Coach Frank Solich addressed the media Monday to recap the Bobcats disappointing loss at Northern Illinois and preview the upcoming Homecoming matchup with Bowling Green.
Here's what came up during the press conference:
— Solich realizes what hurt the Bobcats against Northern Illinois: turnovers.
“We had three turnovers. If you're minus three in the turnover category, you typically won't win a ball game, especially against a good football team,” he said.
— NIU quarterback Marcus Childers torched the Bobcats for 169 yards rushing. The Bobcats had been able to hold running quarterbacks in check, but not Childers.
“They used a lot of power and schemes in terms of running the ball, and they just scrambled at times,” Solich said. “A lot of times we will run some in there, which will confuse the lanes a little bit for a quarterback, but we were doing a lot of slanting and sometimes that can open up a gap. We were trying to make sure we mixed things up enough that we don't become a team that's a base defense with base coverage because as you go through the conference, that's not going to work.”
— Even with the loss, Solich can tell his defense is improving.
— Bowling Green fired its coach, Mike Jinks, on Sunday after he won just seven games in two-plus years. Carl Pelini will take over for the Falcons moving forward. Pelini is a former Solich assistant at Ohio.
"He knows exactly what he wants to get done,” Solich said. “I think he'll take charge. It won't be a deal where he steps in softly. He'll make changes where he feels they need to be made to improve the program. He's always been able to energize players, and I am sure that will have an impact.”
— Solich understands that the Bobcats could face a tough challenge, because the Falcons can play with nothing to lose.
"They're starting new. They're starting all over fresh,” Solich said. “Its 0-0 for them in terms of record. They're going to try to be a completely different team. That's what it is. It can be an advantage for a team, but it could also be a disadvantage. We will see how it all plays out."
— The Bobcats were called for penalties in the secondary that helped the Huskies move the ball in the fourth quarter. Solich said it’s not from a lack of discipline by any means, but rather those things happen in games.
“There's going to be some calls that will be made that have nothing to do with discipline. It has to do with eyesight of the officials,” he said. “It's just what it is. I'm not saying those were bad calls, but one or two happen in ball games. That's just the nature of it. You're never going to play a totally clean game. No one will let you do that."
— Solich likes what he sees from Isiah Cox, who had a career-high 147 receiving yards against NIU.
— The Bobcats have had a tough schedule so far. Solich responded: "I think the first four out of six on the road, which is not ideal. Having your break after your first game isn't ideal. There have been some challenges. I think our team has accepted those very well. We could have won a couple of these games here; that would have made things record-wise different.”
