Quarterback Austen Everson said he knows how the Bobcats can erase the ugliness that has transpired off the field over the last week.
Winning cures a lot
the senior signal-caller said. Whether it be tough times on the field or tough times off winning makes everyone feel better.
It certainly has been a tough time off the field for the Bobcats with three players receiving suspensions Monday in lieu of the Ohio Athletic Department's revamping of its scrutinized student-athlete code of conduct. Offensive linemen Paul Johnson and Tommy Stuck and defensive lineman Wesley Dunlap were all suspended indefinitely.
Distractions are always part of this business coach Frank Solich said. It's part of it for the coach and part of it for the athlete. You need to learn how to handle distractions and move forward or else you're never gonna be able to develop the kind of program you want to develop.
Ohio (2-3, 1-1 Mid-American Conference) will look to overcome these distractions when they take the field at Peden Stadium tomorrow for a MAC showdown with Western Michigan.
On Tuesday, Ohio's five captains held a players' meeting and addressed how the team can help each other to avoid adding to the total of 17 Ohio football players arrested in the last nine months.
As a team
this is a time that we stick together
and really unify and not start becoming fractioned
Everson said.
Senior offensive lineman and team captain Matt Coppage said that the team can't dwell on the problems of the past week.
It's tough any time you lose guys because we are a tight-knit group. We are a family
Coppage said. As a football team
that can't have any effect on you. We just rally around each other and we all know that we need to go to work.Scouting the Broncos
After a disappointing loss to Bowling Green, the Bobcats will have their work cut out for them tomorrow against Western Michigan's stifling defense.
With coach Bill Cubit in his second year at the helm, Western Michigan has one of the best playmaking defenses in not only the MAC, but in the nation. The Broncos currently lead all Division I schools with a + 2.0 turnover ratio and are tied for 19th in the nation with 12 forced turnovers.
Our big emphasis ever since we've been here is to stop the run
be real good in the red-zone and be real good in the turnover margin
Cubit said. Fortunately
we've been able to do all three of those.
Stopping the run has been another major strength for the Broncos this season. They lead the MAC in rush defense, allowing just 59.2 yards a game, 64 yards under the next best team in the conference. Their 199.8 yards per game allowed through the air is good for only eighth in the MAC, something Solich believes is misleading.
The reason why teams have gotten more yards through the passing game is because they can't run it against them
