Ohio (0-1 overall) took a blowout loss at Nebraska in week one. The Bobcats saw solid first-half production from their offense, but the week-one fatigue and power conference talent of the Cornhuskers caught up to them in the second half.
Week two will bring Ohio to Peden Stadium to welcome the Jacksonville State Gamecocks on Saturday night for its home opener. Ohio head coach John Hauser sat down with the media to discuss his thoughts after week one in Lincoln and how his team is preparing for the Gamecocks this week.
Ohio, understandably, had its fair share of issues in week one against Nebraska as they lost 49-21. Despite a lot of good things the Bobcats did on both sides of the ball, they left the game with a few things that needed cleaning up.
Looking on the defensive side, after a very strong first half where they only allowed 14 points, they completely collapsed in the second half. Ohio specifically collapsed in the run defense as they allowed 176 rushing yards and three touchdowns on the ground.
A lot of this was caused by fatigue in the defense, with temperatures during the game reaching up to 93 degrees in Lincoln. But the lack of ability to tackle while also getting outstretched was a big reason for Ohio’s struggle.
“We lost too many tackles to our leverage side, which creates explosive plays,” Ohio head coach Hauser said. “In some of our critical plays we missed tackles, which we can’t do. So, we need to get that stuff corrected.”
With Ohio back in Peden this weekend, and beautiful night temperatures during game time, there should be no excuse for the defense's tackling struggles.
Ohio saw a very inconsistent effort from its special teams unit in 2025, something that appears to have been sorted out this offseason. The Bobcats brought in graduate student kicker Will Hyrszko, and the former Kent State Golden Flash went two for three in his debut Saturday. His two makes were from 42 and 45 yards, a range Ohio did not have consistently last season.
“It was good to see our kicker hit two field goals, two career longs, Will Hyrszko, 42 and 45,” Hauser said.
In week one against Nebraska, Ohio never established a run identity outside of graduate student quarterback Nick Poulos. The Bobcats' two main running backs, junior Duncan Brune and graduate student Victor Rosa, rushed for a combined 39 yards on 14 carries, which is an average of 2.7 yards per carry.
“I think they did a good job of loading the box at times, and they’re big and strong up front,” Hauser said. “We didn’t always block them to the right place. So, we have to get the run game going, because it's in our DNA.”
The struggling run game led to a one-dimensional offense centered around Poulos. Despite Poulos playing very well in the air and on the ground, establishing a run game would take a lot of pressure on Poulos.
Heading into this week of practice before this weekend's game against Jacksonville State, establishing a run game will be a point of emphasis.
“We have to take advantage of some of the light boxes, and do better up front,” Hauser said. “We have to execute better at tailback. Nick (Poulos) is a good threat to pull it as well, which is nice to have his ability to run.”
Over the past handful of seasons, Ohio's identity on defense has been grit, especially with the small things, but Jacksonville State’s high-powered offense will make them that more critical Saturday night. The Gamecocks will look to move the ball on the ground through both their running backs and quarterback, Caden Creel.
“The quarterback is a really good player,” Hauser said. He makes the thing go. He can run. He can throw. He's competitive. He had a big game last week. They like to run the football. They want to establish the run. They have a variety of run schemes that they can run with their quarterback, with their tailbacks, with their wide receivers on the perimeter. They're a big, big shot team as well. So they want to get the ball down the field.”
Creel is where the offense will start for Jacksonville State, but Hauser wants to make sure his team is accounting for all 11 men each time the ball is snapped. Ohio will always have an eye on Creel but also 6’8” receiver and downfield threat Deondre Johnson. Johnson will be a big part of the big-play ability that can hurt Ohio Saturday, but making his coverage too much of a priority may hurt the run defense, which is the Gamecocks' bread and butter.
“The way they run the ball and the way they're balanced,” Hauser said. You can't just say we're going to put two guys on the 6’8” guy the whole game. I think we’ve got to disrupt them with reroutes and timing and things, but he is a huge target that they do a good job using in the red zone, and I mean he can go up and get it. So it's a point of emphasis with big number 11 this week.
Ohio holds the second-longest home winning streak in the nation, and that comes from their pride in home field but also the Athens faithful being there to support the Bobcats. Hauser claims that his players will always leave it all out there, and it’s the fans behind them that make that happen.
“Come support us, man," Hauser said. “We're very grateful for the town of Athens, the students at Ohio University, and everybody that comes to pack Peden and gives our guys an advantage. We've had the advantage in many home games because of our crowd, and we talk about it all the time here. That's why we try to get out in the community and do community service, and it's a big part of our winning tradition here.”
