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ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio football team (2-1, 2-1 MAC) closes out the home portion of its 2020 schedule on Saturday (Dec. 5) as it entertains Buffalo (4-0, 4-0 MAC) in a Senior Day matchup at Peden Stadium. Kickoff is slated for 3:30 p.m. ET, and the contest is set to be nationally televised on CBS Sports Network, with Jason Knapp and Malik Zaire on the call.
The Bobcats' matchup with the Bulls can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield IMG College. Russ Eisenstein returns for his 13th season as the "Voice of the Bobcats" and will be joined by Ohio alum Rob Cornelius, who has been a part of the broadcasts for two decades.
WEEK FIVE
Saturday, Dec. 5, 2020 | Ohio (2-1, 2-1 MAC) vs. Buffalo (4-0, 4-0 MAC) | 3:30 p.m. ET | Peden Stadium | Athens, Ohio | CBS Sports Network | Ohio Sports Network from Learfield IMG College | TuneIn | Live Stats
SENIOR DAY SENDOFF
The Bobcats will honor the careers of 11 seniors prior to Saturday's game against Buffalo: running back Jonathan Barna, defensive tackle Kai Caesar, defensive end Austin Conrad, linebacker Jared Dorsa, offensive lineman Cole Irland, offensive lineman Brett Kitrell, tight end Adam Luehrman, tight end Ryan Luehrman, offensive lineman Hagen Meservy, running back Ja'Vahri Portis and quarterback Armani Rogers.
FOR THE EAST
The winner of Saturday's tilt between the Bobcats and Bulls will assume control of the Mid-American Conference East Division heading into the final week of the regular season.
Ohio will wrap up the regular season on Saturday, December 12, with a visit to Dix Stadium to take on Kent State. The Bulls play host to Akron that day.
The Bobcats last won the MAC East Division title in 2016 and have captured four division crowns in 15 years under head coach Frank Solich.
The winner of the MAC East Division will square off with the West Division champion on Friday, December 18 at Ford Field in Detroit. The contest will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET and is set to be nationally televised on ESPN.
BOBCATS BOWL OVER FALCONS
Ohio rolled to a 52-10 victory over Bowling Green last Saturday (Nov. 28) at Peden Stadium behind a career afternoon by senior running back De'Montre Tuggle and a stifling effort by the Bobcats' pass defense that featured three interceptions.
The Bobcats earned their fifth-straight win over the Falcons, including their third-straight in games played at Peden Stadium in the series.
Ohio has outscored Bowling Green by a 245-102 count in the last five meetings between the two teams. Bowling Green's 10 points mark the fewest the Bobcats have allowed the Falcons to score against them since shutting them out, 24-0, on Oct. 18, 1997.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
In last Saturday's win over Bowling Green, the Bobcats held the advantage in total offense (436-306), first downs (21-12), net rushing yards (355-181), third down efficiency (55%-10%), number of plays (63-53) and time of possession (37:08-22:52). The contest marked the first time this season that Ohio has held the advantage in any of those categories.
SERVING UP 50 BURGERS
With its 52-10 victory over Bowling Green, Ohio scored at least 50 points in a game for the 14th time in 16 years under head coach Frank Solich, with nine of those performances coming in the last four seasons. The Bobcats are 13-1 when scoring at least 50 in the Solich era.
FOLLOW THE TUGGBOAT
Senior running back De'Montre Tuggle has been the catalyst of Ohio's offensive attack in 2020, and that continued in last Saturday's win over Bowling Green.
Tuggle rumbled for a career-high 185 yards and three touchdowns on 15 carries, including a career-long run of 70 yards for a score. He posted his second career 100-yard rushing performance and second in as many games and notched his sixth career game with multiple rushing touchdowns and second in a row. Tuggle ran for an eight-yard touchdown with 11:45 left in the first quarter for the game's first score, scampered for a 70-yard touchdown just over two minutes later to help make it a 14-0 lead and then capped off the scoring with just over seven minutes to play in the third quarter with a 43-yard touchdown run to help make the score final.
