After a disastrous game on the road against Ball State last week, where Ohio blew a 14-0 halftime lead and lost its first road Mid-American Conference game of the year, the mood in Athens was certainly dampened.
There was good reason for the mood around the football team to be down, considering how success-filled the last season and a half has been for the Bobcats.
With Parker Navarro back at quarterback, coming off a MAC championship, expectations were already high for offensive coordinator turned first-year head coach Brian Smith, and after the first five weeks of the 2025 season, expectations were raised after great performances against Rutgers, West Virginia and Bowling Green.
Even with the success early on this year, it was clear that Ohio had flaws, especially when it came to taking care of the ball and special teams, and both of those issues flared up again in Muncie against Ball State.
Ohio’s opening drive ended with a missed field goal from kicker David Dellenbach, and Chase Hendricks opted not to field a punt that was downed at the one by Ball State, leading to a safety after Navarro was unable to secure the snap from center Nick Marinaro.
That safety ended up being the true turning point for what is easily the worst loss of Ohio’s season so far, and one of the biggest upsets of the year in the MAC.
Despite all of the bad things and reactions that came from the game, Ohio is still firmly in the thick of the MAC title race, especially after another week of college football.
The bye week came at the perfect time for an Ohio team that has dealt with injuries and poor execution, as it gave the team an extra week to fix those things up.
While the Bobcats were home resting, things were as chaotic as ever in the MAC, with preseason favorites Toledo blowing its own lead to its rival Bowling Green, as the Falcons came back from down 21-0 in the second quarter to give the Rockets their second MAC loss of the season already.
That game was huge for the path to the MAC championship for Ohio, as it holds the tiebreaker over Bowling Green, having beaten them head-to-head already this season, and two losses for Toledo could already be spelling doom for its MAC title hopes.
Ohio will return from the bye this week and play its homecoming game against Northern Illinois, a team that has struggled mightily to start the year, as the Huskies are currently 1-5 with the second-worst scoring offense in the country, only putting up 11 points per game.
The Huskies have already made a quarterback change this season, and they have not put up over 19 points in a single game yet.
If there were ever a get-right game for Ohio, this would be the week, considering the opponent and the fact that Ohio has won 10-straight games at home, giving the team one of the best home-field advantages in the country.
While there are certainly questions coming out of the game against Ball State, the MAC title and a fourth-straight 10-win season are still on the table for an Ohio team that has the talent to do it.
