Ohio Bobcats
2008 Recruiting Class
Star of the Class
Franshaw "Boo"
Jackson QB 6-0, 197 Gardena, CA, Lompoc High School/El Camino College
Junior College:
Earned honorable Mention All-America honors and unanimous All-Mission Conference
First-Team honors in 2007 while being named El Caimo's Most Valuable Player...In
2007, he threw for 2,235 yards with 23 touchdowns and just four interceptions on
134-223 passing...He also posted three rushing touchdowns...In 2006, threw for
2,385 yards on 154-252 passing with 18 touchdowns and just six interceptions and
a pass efficiency rating of 159.42 to earn Second-Team All-Mission Conference
honors...High School: Earned All-State, All-Los Padres League, All-County
and Santa Maria Times MVP honors in 2003 and 2004...Led his team to the
California Interscholastic Federation Division 10 championship honors...Plans to
major in business management
Potential Instant Impact Players
Hilton Dawson III
S 5-11 ½, 215, Compton, CA, Dominguez High School/El Camino College
Junior College: In 2007, Dawson had 75 tackles at El Camino College with two
interceptions and was ranked the No. 12 safety in the country by J.C.
Football.com.. .Posted 96 tackles in 2006 with three interceptions, three forced
fumbles, two fumble recoveries and two pass deflections...High School:
Registered 95 tackles as a senior with six interceptions, four forced fumbles
and 10 touchdowns on offense...Posted 80 tackles as a junior with five
interceptions, while recording six rushing touchdowns and five receiving
touchdowns on offense...Two-time All-Moore league in 2003 and 2004 and All-San
Gabriel Valley League in 2005...Earned All-State honors in 2005 and was named
Best in the West Top 50 that same year.
Patrick Tafua S 6-0,
190 Midway City, CA, Westminster High School/Golden West College
Junior
College: Totaled 129 career tackles (78 solo), seven interceptions and five
career punt blocks...High School: Had 86 tackles as a senior (65 solo) with
three interceptions and five receiving touchdowns on offense...Was named
All-California Interscholastic Federation (Division 7), All-Golden West League
and Golden West League Defensive Player of the Year as a senior...Named Athlete
of the Year at Westminster.
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2007 Ohio Season
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2007 Ohio Preview
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2006 Ohio Season
2007 Schedule
CFN Prediction: 7-5
2007 Record: 6-6
Sept. 1
Gard.-Webb
W 36-14
Sept. 8
at UL Laf.
W 31-23
Sept. 15 at Va Tech L 28-7
Sept. 22
Wyoming L 34-33
Sept. 29
Kent State
L 33-25
Oct. 6
at Buffalo
L 31-10
Oct. 13
Eastern Mich
W 48-42
Oct. 20 at Toledo L 43-40
Oct. 27
at Bo. Green
W 38-27
Nov. 2
Temple
W 23-7
Nov. 7 at Akron L 48-37
Nov. 24
Miami Univ. W 38-29 |
2008 Early Lookahead
Why to get excited: Eight starters return on the league's fourth
best scoring offense and seven starters are back on defense including
three in a strong secondary. The offense became more balanced in 2007,
and now QB Theo Scott should be able to add even more passing to the mix
after throwing accurately in his limited time. The top pass rushers are
back after a good year getting into the backfield.
Why to be grouchy: There's no replacing Kalvin McRae. While the
offense tried to ease the workload on him, he was still the attack at
times rushing for 1,434 yards and 19 touchdowns. It'll be up to Vince
Davidson to try to provide a little bit of pop, but if there isn't a
number one back emerging from spring ball, even more pressure will be on
Scott and the passing game. That's not a positive.
The number one thing to work on is: Punt returns. The Bobcats let
the MAC, and were eighth in the nation, in kickoff returns averaging 25
yards per game, but the punt returning way abysmal averaging just 4.28
yards per try. The run defense could stand to be better.
Biggest offensive loss: RB Kalvin McRae
Biggest defensive loss: FS Todd Koenig
Best returning offensive player: TE Andrew Mooney, Sr.
