Andrew Mooney is the latest Bobcat to have his season ended.
With Ohio already missing key players such as running back Donte Harden and quarterback Theo Scott because of injury, they could ill-afford to lose their tight end. Mooney tore his medial collateral ligament against Temple on Tuesday night.
The MCL can heal itself
but it will take quite a bit of time coach Frank Solich said.
Because of the injury, senior David Carter becomes the No.1 option at tight end.
Solich said the team will not be able to utilize the two-tight end formation as effectively without Mooney.
We run out enough different formations that I think we could adjust what we need to adjust to be productive offensively he said.
One player who could help fill the void is fullback Jayson White, who has played at the position, Solich said.
You have to find a way to break bad luck
Solich said. You cannot sit back and expect that bad things aren't going to continue to happen.
Punt return mishaps
One area Solich emphasized as a problem against Temple was the punt returners' inability to field the football.
In the game, Temple had six punts, but cornerback Travis Carrie was the only player to have a successful return.
Solich said Ohio places two returners deep to catch the ball instead of letting it hit the ground.
Letting it hit and bounce the other way is not a positive
Solich said. To have that happen when you are two deep is not excusable.
Missing Harden
Solich wasn't sure how much the team missed running back Donte Harden, but did say the Bobcats missed the redshirt freshman's consistency.
He was a guy who made the most out of every play
Solich said.
Solich added that running back Chris Garrett provided Ohio with big plays like Harden had. He said backup running back Vince Davidson needs to improve after carrying the ball five times for three yards.
Obviously Vince has to play better than he did in that game in terms of his running style
Solich said. He probably didn't have enough reps to get him going.
Not giving up
Solich said not to expect any major changes at this point in the season.
One way to lose your football team is to look like you are giving up on them
he said. We'll expect some different results in some areas
but we'll coach the same way.
When asked whether he would attempt to lighten the mood in practice this week after the troubling loss, Solich said that might be a possibility.
Last week, Solich showed the team part of the film Leatherheads, which comically addressed Ohio's biggest problem this season ' penalties.
I promised them I would never talk to them about penalties before the game
Solich said. There's a lot of ways to lighten things up a little bit.
I'm not necessarily looked at as a fun guy
Solich added with a smile.
