Ad Disclosure
Leading up to this week’s showdown with Ohio, Saturday Down South’s Ethan Levine breaks down the battle between the Wildcats and the Bobcats.
Ohio Bobcats
Week 2 at Mississippi State (3:30 p.m. ET; ESPNU)
THE SKINNY: The Bobcats have reached five straight bowl games under head coach Frank Solich, and narrowly edged past Kent State 17-14 on a Josiah Yazdani field goal as time expired. Ohio’s defense held the Golden Flashes to fewer than 300 total yards of offense and less than 1.5 yards per carry on 22 rushing attempts. The Bobcats lost four fumbles in their season opener, and if their turnover problems turn out to be a regular occurrence and not the product of early season rust, it could doom an otherwise talented football team.
KEY PLAYER: Quarterback Derrius Vick led a balanced attack on offense against Kent State, completing 18-of-24 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions. Vick also ran the ball eight times for 35 yards, forcing the Golden Flashes to respect his running as much as his throwing abilities. Kentucky’s highly regarded defensive ends must disrupt Vick in the Ohio backfield time and time again to keep the star quarterback from getting comfortable at the helm of the offense.
WHAT TO WATCH: The Bobcats outdid Kent State in almost every statistical category, but kept the Golden Flashes in the game with sloppy turnovers. Kentucky did not commit a single turnover in amassing 656 yards of offense against UT Martin last week. The Cats intercepted two passes and forced a fumble linebacker Khalid Henderson returned 89 yards for a touchdown. Should UK dominate the turnover battle once again, this game could be over quickly.
FINAL SAY: Ohio has more talent on both sides of the ball than many give it credit for, and Solich has experience competing against teams from power conferences dating back to his days as head coach at Nebraska. The Bobcats will not be intimidated by Kentucky, even after its 45-point win a week ago. Likewise, the Cats cannot become over-confident and sleep on the Bobcats, or they will get burned. Ohio did a great job of stopping the run against Kent State, and the Cats will miss Braylon Heard if he indeed cannot play on Saturday. Look for Kentucky to attack through the air early in the game, ideally opening up rushing lanes as the game progresses.
A former newspaper reporter who has roamed the southeastern United States for years covering football and eating way too many barbecue ribs, if there is such a thing.