Best returning defensive player: LB Michael Brown, Sr.
2007 Recap
Recap:
Although more was expected of the Bobcats than just mediocrity, a second
straight non-losing season is evidence that Frank Solich’s blueprint for success
is working. While the offense reached new heights, scoring 30 points in eight
games, the defense often gave away those gains, yielding 30 points and more than
400 yards a game. What shouldn’t be lost in the Bobcats’ fourth place tie in
the division is that they beat the East’s two best teams, Bowling Green and
Miami, ringing up 38 points in each win.
Offensive Player of the Year: RB Kalvin McRae
Defensive Player of the Year: DE Landon Cohen
Biggest Surprise: The offense reached a level of production and balance
that hasn’t been seen in Athens in quite some time. Finally approaching
Solich’s vision for the attack, the Bobcats were rarely stopped in the second
half, leaning heavily on McRae, but also getting surprising results from an
improving passing game.
Biggest Disappointment: Close losses to Wyoming and Toledo could have
easily gone in the win column, propelling the Bobcats to a second straight bowl
game. In both cases, Ohio got sloppy at the end of the game, frittering away
opportunities to take a couple of nail-biters.
Looking Ahead: At this stage of the rebuilding process, Solich and the
Bobcats can ill afford to go back backwards by slipping back below .500.
Although it’ll be a bear replacing McRae, the staff is excited about turning the
offense over to Theo Scott, a multi-faceted quarterback who’ll be getting back
most of his top pass-catchers.
Nov. 24
Ohio 38 ... Miami University 29
Ohio only gained 199 yards of total offense, but got help from
two key interceptions to finish the year 6-6. Kalvin McRae ran for a one-yard
score and Andrew Mooney caught touchdown passes from two and 17 yards out after
Miami started off the scoring with a one-yard Thomas Merriweather touchdown run
and a three-yard Chris Givens catch for a 14-7 lead. And then the Ohio defense
stepped up with two interceptions leading to the McRae run and Mooney's second
score. The RedHawks were held time and again over the final 31 minutes with
Nathan Parseghian hitting five field goals for the team's final 15 points, but
Joshua Abrams returned a kickoff for a score midway through the fourth to stay
comfortably ahead.
Player of the game:
Ohio safeties
Steven Jackson and Todd Koenig combined for 24 tackles, 3.5 tackles for loss and
three broken up passes
Stat Leaders: Miami University - Passing: Daniel Raudabaugh,
21-44, 223 yds, 1 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Cory Jones, 25-103. Receiving: Dustin Woods, 6-75
Ohio - Passing: Brad Bower, 4-10, 77 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Kalvin McRae, 24-112, 1 TD. Receiving: Andrew Mooney, 3-47,
2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The
loss to Akron last week ruined Ohio's realistic chances to go to a bowl, but the
team closed out with a nice defensive game against Miami to close out strong.
The offense might not have moved the ball much, but it didn't matter with the
way the defense held time and again in the second half as the RedHawks couldn't
get the ball in the end zone. This could've been a great year had the close
losses to Wyoming and Toledo gone the other way, but it still wasn't too bad.
Nov. 7
Akron 48 ... Ohio 37
In a wild shootout with each team trading punches throughout,
Alex Allen ran for three short touchdown runs and Chris Jacquemain
connected on touchdown passes from 32 yards out to Jabari Arthur and
22 yards to Kris Kasparek in the second half. Ohio kept pace with a
54-yard Kalvin McRae touchdown run early, and three Brad Bower
touchdown passes, including two to Andrew Mooney, but 14
points in the final 3:35 on the Kasparek catch and a one-yard Allen
run helped Akron pull away. Akron outgained Ohio 419 yards to 359.