Tuggle garnered national recognition for his performance against the Falcons, being named to the weekly Paul Hornung Award Honor Roll in addition to being named an Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award National Player of the Week Honorable Mention.
Tuggle is currently tied for second in the MAC in both rushing touchdowns (6) and points scored (42).
Tuggle has accounted for 114 points in 15 games at Ohio, scoring 19 total touchdowns (17 rushing, one receiving, one kickoff return).
DOING IT ALL
Senior running back De'Montre Tuggle also returned one kickoff for a gain of 20 yards and recorded one reception for a four-yard gain to finish the contest against Bowling Green with 209 all-purpose yards.
Tuggle enters the weekend ranked fourth in the MAC with 403 rushing yards and has amassed 180 kickoff return yards, with his 45 yards per return currently ranked as the top average in the country.
Tuggle was named MAC East Division Special Teams Player of the Week for week one of the 2020 season after returning the second-half kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown in a 30-27 loss to Central Michigan on Nov. 4 at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
Coupled with six receiving yards, Tuggle has compiled 589 all-purpose yards, which ranks fifth in the conference. His 196.3 all-purpose yards per game currently rank as the fourth-best average in the nation.
MANY HAPPY RETURNS
Redshirt junior running back Julian Ross helped extend Ohio's lead over Bowling Green to 21-3 with 30 seconds left in the first quarter last Saturday by running a kickoff back a career-long 96 yards for a touchdown. The kickoff return for a score marked the first for Ross in his career and gave Ohio multiple kickoff returns for touchdowns in a single season for the first time since the Bobcats returned three to the house in 2008. Ross finished the contest with two kickoff returns for 135 yards (67.5 yards per return).
Ross was named MAC East Division Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts, earning weekly conference honors for the first time in his career. He became the second Bobcat to be named MAC East Division Special Teams Player of the Week after senior running back De'Montre Tuggle picked up honors in week one.
Ohio currently leads the MAC in team kickoff return average, averaging 33.4 yards per return, which ranks second in the country behind Wake Forest (34.0 yards per return).
'CATS CLAMP DOWN
Ohio's 52-10 victory over Bowling Green marked its second-straight game in which it permitted the opposition to score just 10 points. The stretch represents the fewest points the Bobcats have allowed in back-to-back games since 2013 when Ohio shut out Austin Peay, 38-0, then rolled to a 43-3 victory over Akron.
The Bobcats allowed Bowling Green to manage just 41 yards over its final four drives of the game.
TURNOVER BELT RETURNS
For the third year in a row, Ohio's 'Turnover Belt' - a WWE-style championship belt - is at the ready on the sidelines for the Bobcats to break out when the defense comes up with a takeaway.
Ohio lost the turnover battle, 2-0, in the season-opening loss to Central Michigan. The Belt has been busy since then, however, as the Bobcats recorded three takeaways in a 24-10 win over Akron on Nov. 10 at Peden Stadium, then added three more to their total in last Saturday's win over Bowling Green.
In the win over Akron, redshirt senior strong safety Jarren Hampton came up with his second career fumble recovery in the second quarter, and redshirt sophomore linebacker Keye Thompson and redshirt freshman safety Jett Elad both produced their first career interceptions in the fourth quarter to help Ohio seal the victory.
Last Saturday's victory over Bowling Green saw redshirt junior free safety Alvin Floyd recording his third career interception and redshirt junior safety Tariq Drake tallying his second career interceptions and Elad picking up his second in as many games. The picks by Floyd and Drake ended back-to-back Bowling Green possessions in the second quarter while Elad's came on the second play of the fourth quarter.
With five interceptions in three games this season, Ohio has already equaled its 13-game total last season.
CELEBRATING '60
Ohio is celebrating the 60th anniversary of its 1960 football team that went a perfect 10-0 and won both the MAC title and the NCAA College Division national championship under head coach Bill Hess. The Bobcats donned 1960s throwback uniforms for last Saturday's contest against Bowling Green.
In 1960, Ohio shut out five of ten opponents and outscored all opponents by a combined total of 269 to 34. The highlights of that campaign included a 14-7 road win over Bowling Green that put an end to an 18-game winning stream for the Falcons.
