Ohio fell to 1-1 in Mid-American Conference play when it lost 39-36 to Northern Illinois on Saturday at Peden Stadium. The Bobcats defense allowed the Huskies to score points on their last five drives, the last of which was a game-winning field goal.
Whose stock went up? Whose stock went down?
Stock up
Austen Pleasants
The offensive lineman made one of the most memorable moments of the season, so we had to include him.
Pleasants sent Peden Stadium into hysterics in the second quarter when he caught a backward lateral pass from quarterback Nathan Rourke and help up two fingers as he walked into the end zone untouched. At 312 pounds, he’ll likely be the heaviest player to score a touchdown for the Bobcats this season.
Despite the loss, his postgame press conference was almost as great.
“I just blacked out a little bit,“ Pleasants said with a laugh as he recalled the play with a wad of dip in his left cheek. “I remember catching the ball, and that was about it.”
Shane Hooks
Ohio hasn’t had a clear-cut No. 1 wide receiver all season. If Hooks, a redshirt freshman, can replicate his performance Saturday — seven receptions for 131 yards and one touchdown — he might be it.
Hooks, Ohio’s tallest receiver at 6 feet, 4 inches, has been poised for a breakout game all season. Before Saturday, he only had eight receptions, but two of those were for touchdowns. His big-play ability is unquestionable, and he could become a favorite target of Rourke if he can create the same open space he found against the Huskies.
Ryan Luehrman
The tight end hauled in his third touchdown reception of the season and has been one of Ohio’s most reliable receivers thus far with 15 receptions for 216 yards.
He and Hooks are two of three receivers to catch touchdowns this season. Wide receiver Tyler Tupa is the third, but he’s battled injuries since he scored Week 1 against Rhode Island.
With Ohio’s struggles to find a top wide receiver, Luehrman should continue to be a top target.
Stock down
Ron Collins
Things were smooth for Ohio’s defense in the first half. Then, NIU backup quarterback Marcus Childers sprinted for a 70-yard gain early in the third quarter. The Bobcats’ defense never looked the same, and it couldn’t stop against the Huskies in the final quarter.
It’s the same trend that bit Ohio in nonconference play, and Collins, the defensive coordinator, has to find a fix. His defense spoiled another clutch fourth-quarter performance from Rourke. Ohio can’t afford to waste any more of Rourke’s heroics if it wants to make the MAC Championship.
Tackling (again)
Ohio thought its tackling issues were gone after its defense played a relatively clean game against Buffalo in Week 6 to begin conference play.
That might have been a fluke. It felt that way against the Huskies, who took advantage of several missed tackles for big plays. The biggest one, perhaps, was a 48-yard pick up from Mitch Brinkman, who never lost his balance after he caught a 20-yard pass and stayed on his feet despite two tackle attempts from Ohio defensive backs.
Oh, and Huskies running back Tre Harbison gashed his way through the defense on six consecutive plays for 42 yards in the last drive of the game. That set up the game-winning field goal and sealed a gut-wrenching homecoming loss for Ohio.
Of all the Bobcats’ problems on defense, tackling might be their biggest. There doesn’t appear to be an easy fix after Saturday.