Player of the
game: Akron RB Alex Allen ran 14 times for 96 yards and three
touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Akron - Passing: Chris Jacquemain,
14-23, 197 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Alex Allen 14-96, 3 TD. Receiving: Jabari
Arthur, 8-129, 1 TD
Ohio - Passing: Brad Bower, 17-37, 239 yds,
3 TD
Rushing: Kalvin McRae, 21-109, 1 TD. Receiving:
Chido Nwokocha, 6-51
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
The defense couldn't come up with any
big plays against Akron, but it did do a good job on third downs.
The offense could never take control, with Kalvin McRae struggling
to find room to move after a big early run. Brad Bower was able to
keep pace with the Akron offense by cranking out some yards through
the air, but when the team needed scoring drives late to keep up,
Bower couldn't come through. Now the team gets two weeks off before
facing Miami University, and while finishing 6-6 would be nice, it
might not be enough for a bowl game. The Bobcats needed to beat the
Zips.
Nov. 2
Ohio 23 ... Temple 7
Ohio ran for 219 yards with Kalvin McRae leading the way with
151 yards and a 30-yard touchdown, and Michael Braunstein connected
on field goals from 47, 43 and 19 yards. Temple only gained 209
yards of total offense, with WR Bruce Francis getting 101 of them,
and a 42-yard touchdown catch to pull within three in the first
half. Ohio owned the second half, holding on to the ball for close
to 12 minutes in the fourth quarter, with two of Braunstein's field
goals and a 22-yard Vince Davidson touchdown run. Temple's Alex
Joseph made 18 tackles.
Player of the
game:
Ohio RB Kalvin McRae
ran 28 times for 151 yards and a touchdown, and caught a pass for
seven yards
Stat Leaders: Ohio - Passing: Theo Scott, 7-12,
94 yds
Rushing: Kalvin McRae, 28-151, 1 TD. Receiving: Andrew
Mooney, 5-55
Temple - Passing: Vaughn Charlton, 17-25, 161
yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jason Harper, 14-40. Receiving:
Bruce Francis,
8-101, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Ohio has
been playing its best football of the season, especially on offense,
over the last few weeks, but it's too little too late. After a
dominating win over Temple, it's still in the hunt for a bowl bid,
and it'll get it if the defense continues to play as well as it did
against Temple and if Kalvin McRae continues to rumble. It helps
when Theo Scott and Brad Bower are throwing the ball efficiently,
but for now, the offense is controlling games on the ground. This is
the Ohio that won the East last year.
Oct. 27
Ohio 38 ... Bowling Green 27
Kalvin McRae ran for 200 yards and scored from three, one and
nine yards out in the first half for a 21-10 lead, but Bowling Green
came back with a 12-yard Anthony Turner touchdown run to pull within
one. And then the Bobcat defense took over with a 58-yard Kris
Luchsinger interception return for a score. Dan Macon took a pass 43
yards to a touchdown to pull the Falcons within eight, but a
turnover led to a 27-yard Bobcat field goal in the final minute to
finally end the threat.
Player of the
game:
Ohio RB Kalvin McRae
ran 42 times for 200 yards and three touchdowns, and caught three
passes for 17 yards
Stat Leaders: Ohio - Passing: Theo Scott,
12-17, 166 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kalvin McRae, 42-200, 3 TD. Receiving: Kalvin
McRae, 3-17
Bowling Green - Passing: Tyler Sheehan, 19-41,
249 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Willie Geter, 14-90. Receiving: Freddie Barnes,
8-89. 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Ohio
went back to being Ohio football against Bowling Green. Run Kalvin
McRae, run him again, and run him again. Theo Scott stepped in and
had a nice day throwing the ball, but the Bobcats controlled the
game by running it, holding on to the ball for 35:23, and taking
advantage of almost every opportunity. Bowling Green turned it over
four times, Ohio turned it over once. That turned out to be the
difference.
