ON THE OFFENSIVE
Ohio recorded 423 total yards of offense in the victory over Howard, making it the third-straight game that it has registered 400 or more yards dating back to last season.
PAPI PRODUCES
Redshirt senior wide receiver Papi White (Seminole, Okla.) enjoyed a career day in the win over Howard, racked up a career-high 154 receiving yards on a career-high eight receptions and hauled in a touchdown. He became the first Bobcat wide receiver to register 150-plus receiving yards since Sebastian Smith achieved the feat on Sept. 17, 2016 against then-No. 15-ranked Tennessee. White recorded his second career game with at least 100 yards receiving.
MAXWELL TAKES ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITY
Redshirt junior quarterback Quinton Maxwell (Rayville, Mo.), who came on in relief of junior starting quarterback Nathan Rourke (Oakville, Ontario, Canada) in the second quarter, threw for two scores and ran for two more to spark Ohio's win over Howard. He finished 17-of-25 with 233 yards passing. Maxwell matched his career highs for completions (17) and passing touchdowns (2) and set a new career high by running for two scores. His four total touchdowns marked a career high.
KNOCKING ON HEAVEN'S DOOR
Redshirt junior wide receiver/kick returner DL Knock (Springboro, Ohio) helped swing the momentum of the contest against Howard in favor of the Bobcats when took the second-half kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown to tie a school record. Ohio was trailing Howard, 22-17, at halftime, but Knock's return sparked a stretch in which it scored two touchdowns in 1:37 to flip the script.
Knock became the first Ohio player to bring a kick back 100 yards since Daz' Patterson went 100 yards to the house against Buffalo on Oct. 6, 2012. It marked the first time Ohio returned a kickoff for a touchdown since Nov. 25, 2014 at Miami when Kylan Nelson (Lexington, Ky,) brought one back 84 yards. Knock finished the game with three kickoff returns for 125 yards.
Knock was named the MAC East Division Week One Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 3. He became the first Bobcat to be named MAC East Division Special Teams Player of the Week since kicker Louie Zervos (Tarpon Springs, Fla.) earned honors in Week 11 of the 2017 season.
TURNOVER BELT COMES UP CLUTCH
Ohio's defense produced four takeaways in the victory over Howard.
Howard opened the new season with sophomore quarterback Caylin Newton finding junior wide receiver Jequez Ezzard for a gain of 59 yards on the first play from scrimmage. Ohio redshirt senior safety Kylan Nelson (Lexington, Ky.) came up with the first big play of the year for the Ohio defense, though, forcing Ezzard to cough up the ball, with redshirt senior cornerback Jalen Fox (Cincinnati, Ohio) recovering it to give Ohio possession.
In the second quarter, Newton completed a 20-yard pass to redshirt junior wide receiver Jason Collins to move the ball to the Ohio 28, but redshirt sophomore safety Jarren Hampton (Fostoria, Ohio) forced a fumble that sophomore cornerback Marlin Brooks (Miami, Fla.) recovered.
After Knock's kick return for a touchdown, senior linebacker Evan Croutch (Youngstown, Ohio) picked Newton off to set up shop for the Ohio offense at the Howard 33. Maxwell scored on a one-yard keeper to extend Ohio's lead to 31-22. The interception marked the first of Croutch's career.
Finally, with 18 seconds remaining in the contest, redshirt sophomore cornerback Ilyaas Motley (Centerville, Ohio) intercepted Newton for his first career pick, sealing the victory for Ohio.
Perhaps some of the credit for the takeaways can be attributed to the Ohio defense's new sideline prop: The Turnover Belt, which is a WWE-replica championship belt that is awarded to individuals who force the opposition to turn the ball over.
SCOUTING VIRGINIA
Ohio and Virginia are set to square off for just the second time. Virgini won the lone previous meeting, 41-7, on Oct. 2, 1993, when the Cavaliers were ranked No. 21 in the nation. The Bobcats will be looking for their first win over the ACC since beating former conference member Maryland, 21-14, on Sept. 6, 1997, in College Park, Md.
Virginia has started the 2018 season 1-1, earning a 42-13 win at home over Richmond on Sept. 1, but falling at Indiana, 20-16, on Saturday (Sept. 8).
Bronco Mendenhall is in his third season as the head coach of the Cavaliers, owning a record of 9-18 (.333). He arrived in Charlottesville prior to the 2016 season after spending 11 years as the head coach at BYU.
The Cavaliers were picked to finish last in the ACC Coastal Division in the conference's preseason poll.
Junior quarterback Bryce Perkins has thrown for 291 yards with four touchdowns against one interception through two games. Senior halfback Olamide Zaccheaus is Virginia's leading receiver with 11 catches for 116 yards and two touchdowns. The Cavaliers have been picked off the opposition three times so far, with sophomore free safety Joey Blount, sophomore free safety Brenton Nelson and senior strong safety Juan Thornhill all recording interceptions.
