Ohio plays San Diego State in the DXL Frisco Bowl on Dec. 19 in Frisco, Texas.
The game will be the first meeting between the two teams. It’s also the first time Ohio has played a Mountain West opponent since the 2011 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl against Utah State.
Kickoff is set for 8 p.m. on ESPN. ESPN’s broadcasting crew hasn’t been announced yet, but Russ Eisenstein and Rob Cornelius, as usual, will have the call on the Ohio IMG Sports Network.
The Frisco Bowl
The Frisco Bowl is played at Toyota Stadium, a 17,200-seat soccer stadium in Frisco, Texas.
Toyota Stadium was built in 2004 and opened the following year. It is the home of the MLS’ FC Dallas, and it also plays host to the Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) National Championship Game.
Last year was the first edition of the Frisco Bowl. Louisiana Tech defeated SMU 51-10 in that game.
Opening words on San Diego State
Coach Rocky Long leads the Aztecs into the Frisco Bowl riding a tough three-game losing streak after starting the season 7-2. Their signature wins on the year came over Arizona State and at Boise State.
Long has been the head coach at San Diego State since 2011, but he was the Aztecs’ defensive coordinator the previous two years under Brady Hoke.
The Aztecs are led by junior running back Juwan Washington, who comes from a lineage of successful San Diego State running backs that includes the Philadelphia Eagles’ Donnel Pumphrey and Seattle Seahawks’ Rashaad Penny. Washington has 870 rushing yards and 10 touchdowns on the year, while sophomore backup Chase Jasmin has 592 yards on the ground and five touchdowns.
Defensively, the Aztecs allow just 327.4 yards per game, which is 20th nationally. Additionally, they allow only 21.8 points per game, which is tied for 29th best in the country.
Opening words on Ohio
Ohio enters the Frisco Bowl having won five of its last six games, the sole loss coming almost month ago to archrival Miami in the “Battle of the Bricks.” Ohio finished the season 8-4 and 6-2 in the Mid-American Conference, including a signature win against Buffalo.
The Bobcats average 41.2 points per game, 10th best in the nation, and have the eighth-best rushing offense, averaging 262.2 yards per game. That rushing attack is led by junior quarterback Nathan Rourke and redshirt senior running back A.J. Ouellette. Ouellette was named to the First-Team All-MAC list after finishing the regular season with 1,142 yards and 12 touchdowns, surpassing the 1,000-yard mark for the second consecutive season.
Defensively, the Bobcats have struggled this season but surged as of late. That includes the front seven improving to finish the season second in the conference in rushing defense, allowing just 135.8 yards per game. Ohio also finished the season +13 in turnover margin, the fifth best in the nation.
