‘The Post’ analyzes recent news surrounding Ohio football
With Ohio’s season starting in eight days against Idaho, the Bobcats’ season has had its fair share of scores and fumbles. Here are a few:
Troy Mangen out for season
Jason Arkley of The Athens Messenger reported earlier in the year that junior tight end Troy Mangen will most likely miss the entire 2015 season after he injured his knee eight days into summer camp.
Mangen was a starter for the Bobcats in 2014 and grabbed 19 catches for 147 yards during Ohio’s 6-6 campaign.
The Union, Ohio-native was considered to have a ‘breakout season’ in 2015 and hoped to continue a family legacy started by his father, Mike, and his uncle, Doug. Both played for the Bobcats during the 1980s and helped anchor the Bobcats’ defense. Mike’s 171 tackles still stands as the second-most in a single season at Ohio.
Iowa running back transfers to Ohio
C.J. Hilliard, a three-star running back coming out of high school, is transferring to the Bobcats because he wants to be closer to his Cincinnati home, according to NBC Sports.
Hilliard was offered scholarships from Ohio, Miami (Ohio), Akron, Bowling Green and Toledo before joining the Hawkeyes in the fall of 2014. He was also ranked the 55th-best running back in the state of Ohio coming out of St. Xavier high school in Cincinnati.
At Iowa, Hilliard was redshirted and since transferring to Athens, Hilliard will have to sit out the 2015 season. He could, however, shake up the future of Ohio’s backfield.
AJ Ouellette — the Bobcats’ starting running back last year who took most of the first team reps this summer — may split carries in 2016.
The Bobcats ran the ball 470 times in 2014 and with the pass offense still in flux, coach Frank Solich could rely mostly on the running game this season.
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