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Ohio's Papi White attempts to run the ball in the second quarter on November 14, 2017. (FILE)

Football: Ohio's November schedule could be fun

Editor’s note: This is the first of a five-part series. As the season nears forward, sports editor Spencer Holbrook will analyze each month of the Ohio football schedule.

September | October | November | Postseason

As the calendar turns to November, the Bobcats will have a much harder schedule than October. They’ll play a talented Western Michigan squad, their rival from Oxford and an up-start Buffalo team before closing out the season against Akron, who will have one of the toughest defenses in the Mid-American Conference. It’ll be tough.

But if Ohio can handle October’s schedule and survive the week-night madness the MAC is accustomed to providing, it will be in good position to win the conference for the first time in 50 years.

Here’s November’s schedule breakdown:

At Western Michigan (Nov. 1, 7 p.m., ESPNU/CBS Sports Network)

This will be the first meeting since the Broncos defeated the Bobcats in the 2016 MAC Championship Game on their way to a berth in the Cotton Bowl. The Bobcats had the ball late in the fourth quarter with a chance to win, but they threw an interception; the Broncos ran out the clock. The win was Western Michigan’s fourth straight against Ohio.

Western Michigan will be coming off a week-night game against Toledo, which will be its toughest game in the MAC prior to Ohio. The Broncos went 6-6 last season under first-year coach Tim Lester after PJ Fleck left for Minnesota. Western Michigan’s schedule is favorable, though. It hosts Toledo, Northern Illinois and Ohio.

Quarterback Jon Wassink, a Fleck recruit, will lead the Broncos’ offense. He’ll be joined in the backfield by running backs LeVonte Bellamy, a junior, and Jamauri Bogan, a senior with a lot of experience. Western Michigan’s offense is largely made up of juniors, and it returns eight starters from the unit that averaged 33.9 points per game, which was No. 25 in the country.

Defensively, the Broncos will be young. They lose their entire starting linebacker unit and their best cornerback, which will likely cause a decrease in defensive production. The Bobcats’ offense will be explosive, and should take advantage of the youth in the Broncos defense and win the game, which will be on a cold Thursday night in Kalamazoo.

At Miami (Ohio) (Nov. 7, 7 or 8 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU)

The Bobcats have won five straight games over Miami in the "Battle of the Bricks" series. The RedHawks still hold the all-time lead in the series, 52-40-9. Last year, Ohio scored the final 17 points of the game to defeat Miami. The Bobcats are 11-2 against Miami under coach Frank Solich.

The RedHawks are coming off a 5-7 season, which started with hype, but ended with four losses by five points or less. Miami returns one of the MAC’s best quarterbacks, Gus Ragland, and all five starters along the offensive line. With the experienced offensive line, the RedHawks will look to have their first 1,000-yard rusher since 2005. Kenny Young III could be Miami's biggest offensive weapon. One area of concern for the offense is wide receiver. Miami lost three of its top-four wide receivers from last season.

Miami will have eight starters back from last year’s defense that gave up just 24.1 points per game. Nine of its top-12 tacklers are back, and Miami will be poised to stop Ohio’s offense, given its struggles last season with the Bobcats. Three defensive linemen who started all 12 games last season will be back, and linebackers will be experienced as well.

Miami could have its best year since Chuck Martin took over as coach, and Ohio will need a solid game to extend that streak.

Buffalo (Nov. 14, 7 or 8 p.m., ESPN2/ESPNU)

Last year, Ohio lost to Buffalo in the final game of the regular season despite being a six-point favorite. But in 2016, the Bobcats handled the Bulls with ease. The home team is 10-2 in the series and has won eight straight, which is good news for Ohio.

The Bulls’ offense will be fun to watch. It returns an offensive line that has collectively started 72 career games, including center James O’Hagan, who has started the last three seasons. All three Bulls who started games last season at running back will be back to carry the load. First-team All-MAC wide receiver Anthony Johnson will return, and he’ll catch passes from quarterback Tyree Johnson again this season.

Linebacker Khalil Hodge, who was a first-team All-MAC selection and second in the FBS in tackles last season, will anchor the Bulls’ defense. He’s joined by defensive lineman Chuck Harris, who was a third-team All-MAC end a year ago. They’ll lead a defense that gave up fewer than 25 points per game last year; the defense is improved.

Although the home team has won eight straight in the series, a win for Ohio against Buffalo isn’t a guarantee. The Bulls will be tough to beat, and this game could go far in determining who plays for the MAC Championship out of the East Division.

Akron (Nov. 23, TBD, ESPNU/CBS Sports Network/ESPN3)

The Zips shocked the Bobcats last season to advance to the MAC Championship Game, where they lost to Toledo. Still, it was a step forward for coach Terry Bowden and Akron, who made its first MAC Championship Game since winning it in 2005. The last time Akron came to Peden Stadium, Ohio won 9-3 in a game that featured no touchdowns. Ohio is 10-2 in home finales since 2006 and is 9-1 in its last 10 against Akron.

Akron returns just five starters on offense, but it will be exciting to watch. Quarterback Kato Nelson, whose second career start was against Ohio last year, returns and will have running backs Van Edwards and Deltron Sands to hand off to. 

Ullysees Gilbert, Akron’s standout linebacker who was first-team All-MAC last season, will anchor an experienced defense, which returns nine starters. Third-team All-MAC defensive end Jamal Davis should have a strong season along the defensive front for the Zips, and they’ll cause problems for many offenses in the MAC. Safety Alvin Davis, who was second team All-MAC last year, will be leading the secondary.

Ohio could use the final game of the regular season to exact some revenge on the Zips, who stole a MAC Championship bid from Ohio last year. This season, Ohio’s MAC Championship drought enters year 50, and a win over Akron could be the final step to earning a place in Detroit in December.

@SpencerHolbrook

sh690914@ohio.edu

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