Oct. 20
Toledo 43 ... Ohio 40
A wild game with a 42-point fourth quarter ended on a 40-yard
Alex Steigerwald field goal with no time left to give Toledo the
win. Down 11 with just under seven minutes to play, Ohio rallied to
tie it with a 40-yard Michale Braunstein field goal and with 1:45 to
go, a 36-yard Andrew Mooney touchdown catch followed up by the
two-point conversion. Two of the nation's most productive backs were
on display, and they didn't disappoint, as Ohio's Kalvin McRae ran
for 182 yards with touchdown runs from 65, 65 and 6 yards out, and
Toledo's Jalen Parmele running for 243 yards scoring touchdowns from
one yard and 45 yards away. In the end, Ohio's 560 yards of total
offense were offset by seven turnovers.
Player of the
game:
Toledo RB Jalen
Parmele ran 26 times for 243 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Ohio - Passing: Brad Bower, 9-17,
163 yds, 1 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Kalvin McRae, 25-182, 3 TD. Receiving: Taylor
Price, 3-69, 1 TD
Toledo - Passing: Aaron Opelt, 17-33, 176 yds,
1 TD
Rushing: Jalen Parmele, 36-243, 2 TD. Receiving: Stephen
Williams, 7-90
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
Ohio is going to hurt after this loss to
Toledo. The Bobcats can't seem to win in the Glass Bowl, but its
their own fault with Brad Bower throwing four interceptions and too
many promising scoring drives killed by turnovers. Kalvin McRae ran
like the Kalvin McRae of last year, getting room to move, and now
the offense will likely revolve around him more until the
quarterbacks settle down. With a lot of help, the East is still
winnable, but a win at Bowling Green has to kick off a big next
month.
Oct. 13
Ohio 48 ... Eastern Michigan 42
Ohio got out to a 28-0 lead helped by two Kalvin McRae
touchdown runs, and then held on for deal life as EMU stormed
back with 14 points in each of the last three quarter. Andy
Schmitt threw four touchdown passes including two to Jacory
Stone, and the defense got into the act with a 80-yard Derrick
Hunter fumble return for a touchdown late in the second half.
Tyler Jones caught two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter,
including a five-yarder with just over a minute to play, but the
Bobcats recovered the onside kick. The two teams combined for 935
yards of total offense, and 19 penalties.
Player of
the game:
Ohio RB
Kalvin McRae ran 32 times for 170 yards and two touchdowns, and
caught two passes for 14 yards.
Stat Leaders: Ohio - Passing: Brad Bower,
18-29, 232 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kalvin McRae, 32-170, 2 TD. Receiving:
Taylor Price, 5-83, 1 TD
Eastern Michigan - Passing: Andy Schmitt,
20-28, 210 yds, 4 TD
Rushing: Andy Schmitt, 15-55. Receiving: Jacory
Stone, 9-62, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
This isn't last year's Ohio team.
Last year's squad would've gotten up on a team like Eastern
Michigan and stomped it into the ground with the running game.
This year, it took a 28-0 lead to hold off the offensively
challenged Eagles, and even though the offense worked almost
perfectly, there wasn't nearly enough production from the
defense for a second straight week. Road trips to Toledo and
Bowling Green will mean two more shootouts to gear up for.
Oct. 6
Buffalo
31 ... Ohio 10
Buffalo got 183 yards from James
Starks, who started off the scoring with a one-yard run, and
ended Ohio's hopes with a 72-yard touchdown dash with just over
two minutes to play. The Bull defense allowed a four-yard Kalvin
McRae touchdown run to tie it at seven, but scored the next ten
points on a one-yard Brandon Thermilus run and a 43-yard A.J.
Principe field goal to take the lead for good. Ohio was
outgained 397 yards to 276.
Player of the game:
Buffalo RB James Starks rushed for 183 yards and two touchdowns
on 36 carries, adding an 18-yard reception.
Stat Leaders: Ohio - Passing: Theo Scott,
12-24, 93 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Kalvin McRae, 24-96, 1 TD. Receiving:
Chido Nwokocha, 5-45
Buffalo - Passing: Drew Willy, 10-19, 118
yds
Rushing: James Starks, 36-183, 2 TDs. Receiving:
Naaman Roosevelt, 6-61
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... Ugh.
