student wide receiver Sam Wiglusz had three catches on 30 yards.?
On the ground, redshirt sophomore running back Sieh Bangura and Rourke each scored one touchdown. Bangura led the rushers with 121 net yards and 23 attempts while Rourke had nine carries on 10 yards.?
Graduate student linebacker Bryce Houston led the defense with six tackles— including three solo stops— and one interception. Redshirt sophomore cornerback Torrie Cox Jr. graduate student linebacker Keye Thompson recorded five tackles each.?
Kicker Gianni Spetic kicked a 26-yard field goal on the opening drive, giving the Bobcats an early 3-0 lead. Akron answered in the second quarter, wrapping up a 66-yard drive with a 43-yard passing touchdown, putting Ohio at a four-point deficit. With 1:50 remaining in the half, another Akron touchdown put the score at 14-3.?
Rourke scored Ohio’s first touchdown of the day with 8:20 left in the third quarter. The graduate student followed with a successful two-point conversion to redshirt fifth year wide receiver Tyler Walton, cutting the Zips’ lead to 14-11. Their next drive, Ohio reclaimed the lead with a one-yard passing touchdown to Cross. After Spetic’s successful extra point, the Zips trailed by four.?
Houston cut Akron’s next drive short, snagging the ball less than a minute into the drive. The Bobcats proceeded to open the final 15 minutes of play with a 15-play, 64-yard drive that culminated with a rushing touchdown by Bangura. After Spetic’s successful PAT, Ohio extended their lead to 25-14.?
The Bobcats’ defense held the Zips for the rest of the game, allowing Ohio’s offense to reclaim possession for the final drive of the game. Rourke took a knee as the Bobcats went into victory formation, solidifying their 25-14 victory over the Akron Zips to close the regular season.?
SCOUTING OHIO
The Bobcats are 9-3 overall and 5-2 in MAC play. They average 22.92 points per game on 137.1 rushing yards and 210.58 passing yards per game.
In the air, Parker Navarro is 7-for-10 on 248 yards, throwing two touchdowns and one interception in five games. Navarro is also a threat on the ground with 10 carries for 107 yards. Navarro also has the longest rush for the Bobcats this season with a 52-yard scamper against Kent State.
Running backs Nolan McCormick, Rickey Hunt, and Quintell Quinn will carry the load for the Bobcats. McCormick has recorded 83 carries for 289 yards and a touchdown. Hunt has six carries for 19 yards while Quinn has five for 22. McCormick also has 20 receptions for 164 yards and a touchdown in his career.
Running backs Sieh Bangura and O’Shaan Allison lead the Bobcats on the ground. Bangura has a team-best seven rushing touchdowns on 811 yards and 178 carries while Allison is right behind him with 139 carries and three touchdowns on 452 yards. Bangura has also tallied one receiving touchdown on 18 receptions.
Wide receiver Sam Wiglusz has recorded three touchdowns on 51 receptions and 596 yards. The graduate student was selected to the All-MAC First Team for the second consecutive season. Tight ends Will Kacmarek and Tyler Foster have proven to be a strong tandem. Kacmarek has 22 receptions for 243 and a pair of touchdowns. Foster has made 19 catches for 202 yards on the year. Freshman Chase Hendricks also played a role for Ohio, making eight catches for 83 yards.
Defensively, linebacker Bryce Houston leads the team with 119 total tackles and 54 solo stops, putting him fourth in the MAC and 16th in FBS football. He’s also recorded 2.5 sacks, three interceptions and four quarterback hurries. Defensive end Vonnie Watkins has a team-best 10 quarterback hurries while defensive tackle Rayyan Buell, Houston, and defensive end Bradley Weaver are all in the top 10 of the MAC in tackles for loss. Houston has 12.5, Buell has 11.5 while Weaver is just behind with 10.
Kicker Gianni Spetic is 16-for-24 on field goals and 28-for-29 on PATs while kicker Alex Kasee is 1-for-2 on field goals, 2-for-2 on PATs and has accumulated 3,341 yards in 60 kickoffs. Punters Jack Wilson and Jared Wheatley have both made appearances this season, with Wilson’s longest of 26 clocking in at 58 yards while Wheatley has 19 punts on the season, averaging 36.79 yards per punt.
To read this week’s complete notes, click here.
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