Bowling Green State University Athletics
Know the Opponent: Ohio
August 01, 2017 | Football
Over the course of six weeks, BGSUFalcons.com will break down the 12 opponents that BGSU Football will face during the 2017 season. The Falcons' seventh game of the season comes Oct. 14 as the Falcons host defending MAC East Champion Ohio for Homecoming. The Bobcats were selected to win the MAC East Division again in the preseason media poll and the winner of the BGSU/Ohio game has gone on to play for the MAC Championship in each of the last four years.
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SEASON TICKET INFORMATION
SEASON TICKET BENEFITS (SPARK PAGE)
ROAD GAME TICKET PRICES/SALES INFORMATION
FOOTBALL TICKETS PAGE
GETTING THERE ISN'T EVERYTHING
Ohio boasts seven straight years of bowl eligibility, meaning seven of the ten appearances in program history have come in as many years. Their success upon reaching those bowl games, however, is another story. Last season's Dollar General Bowl loss to Troy dropped their all-time bowl record to 2-8 – their .200 winning percentage in bowl games puts them last among all teams who have played in at least ten of them. Their last two victories came in 2012 when they beat UL-Monroe in the Advocare V100 Independence Bowl and in 2011 when they took down Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
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PREVIOUS KNOW THE OPPONENT FEATURES
MICHIGAN STATE
SOUTH DAKOTA
NORTHWESTERN
MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE
AKRON
MIAMI
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SOLID SOLICH
In a conference where a lot of head coaches use their teams' success as a stepping stone to bigger jobs, Ohio's Frank Solich has decided to stick with his Bobcats. Solich has coached in Athens for 12 years now, posting a consistent 88-67 record since taking the job in 2005. He has done just as well in conference games, going 59-37 against MAC opponents. He has led Ohio to four MAC East titles during his tenure, but he has yet to secure a MAC Championship.
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DEFENSIVE DOUBTS
Ohio's defensive line was fantastic last year, averaging 3.14 sacks per game to rank 12th in the country. This type of dominance could be difficult to replicate, however, as the Bobcats have lost five of last year's top seven defensive linemen.
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SECONDARY HOPES
Should the shiny new defensive linemen pick up where their elders left off, Ohio's secondary should make the defense even scarier. Redshirt senior linebacker Quentin Poling has produced at a ridiculous rate, racking up 110 tackles with four sacks and five pass breakups last season.
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WATCH FOR THE RIMINGTON
Senior center Jake Pruehs was placed on the 2017 Rimington Trophy Watch List in May. The Rimington is awarded annually to the Most Outstanding Center in NCAA Division I-A College Football. Pruehs has started 25 games in his Ohio career, including all 14 games last season. He helped lead the Bobcats to an average of 392.3 passing yards per game and 167.9 rushing yards per game in 2017. His leadership of the O-line helped the Bobcats earn their seventh straight bowl appearance as well as a shot to play for the MAC Championship.Â
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SEASON TICKET INFORMATION
SEASON TICKET BENEFITS (SPARK PAGE)
ROAD GAME TICKET PRICES/SALES INFORMATION
FOOTBALL TICKETS PAGE
GETTING THERE ISN'T EVERYTHING
Ohio boasts seven straight years of bowl eligibility, meaning seven of the ten appearances in program history have come in as many years. Their success upon reaching those bowl games, however, is another story. Last season's Dollar General Bowl loss to Troy dropped their all-time bowl record to 2-8 – their .200 winning percentage in bowl games puts them last among all teams who have played in at least ten of them. Their last two victories came in 2012 when they beat UL-Monroe in the Advocare V100 Independence Bowl and in 2011 when they took down Utah State in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Â
PREVIOUS KNOW THE OPPONENT FEATURES
MICHIGAN STATE
SOUTH DAKOTA
NORTHWESTERN
MIDDLE TENNESSEE STATE
AKRON
MIAMI
Â
SOLID SOLICH
In a conference where a lot of head coaches use their teams' success as a stepping stone to bigger jobs, Ohio's Frank Solich has decided to stick with his Bobcats. Solich has coached in Athens for 12 years now, posting a consistent 88-67 record since taking the job in 2005. He has done just as well in conference games, going 59-37 against MAC opponents. He has led Ohio to four MAC East titles during his tenure, but he has yet to secure a MAC Championship.
Â
DEFENSIVE DOUBTS
Ohio's defensive line was fantastic last year, averaging 3.14 sacks per game to rank 12th in the country. This type of dominance could be difficult to replicate, however, as the Bobcats have lost five of last year's top seven defensive linemen.
Â
SECONDARY HOPES
Should the shiny new defensive linemen pick up where their elders left off, Ohio's secondary should make the defense even scarier. Redshirt senior linebacker Quentin Poling has produced at a ridiculous rate, racking up 110 tackles with four sacks and five pass breakups last season.
Â
WATCH FOR THE RIMINGTON
Senior center Jake Pruehs was placed on the 2017 Rimington Trophy Watch List in May. The Rimington is awarded annually to the Most Outstanding Center in NCAA Division I-A College Football. Pruehs has started 25 games in his Ohio career, including all 14 games last season. He helped lead the Bobcats to an average of 392.3 passing yards per game and 167.9 rushing yards per game in 2017. His leadership of the O-line helped the Bobcats earn their seventh straight bowl appearance as well as a shot to play for the MAC Championship.Â
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