After 14 years leading Ohio to countless accolades and bowl appearances, it’s time to sit back and look at how much Frank Solich has done for the program.
Against Akron on Friday, continuity and consistency were on display, as they have been all season, and the Bobcats rolled over the Zips 49-28 on Senior Day.
Solich ended his press conference with a smile after that game, knowing he’s done it again.
He sat at the media table and talked about the seniors who played their final game at Peden Stadium, the offense, the running game and, above everything else, consistency.
It’s that topic — consistency — that brings out the bright grin Solich has showcased in his time in Athens because it’s something that he brought to the program.
“I think we were at an emotional peak before that last (game) and we were ready to play this one,” Solich said. “We worked hard in preparation for this one. It was a great win. You take every win as it comes.
“I'm just really glad for the seniors that they were able to get this done and come up with a satisfying win. They're a special group, and I look forward to going to a bowl game with them.”
When Solich arrived 14 years ago, the Bobcats were riding four consecutive losing seasons. They were under .500 in his first year, and his first few years were up and down. But they’ve been bowl eligible every season since 2009. They’ve played in eight bowl games in that span. They won a bowl game for the first time in program history in 2011.
That’s what Solich has built: a model for continuity and consistency.
It doesn’t only lie in the wins and losses, though. When he was hired, he brought Tim Albin to run his offense and Jimmy Burrow to pilot his defense. They are both still on staff.
Solich’s Bobcats have run the pistol offense for years, and they still run it. In fact, they ran for 381 yards against Akron, some of those runs coming out of variations of the pistol.
When he played at Nebraska, Solich was a fullback who ran hard and played physically. His offense resembled that Friday. Bruising running back A.J. Ouellette had 169 rushing yards and a touchdown. Quarterback Nathan Rourke didn’t do much throwing, but he didn’t have to — he had 86 yards rushing and four touchdowns on the ground.
The rushing attack has been a staple for Solich. Friday was another example why.
“(Albin) really coaches the running backs, (offensive line coach) Bart (Miller) with the offensive line, (tight ends coach) Brian (Haines) with the tight ends — which we are working on — and (wide receivers coach) Dwayne (Dixon) works with blocking,” Solich said. “In order for it to come together like it did this year, it takes a combination of a lot of things. You start with personnel, which we had good ones at the running backs and receivers."
The win over Akron capped off a perfect 6-0 home record for the Bobcats, the first time Ohio has gone undefeated at home since 1968. This season was an 8-4 campaign for Solich, his fifth time at Ohio finishing the regular season with that record. He’s gone 9-3 in the regular season another three times at Ohio. Those were considered dream seasons for Ohio before the Frank Solich era.
Now, those are the norm. That’s because Solich has normalized winning.
He picked up his 100th win as a Bobcat earlier this season. He brought a winning culture from Nebraska, where he coached a Heisman Trophy winner and paced the sideline for a national championship game, and it never left.
Since he arrived, Ohio has built an indoor football practice facility. A new athletic academic center is now a focal point of Peden Stadium. Thank Solich for that, too.
Ohio is surely headed to another bowl game in the coming weeks, but that announcement hasn’t come yet. No big deal, though. Bowl games are also normalized.
That’s all because Frank Solich brought a new norm to Ohio football. And it seems like even long after the 74-year-old decides to hang it up, the norm’s here to stay.
It’s a norm of consistent winning at a place where consistent losing used to reside. The good news for Ohio football fans: Solich still isn’t satisfied.
“We'll see. Right now, I like being consistent and being able to win football games and feel good about your season,” he said. “But just like every coach, I want to take this program to the next step. We're still working on that here."
