BOISE, Idaho – For the 10th time in the last 11 seasons, the Bobcats are bowling.
Ohio will finish its season at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl on Friday against Nevada at Albertsons Stadium in Boise, Idaho. Kickoff is set for 3:30 p.m. EST.
The Bobcats are seeking their third straight bowl victory and fifth postseason win under coach Frank Solich, who signed another multi-year contract extension before the trip.
With Solich’s future secured, Ohio is just looking to have fun.
Following along
How to watch: The game will be broadcasted on ESPN with Anish Shroff, John Congemi and Kris Budden on the call.
How to listen: The game can be heard on the Ohio IMG Sports Network — Russ Eisenstein and Rob Cornelius will be behind the mic. The broadcasts are available online through OhioBobcats.com and TuneIn.com/OhioBobcats.
Depth chart
Ohio offense:
Ohio defense:
Nevada offense:
Nevada defense:
Scouting the Wolf Pack
Offense
The Wolf Pack are led by quarterback Carson Strong, who has thrown for 10 touchdowns on nearly 2,000 passing yards. Nevada averaged 21.3 points per game, good for 11th in the Mountain West. The offense goes as Strong goes, and against an inconsistent Ohio defense, the Wolf Pack have potential to exercise some frustrations.
Defense
Perhaps the most intriguing aspect of this game is what Nevada will do defensively. Coach Jay Norvell fired three of his defensive coaches including the coordinator at the conclusion of the regular season. All year long, the Wolf Pack ran a 3-3-5 look, which Ohio has prepared for, but it is also expecting other looks.
Special Teams
From the kicking game, the Wolf Pack ranks near the middle of the Mountain West in all facets including field goals after going 18-for-22 on the season.
Three things to watch for
Nathan Rourke’s last game
One of the best quarterbacks in Ohio program history will play his last game.
Nathan Rourke will leave the Bobcats with the most touchdowns by any Bobcats player. He’s been building on that record since Week 3 and will have one final game to add to his 109 career touchdowns, 27 more than former Ohio quarterback Tyler Tettleton.
So, enjoy watching Rourke one final time. The Bobcats will be lucky to ever have a quarterback with similar skills and consistency again, and it should be fun to see how Rourke fares against an opponent from the Mountain West Conference.
Ohio’s defense vs. Carson Strong
Despite finishing third in the Mid-American Conference, Ohio’s defense still had a forgetful season.
The stats don’t show how often the Bobcats defense crumbled in late-game situations — look at the box scores for Louisiana-Lafayette, Northern Illinois and Miami — and that’s perhaps the biggest reason why Ohio failed to reach the MAC Championship Game.
But that’s all in the past. Now, Ohio has a chance to end the season on a positive note if it can stop Nevada quarterback Carson Strong, a redshirt freshman who had a year full of ups and downs.
Strong threw 10 touchdowns and seven interceptions, six of which came in a four-game stretch where he failed to record a passing touchdown. He ended the season as the Wolf Pack’s starting quarterback and has thrown seven touchdowns and one interception in four games.
Which version of Strong will Ohio see Friday?
Maybe the better question is this: Which version of Ohio defense will Strong play against?
Javon Hagan
Javon Hagan is one of the only graduating defensive players with a shot of extending their career to the professional ranks. The redshirt safety leads the Bobcats with 99 tackles but hasn’t recorded an interception this season.
That last stat won’t look good for Hagan when professional teams peruse through Group of Five prospects. For Hagan, the Potato Bowl is one final game to add to his film and make plays that show how the stats can be misleading. An interception or two will be huge, too.
The edge
When Ohio has the ball: In his final game for Ohio, Rourke will definitely do everything and anything he can to secure a win for him and the Bobcats. He’s got a reshuffled offensive line, but a healthy running back room. Even with the question marks surrounding Nevada’s defense, the Bobcats have the edge.
Edge: Ohio
When Nevada has the ball: Nevada’s quarterback room is really dependent upon which one has the hot hand, and at the moment, it’s Strong. Which version of him shows up, however, is pertinent toward the Wolf Pack’s success. Even with the inconsistencies Ohio has shown, the growth it had in its last four games will carry it.
Edge: Draw
Special teams: Specialists Michael Farkas, Louie Zervos and Devin King all will play in their last game for Ohio. The trio have been nearly perfect on field goals and haven’t missed an extra point this season. Returning specials D.L. Knock, too, will be in his last game for Ohio. Too much sentiment from Ohio’s undervalued core of players.
Edge: Ohio
Predictions
Sports Editor Anthony Poisal: This season didn’t go how Ohio had hoped. But neither did last season or the season before that, and it didn’t stop the Bobcats from ending those years with a bowl win. I think that trend continues. Ohio wins 27-20.
Sports Editor Matt Parker: Vegas opened the game with the Bobcats as 6 points favorites and as of exactly 24 hours before kickoff, they’re now 8 point favorites. The coaching turnovers at Nevada make it tricky to know exactly what it’ll do to stop Ohio, but I’ll take the consistency of Ohio’s coaching staff and Rourke playing in his last game for the green and white. Ohio wins 34-21.
