Redshirt senior linebacker Chad Moore knows how it looks.
Ohio, coming off a double-overtime conference win, takes its furthest trip away from home — a week before Mid-American Conference play is in full swing — to face winless UMass, which may be forced to start its backup quarterback.
If any game on Ohio’s schedule can be defined as a trap game, it’s this one. Moore, of course, didn't give the impression the Bobcats would take the game lightly.
“Anything can happen in football,” he said. “You can kind of look around the country and see teams get upset, anything like that.”
When Ohio travels to McGuirk Alumni Stadium in Amherst, Massachusetts to face UMass at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, the Minutemen will enter their sixth game in search of their first win.
“Personally, watching film I would say this team has maybe one loss — if I didn’t know the record beforehand,” said receiver Brendan Cope, who didn’t practice Monday or Tuesday (due to turf toe) but was back to full reps by Wednesday and is expected to play.
The Bobcats (3-1, 1-0 MAC), on the other hand, look to wrap up their non-conference schedule cleanly and maintain focus with the bulk of the season still ahead.
“It’s a long year,” Moore said. “As the season goes on, people can lose focus, not prepare as well, not get into the building to watch film and stuff like that. School kind of takes a toll on you and stuff like that.”
Injury may have taken a toll on UMass coming into this game, as its starting quarterback Andrew Ford had to leave early from last week’s game against Tennessee. According to a report from the Daily Hampshire Gazette, Ford’s injury was sustained on a play in which his helmet came off and his unprotected head hit the ground.
Regardless of who starts for the Minutemen, they’ll look to avenge a string of tight losses that has hampered any positive momentum to this point in the season. All five of their defeats have come by 10 points or fewer, including the most recent four-point loss to Tennessee.
Ohio played Tennessee closely last season, but lost 28-19. The teams are different now than they were then, but Ohio coach Frank Solich said having film of the Minutemen playing the Volunteers “certainly helps” his preparation.
In order to keep the Minutemen winless, Ohio needs to ask more of its offense (zero regulation touchdowns last week) and less of its defense (zero third/fourth down conversions allowed in the second half and overtime last week).
Perhaps most importantly, the Bobcats will need to look past UMass’s appearance on paper.
“You have to get ready every week,” Solich said. “And if you don't, you're going to get beat.”
