The college football season is hard fought throughout, but the best teams always seem to have an edge that flies under the radar. These could be things such as excellent special teams, a lack of penalties, a great head coach or even play style. Ohio excels in these areas, but the biggest thing Ohio has shown after finishing non-conference play is its depth all throughout the roster.
The Bobcats have flashed signs of their depth in all four games by battling through injuries and settling positional battles on the field. These valuable snaps have not gone to waste for any member of head coach Brian Smith’s roster. These players have taken advantage, and they made the best of their opportunities.
Ohio saw its roster's full ability shape into form after Saturday’s 52-35 win over FCS Gardner-Webb, who pushed Ohio through long drives on both offense and defense throughout the afternoon.
“Throughout the season, you're going to have to get into your depth,” Smith said. "You're going to have guys that get things and get injuries and guys that were twos and threes to start are going to end up being your starters at some point. So the more that those guys get reps and work in games, is great.”
Injuries will always be the number one factor in terms of having to utilize depth, but Ohio has also used it to its advantage in situations that Smith sees fit. Against Gardner-Webb on Saturday, Ohio found success using a number of pass catchers, including two running backs. It used eight total in the win and has used 11 on the season in the versatile offense.
The starting group for the Bobcats at wide receiver has performed well, but the players off the bench have been pivotal, too. The player to step up for the Bobcats and flex his downfield skills against the Runnin’ Bulldogs was redshirt freshman Dom Dorwart, who had his first two catches with the Bobcats for 52 yards to step up in place of injured redshirt senior Max Rodarte.
“(I am) very proud of Dom,” Smith said. “He is a great kid. He works extremely hard. He cares a lot. His first year here where he was injured, a majority of that time, it was hard on him mentally to be injured that much, so for him to have some success was great. He's been developing really well as a receiver, so I think you saw a glimpse of what he's going to be able to do for us.”
The offensive depth extends past the receivers. The Bobcats have utilized both the running back and quarterback rooms as well. On Saturday, the Bobcats saw the most success they have to this point in the year from their two running backs. The starter redshirt senior Sieh Bangura and backup sophomore Duncan Brune had three touchdowns each and over 200 yards combined.
Ohio has used both running backs in every non-conference game. Bangura has led the way with 299 yards, 4.5 yards per carry and four touchdowns. Ohio has not lost a step when Brune gets in the game as he has 158 yards, four yards per carry and three touchdowns. These two, plus the legs of quarterback Parker Navarro, have been a dangerous trio so far in 2025.
“Our relationship is really good,” Brune said when asked about the connection with Bangura. “We usually watch film all the time, and I think I have more of the power run stuff, and he has more of the agility stuff. So I think we're adding up pretty well.”
Navarro has been the energy behind the offense all year. Unfortunately, the injury bug caught up with him in Ohio’s week three contest against Ohio State. Ohio then called on redshirt senior quarterback Nick Poulos to take over. The level of trust the players have when there is a sudden change shows the chemistry among the players this year and the culture created.
Offense is only one piece of the puzzle for any team. The Bobcats have prided themselves on letting the defense run the show for the past number of years and trusting them to survive hairy situations in tight games. That plan only works if the defense can be stout for four quarters, and having suitable backups always helps that cause.
Ohio has seen injuries across the defense this year, resulting in defensive coordinator John Hauser having to replace players on the fly. The biggest hit was when linebacker Jack Fries went down in week two against West Virginia. He was replaced by transfer graduate student Cameron Hollobaugh, who secured the game-winning interception.
“Cam's been great,” said redshirt junior linebacker Michael Molnar. “The West Virginia game, he came in when Jack got hurt and got the pick which was huge. He's always ready, he knows what he's doing, which is very nice to have another guy you can count on to do the right things. Chemistry-wise, we’re pretty close. He's a transfer, but we try to hang out. We watch film together a lot. So, the bond is getting stronger by the week.”
The defensive line has also seen a lot of patch and fix work throughout the first four weeks as they attempt to work around injuries as well. This has been successful with 50 total tackles, eight tackles for loss and four and a half sacks spread between 10 players.
The starters may see the most playing time for every team, even those who will go on to win a championship, but the roster as a whole can make or break a season. The depth Ohio has displayed will continue to be a factor all year on its journey to repeating as Mid-American Conference champions.
