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VOLUME 115, ISSUE 15
Ohio prepares for MAC Championship LOGAN ADAMS | SPORTS EDITOR In the 130-year history of Ohio football, there has perhaps never been a game like this. Ohio’s last Mid-American Conference Championship victory was in 1968 when Ohio coach Tim Albin was just 3 years old. That championship was Ohio’s second in a row, its fourth of the decade, and its fifth overall. In the 54-year Championship drought, Ohio has only competed for the title five times. For the second time in three years, Ohio has a chance to end the drought. For the first time in program history, the MAC Championship game will pit Ohio against its longtime rival Miami. Friday, Miami beat Bowling Green for a chance to take down its rival for a second time in the same season. The first matchup of the season, played Oct. 19, saw Ohio lose 30-20 in Oxford. Ohio turned the ball over twice and couldn’t outgain Miami despite taking 25 more snaps than its opponent. However, the Bobcats quickly put the loss behind them. The loss to Miami was the last of Ohio’s season, its first and only loss in MAC play. In the five games following, the Bobcats have averaged 37.8 points per game, which leads the conference by over a touchdown. This has been a new Ohio team since the loss to Miami, and now it has a chance to show rejuvenation in a rematch against its rival with a Championship on the line. Here’s everything to know before the game. GAME INFORMATION Opponent: Miami RedHawks (8-4, 7-1 MAC) Location: Ford Field (Detroit, Michigan) Time: Saturday at noon Where to watch: ESPN Historical record vs. Miami: 24-30-1 MIAMI NOTES (OFFENSE) The RedHawks’ sixth-year quarterback, Brett Gabbert, leads the way for this offense. Gabbert ranks in the top five in the conference in passing touchdowns, total passing yards and passing yards per game. Miami’s talented group of receivers, led by Reggie Virgil and Javon Tracy, who have combined for 1,547 receiving yards and 16 touchdowns, have aided Gabbert tremendously this season. However, perhaps the RedHawks’ most dangerous weapon is the MAC’s leading rusher, Keyon Mazee, who has tallied 1,045 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns on the season. Despite this, the offense is not where Miami won the right to play for its second-consecutive MAC Championship. The RedHawks rank just seventh in total yards and ninth in touchdowns. In the red zone, they’ve converted 82.9% of their 39 opportunities. MIAMI NOTES (DEFENSE) Sixth-year linebacker Matt Salopek has been the enforcer of a talented Miami defense. Salopek has registered 106 tackles, good for fifth in the MAC, and three interceptions which is tied for fourth. It hasn’t been Salopek alone though, as defensive backs Eli Blakey and Silas Walters have each recorded over 75 tackles and defensive lineman Brian Ugwu has tallied a fifth-in-conference 7.5 sacks. This team has 12 interceptions and forced six fumbles, putting it toward the top of the conference in turnovers. If Ohio is going to avoid a similar fate to the first round of the Battle of the Bricks this season, it will need to do a much better job keeping the ball out of Miami’s hands.
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DECEMBER 3, 2024
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One more for glory ROBERT KEEGAN III | SPORTS EDITOR CHARLIE FADEL | SPORTS STAFF WRITER Ohio has a chance to do something it hasn’t done in more than 50 years: take home the Mid-American Conference Championship trophy. The 2024 Ohio Football team will head to Detroit, where it will take on Miami in the first-ever Battle of the Bricks for a MAC Championship. THE PLAYERS The 2024 Bobcats are a prime example of how a team can benefit from the transfer portal. The three biggest weapons on offense, Parker Navarro, Coleman Owen and Anthony Tyus, were all acquired in the transfer portal. Those three have been the backbone of a very effective offense which ranks second in the MAC in scoring during conference play. The Ohio offensive line has been among the conference's best as well, featuring players such as Parker Titsworth and Jacob Dennison, paving the way for Ohio’s conference-leading running game. The defensive side of the ball is no different, as transfers like Marcel Walker-Burgess, CJ Doggette, Blake Leake and Dustin Johnson have all been stellar this season. Homegrown recruits like Bradley Weaver, Shay Taylor and Roman Parodie have been elite as well. The one freshman who has gotten extensive playing time is safety DJ Walker, who has been excellent at filling in for the injured Jeremiah Wood. THE COACHES Ohio head coach Tim Albin has taken the football program and elevated it beyond what legendary coach Frank Solich left behind in 2021. A win for Albin in the MAC Championship game would make him the third coach in program history to win the conference. Albin isn’t the only coach worthy of credit for Ohio’s 2024 success. First-year defensive coordinator John Hauser has excelled, picking up right where former coordinator Spence Nowinski left off. Offensive coordinator Brian Smith has led an almost entirely new offensive unit to be one of the highest-scoring in the MAC. Co-defensive coordinator and special teams coordinator Nate Faanes, praised by Albin after almost every game, is one of the bright young minds at Ohio who will almost certainly see a promotion, whether with Ohio or not. The MAC is full of incredible coaches, and Ohio has shown up to out-coach almost all of them. Albin said this is the best coaching staff he has ever worked with. BIGGEST WINS The biggest win of Ohio’s season was its 24-7 Wednesday night victory over Toledo in the Glass Bowl. Ohio has had trouble playing in the northwest part of the state, posting a record of just 1-16 going into this year's game against Toledo. After a dismal first half that saw the Bobcats go scoreless, they came out firing on both sides of the ball. They forced turnovers and scored 24 unanswered points on the Rockets to keep their MAC title hopes alive. Besides that historic win in Toledo, the Buffalo game was another key win for Ohio. The Bulls featured two of the best, most productive linebackers in the nation: Shaun Dolac and Red Murdock. Despite the vaunted linebackers and Buffalo defense, Ohio scored a season-high 47 points, highlighted by three touchdowns from Coleman Owen and a Shay Taylor pick 6. ONE MORE WIN Ohio has had a handful of players and coaches enter their names in the record book this season, but none of the statistics matter for them. The team has only one thing on its mind: a MAC Title Trophy. A win for the Bobcats on Saturday would cement them as one of the greatest teams the program has ever seen. It would be Ohio's sixth title win and the first in almost 50 years. Ohio also has a chance to avenge its earlier season loss to bitter rival Miami with a win. The Bobcats have never matched up with the RedHawks in a championship game. Not until Saturday.