By Burt Leeson
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OHIO GAME NOTES
https://ohiobobcats.com/documents/2023/11/20/ohio_fb_112423_akron.pdf
ATHENS, Ohio — The Ohio football team (8-3, 5-2 MAC) is set to close the regular season on Friday, Nov. 24 against the Akron Zips (2-9, 1-6 MAC). Kickoff is set for noon ET at InfoCision Stadium. The game can be seen on CBSSN with Carter Blackburn and Adam Breneman 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. AKRON
The Bobcats and the Zips have met 39 times since 1919, with an overall record of 24-14-1. The two teams last met in Athens for Ohio’s 2022 Homecoming game. Led by Sieh Bangura’s four touchdowns, the Bobcats won in dominant fashion, with a final score of 55-34.
SCOUTING AKRON
The Zips are currently 2-9 overall and 1-9 in MAC play, falling to the Eastern Michigan Eagles in Ypsilanti, Mich. last Tuesday (Nov. 14), 30-27, in double overtime.
On the season, Akron averages 16.45 points on 85 rushing yards and 202.27 passing yards per game.
Individually, running back Lorenzo Lingard leads the Zips on the ground, recording four touchdowns on 137 carries in 612 rushing yards. Quarterbacks DJ Irons and Tahj Bullock are also threats on the ground, with Irons netting 215 yards on 61 attempts with two touchdowns and Bullock recording three rushing touchdowns in 56 carries. In the air, quarterback Jeff Undercuffler Jr. leads the Zips with four passing touchdowns in 1,275 yards. Irons is 88-for-133 with three touchdowns in 722 passing yards while Bullock has played in nine games, throwing two touchdowns in 228 yards.
Wide receiver Jasaiah Gathings has a team-best 532 receiving yards and is among seven Zips with one receiving touchdown. Wide receiver Alex Adams leads the team with two receiving touchdowns on 22 receptions.
Defensively, linebacker Bryan McCoy has a. team-best 94 tackles, highlighted by 33 solo stops. Linebacker Antavious Fish is right behind McCoy, with 78 total tackles, four quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery. Defensive lineman DJ Nunnally IV leads the team in tackles for loss (14), sacks (7) and quarterback hurries (7) while defensive back KJ Martin and cornerback Devonte Golden-Nelson both have two interceptions.
Kicker Owen Wiley is 10-for-10 in PATs and 4-for-6 in field goals, scoring 22 total points for the Zips, while kicker Noah Perez has kicked nine extra points and three field goals. Punter Dante Jackson has kicked three PATs and two field goals in addition to 61 punts this season. He averages 36.92 yards per punt with his longest clocking in at 55 yards. Jackson also handles kickoffs for Akron, averaging 59.3 yards per kickoff.
LAST TIME OUT
Last Wednesday (Nov. 15), the Bobcats defeated the Central Michigan Chippewas for the first time since 2011, 34-20. The last time CMU fell in Athens was 2000.
A 39-yard field goal by kicker Gianni Spetic scored the first three points of the game. Defensive end Shane Bonner extending the Bobcats’ lead before the end of the first quarter, cutting the Chippewas’ third drive short with a pick six. His interception and subsequent touchdown marked two career-firsts for the graduate student.
Running back O’Shaan Allison wrapped up an eight-play, 87-yard drive with 8:19 remaining in the half with a one-yard rushing touchdown, giving Ohio a 17-0 lead. A 50-yard Central Michigan passing touchdown cut the Bobcats’ lead to 10 points heading into halftime.
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke scored another rushing touchdown for Ohio in the third before the Chippewas answered with a 62-yard passing touchdown, putting the score at 24-14. Allison scored his second touchdown of the day with 4:11 left in the third quarter. One more touchdown from Central Michigan and an Ohio field goal in the fourth quarter solidified Ohio’s 34-20 victory.
SCOUTING OHIO
Currently, the Bobcats are 8-3 overall and 5-2 in MAC play. They average 22.73 points per game on 132.6 rushing yards and 210.82 passing yards per game.
In the air, Kurtis Rourke is 176-for-277 on 1,999 yards, throwing 10 touchdowns in 10 games. Parker Navarro has participated in four games, going 7-for-10 with two passing touchdowns. Both are threats on the ground as well and are currently third and fourth, respectively, on the team in rushing yards. Rourke has two rushing touchdowns while Navarro claims the longest rush this season (52 yards).
Running backs Sieh Bangura and O’Shaan Allison lead the Bobcats on the ground. Bangura has a team-best six rushing touchdowns on 690 yards and 155 carries while Allison is right behind him with 127 carries and three touchdowns on 402 yards. Bangura has also tallied one receiving touchdown on 18 receptions.
Wide receiver Sam Wiglusz has recorded three touchdowns on 47 receptions and 570 yards while wide receiver Miles Cross has a team-best four receiving touchdowns on 514 yards. Wide receiver Tyler Walton and tight end Will Kacmarek each have two receiving touchdowns on the season.
Defensively, linebacker Bryce Houston leads the team with 113 total tackles and 51 solo stops, putting him third in the MAC and 11th in FBS football. He’s also recorded 2.5 sacks, two interceptions and four quarterback hurries. Linebacker Keye Thompson is right behind Houston with 89 tackles; against Bowling Green, he recorded a 71-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown. Defensive end Vonnie Watkins has a team-best 10 quarterback hurries while defensive tackle Rayyan Buell, Houston, Thompson and defensive end Bradley Weaver are all in the top 10 of the MAC in tackles for loss. Buell and Houston have 11.5 each while Thompson and Weaver are just behind with 10.
Kicker Gianni Spetic is 15-for-21 on field goals and 26-for-27 on PATs while kicker Alex Kasee is 1-for-2 on field goals, 2-for-2 on PATs and has accumulated 3,076 yards in 55 kickoffs. Punters Jack Wilson and Jared Wheatley have both made appearances this season, with Wilson’s longest of 23 clocking in at 58 yards while Wheatley has 19 punts on the season, averaging 36.79 yards per punt.
To read the rest of this week’s notes, click here.
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