The 1960 squad boasted a pair of All-Americans in fullback Bob Brooks and center Dick Grecni. Brooks and Grecni were joined on the All-MAC First Team by guard Joe Dean, halfback Bob Harrison and quarterback Dave Wagner. All-MAC Second Team selections included ends George Belu and Jim Massarelli as well as offensive tackle Ted Stute.
MOURNING THE LOSS OF BOB KAPPES
Ohio Athletics is mourning the loss of longtime former football assistant coach Bob Kappes, who passed away Thursday at the age of 92.
Kappes came to Ohio University in 1958 with the late Bill Hess. The duo helped guide the Bobcats to four Mid-American Conference championships (1960, '63, '67, '68), including a perfect 10-0 (6-0 MAC) campaign in 1960 in which Ohio claimed the NCAA College Division national championship.
Kappes took over as interim head coach of the Bobcats in 1978 after Hess passed away that year. Under his watch as head coach in 1978, halfback Kevin Babcock and offensive tackle Steve Milano earned All-MAC First Team honors while tight end Mark Geisler, defensive back Jim Givens and center Don Puthoff garnered Second Team recognition.
Kappes remained at Ohio as an assistant coach under Brian Burke, then assumed the new position of recruiting coordinator/administrative assistant under Cleve Bryant in 1985 and remained in that role when Tom Lichtenburg became head coach in 1990. He served in that capacity until his retirement following the 1993 season.
Kappes' career at Ohio spanned 36 years, including 27 as an assistant coach. In his 36 years on the Ohio staff, the Bobcats totaled 150 victories and registered 15 winning seasons. He was inducted into the Kermit Blosser Ohio Athletics Hall of Fame in 1982.
A 1950 graduate of Miami University, Kappes is a member of both the Miami and Ohio Athletic Halls of Fame. He coached at Cincinnati Western Hills High School from 1950-57, where he was named Cincinnati's Coach of the Year in 1957. He went on to earn a master's degree at Ohio in 1964.
His wife, Joan, served as an instructor in Ohio University's School of Health and Sports Sciences for over 20 years until her retirement this summer. Kappes is survived by Joan, his three children, Steve, Peggy and Linda – all graduates of OU.
RIVALRY GAME CANCELED
Last Saturday's game against the Falcons was originally scheduled to be Ohio's fourth game of the 2020 season. However, due to roster issues with Ohio related to positive COVID-19 tests and subsequent contact tracing, the Bobcats' Nov. 17 'Battle of the Bricks' matchup at MAC East Division archrival Miami was canceled.
OHIO ZAPS ZIPS FOR FIRST WIN
Behind a then-career-high 139 rushing yards and two touchdowns by senior running back De'Montre Tuggle and three takeaways by the defense, Ohio toppled MAC East Division rival Akron, 24-10, on November 10 in the 2020 home opener at Peden Stadium.
Tuggle scored a nine-yard touchdown in the first quarter for the game's first points, then added a one-yard touchdown with just over two minutes to play.
The Bobcats are now 13-3 against the Zips under head coach Frank Solich, including a perfect 8-0 against Akron in games played at Peden Stadium.
MAJOR KEYE
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Keye Thompson was named the MAC East Division Defensive Player of the Week for week two of the 2020 season.
Thompson earned weekly conference honors for the first time in his career. He became the second Bobcat in as many weeks to garner player of the week recognition, as senior running back/kick returner De'Montre Tuggle (Channelview, Texas) was named the MAC East Division Special Teams Player of the Week for week one.
Thompson accounted for one of three takeaways for Ohio in the Bobcats' win over the Zips. Thompson came away with his first career interception to put an end to Akron's second drive of the fourth quarter, helping the Bobcats seal the victory. He also finished the contest with six total tackles, including three solo stops and a sack, to tie for second on the team and also added two quarterback hurries.
'CATS DROP SEASON OPENER
Senior running back De'Montre Tuggle ran the second-half kickoff back for a touchdown after closing out the first half with a rushing touchdown, but Ohio ultimately fell to MAC West Division foe Central Michigan, 30-27, on November 4 in the 2020 season opener at Kelly/Shorts Stadium.
