2008 Ohio Bobcats - Signing Day

Ohio Bobcats 2008 Head Coach: Frank Solich

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.
 

- 2007 Ohio Season
- 2007 Ohio Preview
- 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.