Everything that worked so well last year, with a tough, timely
defense, good running game, and clutch plays when needed, aren't
there this year. Kalvin McRae isn't able to get going like he
did in 2006, and the passing attack still isn't remotely good
enough to pick up the slack. Losing to Buffalo on the road is
really, really bad, but losing at home to Eastern Michigan next
week would be far worse. The four-game slide has to stop now.
Sept.
29
Kent State 33 ... Ohio 25
Eugene Jarvis tore off 230 yards with touchdown runs from 35
and 26 yards out, and Nate Reed nailed four field goals in the
upset win over Ohio. The Bobcats pushed hard in the fourth
quarter with Theo Scott touchdown passes of 14 and 13 yards to
Andrew Mooney, but their final drive stalled. the Golden Flash
defense held Ohio to 88 rushing yards. The two teams combined
for 28 penalties, with Ohio committing 17 for 170 yards.
Player of the game:
Kent State RB Eugene Jarvis ran 30 times for 230 yards and two
touchdowns, adding two catches for 14 yards.
Stat Leaders: Kent State - Passing: Julian
Edelman, 12-25, 169 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Eugene Jarvis, 30-230, 2 TDs. Receiving:
Shawn Bayes, 3-48, 1 TD
Ohio - Passing: Theo Scott, 16-24, 161 yds,
2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: Kalvin McRae, 16-74, 1 TD. Receiving: Taylor
Price, 6-75
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
17 penalties against Kent State? 17?! There's no reason
for that, and there's also no reason to get outrushed 233 yards
to 88. Everyone and half the student body set up to stop Kalvin
McCrae, but on the plus side, QB Theo Scott emerged as a
possible real deal. He completed 16 of 24 passes for 161 yards
with two touchdowns, giving the Bobcats a real, live passing
threat.
Sept. 22
Wyoming 34 ... Ohio 33
Down 30-20 in the fourth quarter after a Jameson Hartke
interception return for a touchdown, Wyoming got a four-yard Wynel
Seldon touchdown run and answered a field goal with a five-yard
Michael Ford touchdown catch with just over two minutes to play.
Ohio's final drive never got going, and UW had held. The Bobcats got
four Michael Braunstein field goals and a 94-yard kickoff return
from Chris Garrett to make up for an offense that was held to 37
rushing yards. The Wyoming offense rolled for 441 yards and got two
Karsten Sween touchdown passes along with two second half touchdown
runs from Devin Moore, but turned the ball over seven times.
Player of the game:
Wyoming RB Devin Moore rushed for 198 yards and two touchdowns on 19
carries, and had four catches for five yards.
Stat Leaders: Wyoming - Passing: Karsten Sween,
26-36, 174 yds, 2 TDs, 4 INTs
Rushing: Devin Moore, 19-198, 2 TDs. Receiving: Greg
Bolling, 6-47
Ohio - Passing: Brad Bower, 14-28, 227 yds, 1
TD, 2 INTs
Rushing: Kalvin McRae, 16-57. Receiving: Matt Donahue,
4-113
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... That
Ohio stayed alive as long as it did against Wyoming with Kalvin
McRae being completely shut down shows just how strong the defense
was. With consistent pressure into the backfield and a ball-hawking
day from Michael Mitchell and the defensive back seven, the Bobcats
managed to overcome the offensive woes by bending, but rarely
breaking. The Bobcats aren't going to win many when the running game
isn't going, but the MAC schedule isn't that bad over the next
several weeks. Even so, to win, the O line has to be far stronger.
Sept. 15
Virginia Tech 28 ... Ohio 7
Virginia Tech's defense dominated, allowing just five first
downs and 114 yards of total offense, but the Bobcats were ahead 7-0
in the second quarter on a four-yard Kalvin McRae touchdown run.
That was the only fun Ohio would have all game, as Tech reeled off
28 unanswered points on touchdown runs from Kenny Lewis, Tyrod
Taylor and Branden Ore, and then Kenny Lewis put it well out of
reach on a 44-yard scoring run. Ohio converted just three of
17 third down chances.