The Bobcats held a 27-20 lead after Tuggle's kickoff return for a touchdown, but the Chippewas scored 10 unanswered points over the final 25 minutes of play to earn the victory.
Ohio was hampered by two lost fumbles and 11 penalties that resulted in a loss of 74 yards. Central Michigan outgained Ohio, 427-345, and piled up 184 rushing yards, averaging 3.9 yards per carry. The Chippewas held a 9:34 advantage in time of possessions (34:47-25:13). Ohio did not force any turnovers, and the Bobcats surrendered five sacks while producing none of their own.
The Bobcats fell to 10-6 (.625) in season openers and 12-4 (.750) in MAC openers in the Frank Solich era. The loss to the Chippewas snapped a streak of three-straight season-opening victories and nine-straight victories to open conference play.
PAINFULLY CLOSE
Ohio is 18-9 in MAC play over the past three-plus seasons. All nine losses have been decided by one possession, and eight have come by three or fewer points. The Bobcats have not lost a MAC game by more than a touchdown since a 62-24 loss at Bowling Green on Nov. 4, 2015.
COX'S CAREER MILESTONE
Redshirt junior wide receiver Isiah Cox led Ohio with four receptions for 102 receiving yards at Central Michigan. He went over the 1,000-yard career receiving mark in the contest, having now hauled in 54 career receptions for 1,074 yards in 27 games over the past two-plus years. Cox tallied his third career game with at least 100 receiving yards. His 58-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter marked his sixth career touchdown reception.
Last season, Cox led Ohio with 39 receptions and 663 receiving yards, both of which set career highs.
FINDING THE END ZONE
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Shane Hooks scored Ohio's first touchdown of the 2020 season, hauling in a 21-yard scoring reception to cap off the Bobcats' first drive of the year in the loss at Central Michigan. Hooks has now logged six touchdown catches in 20 career games as a Bobcat, including a five as a redshirt freshman a year ago, which tied for the team lead.
LAUNCH OF THE MAPLE MISSILE
Redshirt freshman quarterback Kurtis Rourke made his first career start under center for the Bobcats in the loss at Central Michigan, completing 12 of his 19 passing attempts for 231 yards and two touchdown passes. The first drive of his first start culminated in a 21-yard touchdown pass to redshirt sophomore wide receiver Shane Hooks. He also threw a 58-yard scoring strike to redshirt junior wide receiver Isiah Cox in the second quarter.
Rourke got the start again in the win over Akron, completing eight of his 14 passing attempts for 92 yards. He made his third career start last Saturday in the win over Bowling Green, going 10-of-11 for 63 yards and a touchdown pass while adding a career-high 43 rushing yards on eight carries, including a career-long run of 20 yards. He exited the game with an injury in the second quarter and did not return.
A native of Oakville, Ontario, Canada, Rourke is the younger brother of former Ohio quarterback Nathan Rourke, who started for the Bobcats the last three seasons. Nathan Rourke finished his three-year career at Ohio with a record of 24-13 as starting quarterback and was under center for an unprecedented three-straight bowl victories. He ranks first in program history in career touchdowns scored (51), touchdowns responsible for (111), total offense yards gained (10,091), total offense yards per play (7.65), total offense yards per game (258.7), passing yards per attempt (8.3), passing yards per game (191.2) and passing efficiency (146.5); tied for first in rushing touchdowns (49); second in completions (525), attempts (894), passing yards (7,457) and passing touchdowns (60); third in points scored (306) and completion percentage (58.7 percent); fifth in passing yards per completion (14.2); eighth in rushing yards (2,634); and ninth in rushing yards per game (67.0).
Nathan Rourke was the inaugural winner of the Jon Cornish Trophy, which is awarded annually to the most outstanding Canadian player in NCAA Football, in 2017-18 and repeated as the winner in '18-19. On April 30, 2020, he was selected with the 15th overall pick in the second round of the 2020 Canadian Football League Draft by the BC Lions.
