Following last week’s 56-54 upset loss to Texas State in triple overtime, coach Frank Solich said starting a season 0-1 can sometimes make a team feel like it needs to make up ground.
If the Bobcats did need justification, it came Saturday afternoon — at the expense of Kansas.
The Bobcats trampled the Jayhawks 37-21 in Lawrence, Kansas, in a nonconference matchup Ohio dominated from its opening drive.
Here are three takeaways from the win over Kansas…
“It was a great day”
In a radio interview following the game, Solich called the win a great day — a justifiable claim for a Bobcat that outperformed its opponent in every category.
Whether it was the running or passing game, Ohio controlled play with comfort, a welcoming situation in comparison to the team’s struggles in its season opener.
The Bobcats had 496 total yards against Kansas, which dwarfed the 232-yard outing by the home team.
Perhaps the most impressive stat to show Ohio’s dominance was proved with time of possession. Ohio held the ball for 43:30 minutes on Saturday, while Kansas had possession for 13:56.
Zervos impresses early on
Obviously it’s too early to have a most valuable player, but redshirt freshman kicker Louie Zervos is quietly piecing together an impressive first year.
Zervos went 5-for-5 on field goal attempts Saturday, which pushes him to 8-for-9 on tries this season.
The last time Ohio made five field goals in a game was Matt Weller against Bowling Green in 2011.
Morale boost
Beating Kanas won’t make the upcoming matchup against No. 17 Tennessee any easier, but it should be a confidence boost.
Had the Bobcats stumbled against the Jayhawks, Ohio could have quickly slipped into a 0-3 hole to start the regular season. While that wouldn’t carry implications entering Mid-American Conference play, it may have altered Ohio’s mentality.
For all the questions the Texas State game may have surface, Ohio’s performance against Kansas answered them.
Now it’s just a matter of preparing for Tennessee.
@charliehatch_
gh181212@ohio.edu