Player of the
game:
Virginia Tech LB
Vince Hall had 14 tackles, three tackles for loss and a pair of
sacks..
Stat Leaders: Ohio - Passing: Brad Bower, 9-16,
70 yds
Rushing: Kalvin McRae, 22-55, 1 TD. Receiving: Kalvin
McRae, 6-26
Virginia Tech - Passing: Tyrod Taylor, 18-31,
287 yds
Rushing: Branden Ore, 18-82, 1 TD. Receiving: Josh
Morgan, 6-119
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ...
Despite how it looked against LSU, Virginia Tech's defense is one of
the best in the country. Ohio simply isn't equipped to get the
offense going smoothly when Kalvin McRae can't get going on a
consistent basis. Brad Bower wasn't able to loosen up the Hokies at
all with almost nothing going deep, but still, despite all the
problems, the Bobcats were in the game until late. The O line will
have to be more productive against Wyoming next week.
Sept. 8
Ohio 31 ... UL Lafayette 23
Ohio got two of Kalvin McRae's four touchdowns in the fourth
quarter as it was able to take the lead for the first time on a
23-yard dash and then put it away on a grinding drive that
culminated in a 13-yard scoring run. UL Lafayette cranked out 534
yards of total offense, mostly due to QB Michael Desormeaux, who
threw for two touchdowns and accounted for 335 yards, but couldn't
get the momentum back in the fourth quarter with one drive stalling
and another stopped by a fumble. Ohio kept pace early as McRae took
a pass 44 yards for a first quarter touchdown and cut the ULL third
quarter lead to three on a five-yard run to spark a 21-3 second half
run.
Player of the
game ... Ohio RB Kalvin McRae ran 20 times for 84 yards and
three touchdowns and caught three passes for 52 yards and a score
Stat Leaders: UL Lafayette - Passing: Michael
Desormeaux, 16-26, 234 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Tyrell Fenroy, 24-136 Receiving:
Derrick Smith, 4-99
Ohio - Passing: Brad Bower, 17-28, 264 yds, 1
TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Kalvin McRae, 20-84, 3 TD Receiving:
Chris Garrett, 4-25
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The
defense had major issues with the UL Lafayette running game and
didn't do much of anything to slow down the attack until the fourth
quarter. That's why RB Kalvin McRae was so valuable, as he did a
little of everything to keep Ohio in the game before taking over in
the fourth quarter. Brad Bower came up with a good, efficient day
throwing the ball, and now he'll need to be even better with a trip
to face an angry Virginia Tech team ahead.
Sept. 1
Ohio 36 ... Gardner-Webb 14
Ohio blocked three punts and got two Kalvin McRae touchdown
runs on the way to the easy win. A 34-yard Chido Nwokocha touchdown
catch early in the third quarter gave the Bobcats a 21-0 lead before
Gardner-Webb finally got on the board with a 33-yard Tyson Petty
scoring grab. Devin Campbell threw two touchdown passes for DW.
Player of the
game ... Ohio RB Kalvin McRae ran 24 times for 142 yards and two
touchdowns and caught a pass for ten yards
Stat Leaders: Gardner-Webb - Passing: Devin
Campbell, 18-27, 202 yds, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Phillip Peoples, 6-36 Receiving:
Devaughn Flagler, 7-51, 1 TD
Ohio - Passing: Brad Bower, 15-25, 180 yds, 1
TD
Rushing: Kalvin McRae, 24-142, 2 TD Receiving:
Chido Nwokocha, 3-52, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean, Basil? ... The
special teams and running game gave Ohio the walk-in-the-park win
over Gardner-Webb. Kalvin McRae was Kalvin McRae, but most
importantly for the rest of the season, the passing game wasn't bad
as Brad Bower had a nice day and several receivers got involved. The
Bobcats need to keep generating big plays from several areas, and
McRae needs all the help he can get.
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