FROM LA, TO VEGAS, TO ATHENS
Redshirt senior quarterback Armani Rogers made his Ohio debut in the loss at Central Michigan. He completed one pass for four yards while rushing for 32 yards on seven attempts. In the win over Akron, Rogers rushed for 17 yards, including a one-yard touchdown in the second quarter, his 19th career rushing touchdown and first as a Bobcat. Last Saturday's victory over Bowling Green saw Rogers enter the game in the second quarter in relief of injured redshirt freshman Kurtis Rourke. Rogers scored on a 29-yard run on the next play, giving the transfer from UNLV his second rushing touchdown in as many games as a Bobcat. On Ohio's next drive, he threw a two-yard touchdown to redshirt senior tight end Ryan Luehrman, marking his first touchdown pass as a Bobcat. Rogers finished the game 2-of-3 passing for 14 yards while adding 65 yards on eight carries on the ground.
Rogers saw action in 21 games with 18 starts over the last three seasons at UNLV. He holds UNLV's record for career net rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,549, a total that also ranked 10th in Mountain West Conference history. His 18 career rushing touchdowns tied for eighth in school history for any position, and he is the only signal-caller in school history to rush for at least 100 net yards in a game more than three times during his career (six). Rogers passed for 2,465 yards and 18 touchdowns over his three years under center for the Rebels. He was named Mountain West Freshman of the Year in 2017 after a record-setting debut campaign with nine starts in 10 games played, breaking the program records for both rushing yards in a season by a freshman and rushing yards in a season by a quarterback with 780 and setting the UNLV record for rushing touchdowns by a freshman in a season with eight. He also threw for a career-high 1,471 yards in his rookie campaign and followed it up by tossing a career-high 10 touchdown passes as a sophomore. Rogers earned his bachelor's degree in kinesiological sciences from UNLV in 2020 and then entered the NCAA Transfer Portal.
Prior to arriving at UNLV, the Los Angeles native was a three-year letterwinner under coach Ernest King at Alexander High School. Rogers was rated as a four-star recruit by ESPN and a three-star recruit by Rivals, 247Sports and Scout. He ranked as the nation's No. 11 dual-threat quarterback according to ESPN and No. 15 by 247Sports.
COLLIER COLLECTS TACKLES
Redshirt sophomore Jamison Collier has made his first three career starts in 2020, starting at free safety and leading Ohio with 19 total tackles, including a team-high 15 solo stops.
FOR STARTERS
Eight Bobcats made their first career start in the season-opening loss at Central Michigan, including redshirt freshman quarterback Kurtis Rourke, redshirt junior left guard Brody Rodgers, redshirt junior right tackle Samson Jackson, redshirt freshman defensive tackle Jeremiah Burton, redshirt sophomore nose tackle Kylen McCracken, redshirt sophomore strongside linebacker Jeremiah Wood, redshirt sophomore right cornerback Justin Birchette and redshirt sophomore free safety Jamison Collier.
Collier led the Ohio defense with eight total tackles, including seven solo stops, which matched Wood for the team lead. Burton finished the contest with five total tackles, including two solo stops.
In last Saturday's win over Bowling Green, three Bobcats made their first career start on the defensive side of the ball: left defensive end Bryce Dugan, strongside linebacker Ben Johnson and weakside linebacker Bryce Houston.
SWITCHING SPECIALISTS
Ohio's special teams unit will have a different look this year, as redshirt freshman placekicker Tristian Vandenberg, freshman punter Jack Wilson and redshirt sophomore long snapper Justin Holloway all made their Ohio debuts in the season-opening loss at Central Michigan.
Vandenberg made three extra points to provide the Bobcats with three points and kicked off five times for 306 yards (61.2 yards per kickoff) and two touchbacks against the Chippewas. In the win over Akron, he made his first career field on a 44-yard attempt in the third quarter. Vandenberg totaled a career-high 10 points in last Saturday's win over Bowling Green, making all seven of his extra point attempts and knocking down a 30-yard field goal at the end of the first half.
Vandenberg is taking over the kicking duties for Louie Zervos, who departed Athens as Ohio's all-time scoring leader with 437 career points. His 70 field goals made rank second in program history while his 215 extra points made are the most in program history.
