Coach Frank Solich spoke with the media Monday to discuss Ohio’s Week 7 loss to Northern Illinois on Oct. 12 and its upcoming game against Kent State on Saturday.
— The defense struggled to make late-game stops again against the Huskies. It’s a trend that has played a large role in the Bobcats’ four losses this season, and Solich believes he’s found a way to end it.
“The number of snaps some of our guys on defense are getting is probably too many,“ Solich said. “We’re going to look to sub out earlier and keep fresher guys on the field at times. We think we need to give our guys more rest as they get into the third and fourth quarter.
— Solich didn’t want to place any blame on his offense for the defensive fatigue he believes led to the 39-36 loss. He was pleased with the balance between total offensive and defensive snaps.
“Maybe your offense wasn't getting some things done and there was three and outs, and the defense was on the field way too much way too quickly. That really wasn’t the case,“ Solich said. “But some of those guys probably did get more snaps then what we wanted to get in terms of trying to keep guys fresh, healthy and energized out there.”
— The coaches will make a few other smaller adjustments, too. Solich said they are going to be more selective on the aggression of their play calls.
“We’re looking at a lot of things,“ Solich said. “Did we get worn down? Do we need to be more aggressive in our calls? We’re starting from scratch in terms of what might be the problem.”
— Ohio is 2-4 in its last season with senior quarterback Nathan Rourke. It’s not what players and coaches expected at the beginning of the season, and Solich said they’re trying to do everything they can to ensure the Bobcats can make the most of one of their best quarterbacks in program history.
“We know we got to do things better at certain positions,“ Solich said. “We’re trying to piece together why we are not playing four quarters of football and why it’s not a four-quarter team.”
— Rourke went 19-for-31 with 258 yards and two passing touchdowns against NIU. His go-to receiver was Shane Hooks, who made seven receptions for 131 yards — both career highs — and a touchdown.
Hooks had been limited to only a catch or two per game before Saturday. His big performance was simply because he found space.
“As far as receiving goes, you try to get to the open guy,“ Solich said.
— Solich believes Ohio can take advantage of Kent State’s relatively small-sized defense, but he knows that size doesn’t necessarily measure the overall talent of a defense.
“They’re not big,“ Solich said. “They’re 230 to 240 pounds, but they're quick, tough and aggressive. I have to compliment their coach. Those guys play hard. That all mounts to them being a good football team, and this will be a big challenge.”
— The Bobcats will be tasked with stopping Golden Flashes quarterback Dustin Crum on Saturday. The sophomore has a 72 percent completion rating and has totaled 874 passing yards, six touchdowns and no interceptions. He’s also accrued 214 rushing yards and one touchdown on 63 attempts.
“I think he’s like a lot of quarterbacks in college football right now in terms of having a running ability and passing ability,“ Solich said. “He looks calm and pouts out there and is very confident. He can beat teams in a lot of different ways.”