Through three games, Wilson, a native of Lancefield, Victoria, Australia, has punted 13 times for 480 yards (36.9 yards per punt), with a long punt of 53 yards in last Saturday's win over Bowling Green. Eight of his punts have been fair caught, and five of them have ended up inside the 20-yard line. Wilson honed his skills at Prokick Australia, which was developed in 2007 to help guide and transition Australian athletes to perform at the college/NFL level. He also played Australian rules football
Wilson assumes punting responsibilities after the graduation of Michael Farkas, who ranks second in program history in punting average (41.43 yards per punt) and third in punting yards (9,073).
Holloway is taking over the role of long snapper, a position held down by Devin King the last two seasons.
MILESTONE WATCH
Redshirt senior wide receiver Cameron Odom is 32 yards away from reaching 1,000 career receiving yards. Odom has played in 42 games at Ohio, collecting 71 receptions for 968 yards and five touchdowns.
Redshirt sophomore running back O'Shaan Allison has gained 950 rushing yards in 16 games at Ohio, putting him 50 away from 1,000 for his career.
TWINNING
The Bobcats boast identical sets of twins on both sides of the ball, with redshirt senior tight ends Adam Luehrman and Ryan Luehrman on offense and redshirt senior cornerback Ilyaas Motley and Xavior Motley on defense.
The Luehrmans are natives of Athens and caught passes from the No. 1 pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, at Athens High School. Ryan has tallied 37 receptions for 418 yards and seven touchdowns in 29 games while Adam has backed him up and caught six passes for 94 yards and a touchdown in 30 games.
Last Saturday, Ryan led Ohio with five receptions for 34 yards and two touchdowns, marking the first time in his career he hauled in multiple touchdown catches in a game.
Ilyaas Motley has collected 79 career total tackles, including 54 solo stops five tackles for loss and 1.5 sacks, to go along with eight pass breakups, two interceptions and one forced fumble in 39 games. Xavior has appeared in 31 games with 28 total tackles, including 22 solo stops, one sack and five pass breakups.
FROM RESERVE TE TO STARTING DE
When Austin Conrad arrived at Ohio in 2016, he came to Athens as a tight end. Prior to the 2017 season, he moved to defensive end. Two years later, he had broken into the starting lineup and in 38 career games has logged 77 total tackles (48 solo stops), 17 tackles for loss, 6.5 sacks, three pass breakups, one interception, two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery.
LEADING THE WAY
Redshirt senior middle linebacker Jared Dorsa is the leader of the Ohio defense, owning a team-high 164 career total tackles, which includes 87 solo stops and 11 tackles for loss. He's also logged six pass breakups, two interceptions and one forced fumble.
GETTING IN ON THE ACT
In last Saturday's win over Bowling Green, Ohio saw 23 players record tackles, with redshirt sophomore linebacker Bryce Houston, who made his first career start, leading the way with six total tackles
MAC WINS KING
Frank Solich has built the Ohio football program into one of the MAC's most consistently successful over the last 15 years.
On Tuesday, Nov. 19, 2019, Solich etched his place in MAC history, becoming the conference's winningest head coach with his 111th victory -- an impressive 66-24 triumph over East Division rival Bowling Green.
Solich has turned the Bobcats into one of the MAC's premier programs since his arrival in Athens in 2005.
Ohio is 115-82 during the Solich era. His 115 victories are the second-most in program history behind Don Peden (121; 1924-46). Ohio has gone 77-46 in conference play since Solich's arrival in Athens. His 77 MAC wins rank second to former Central Michigan head coach Herb Deromedi's 90. Deromedi was previously the conference's winningest head coach until Solich surpassed him last season. Ohio's 115 wins under Solich rank as the seventh-most under active NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches.
Solich entered the 2020 season as the dean of MAC head coaches. He is tied with Oklahoma State's Mike Gundy for fourth among active NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision head coaches in terms of longest tenure with their current school. Only Iowa's Kirk Ferentz (22 years), TCU's Gary Patterson (21 years) and Utah's Kyle Whittingham (17 years) have served as head coach at their respective institutions longer. Prior to arriving in Athens, Solich spent six years as head coach at his alma mater, Nebraska. Solich's 21 years of experience tie him with Ferentz (21 years) for the third-most among active NCAA FBS head coaches, ranking behind North Carolina's Mack Brown (30 years) and Alabama's Nick Saban (24).
Solich owns a career coaching record of 173-101. His 173 wins rank as the fourth most among active NCAA FBS head coaches, trailing only Brown (257), Saban (251) and TCU's Gary Patterson (176). He is well-respected by his peers, having served as the president of the American Football Coaches Association (AFCA) in addition to receiving the Tom Osborne Legacy Award in January of 2019.
With the retirement of longtime Kansas State head coach Bill Snyder following the 2018 season, Solich is the leader in life experience among NCAA FBS head coaches at 76 years old. Solich turned 76 on Sept. 8.
SERIES HISTORY VS. BUFFALO
Ohio is 16-10 all-time against Buffalo, including a 9-6 mark over the last 15 seasons under the direction of head coach Frank Solich. The Bobcats have gone 6-1 at home against the Bulls under Solich.
In the last meeting between the Bobcats and the Bulls contested in Athens, Ohio dismantled the eventual MAC East Division champions, 52-17, on Nov. 14, 2018, at Peden Stadium. Running back A.J. Ouellette rumbled for a career-high 196 yards and two touchdowns on 26 carries and also caught a touchdown to pave the way to the blowout win.
Ohio piled up 646 total yards -- including a season-high 437 on the ground -- and dominated the time of possession, 43:42-16:18. In addition to Ouellette's big night, running back Maleek Irons rushed for 92 yards and a touchdown on 12 touches. Quarterback Nathan Rourke accumulated 77 yards and a touchdown on the ground on seven rushes. Rourke also went 17-of-26 for 209 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Papi White hauled in eight receptions for 84 yards and a touchdown.
LAST MATCHUP VS. BUFFALO
Ohio and Buffalo last met on Oct. 5, 2019, at UB Stadium in Amherst, N.Y., with the Bobcats overcoming a 14-7 fourth-quarter deficit to force overtime and ultimately prevail, 21-20.
Running back O'Shaan Allison scored a game-tying five-yard touchdown in overtime, then redshirt senior placekicker Louie Zervos converted the extra point to lift the Bobcats to the victory.
The overtime win marked Ohio's first since defeating Eastern Michigan on the road, 27-20, on Sept. 23, 2017, to open up conference play that season.
The Bobcats snapped a four-game losing skid in games played at UB Stadium, earning their first victory in Buffalo since a 27-24 triumph on Nov. 10, 2009.
With the score knotted at 14-all, Ohio won the overtime toss and elected to go on defense to start extra frame. The Bulls converted a 3rd-and-6 with a 10-yard run by running back Kevin Marks to give Buffalo a fresh set of downs at the Ohio 11. After runs of three yards and five yards by Marks, quarterback Kyle Vantrease kept it himself and scored from three yards out to give the Bulls a six-point lead. The extra point attempt by placekicker Jackson Baltar failed, however, giving the Bobcats a chance at victory on their overtime possession with a touchdown and a successful extra point.
The Bobcats turned to Allison on all five overtime plays. He gained six yards, five yards, eight yards and one yard on the ground, setting the stage for his five-yard touchdown run on 3rd-and-1 to even the score -- the eighth third-down conversion in 13 attempts on the game for Ohio. Zervos then calmly knocked down the extra point, sending his teammates rushing onto the field to meet him in celebration.
Allison accounted for 96 of Ohio's 186 rushing yards and scored the first two rushing touchdowns of his collegiate career. Quarterback Nathan Rourke added 63 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown while completing 12 of his 19 pass attempts for 155 yards.
Safety Jarren Hampton led Ohio with eight total tackles, including a team-high seven solo stops.
SCOUTING BUFFALO
Buffalo is in its sixth season under the leadership of head coach Lance Leipold, with the Falcons owning a 35-32 record under his watch, including a 24-20 mark in MAC play. Leipold guided the Bulls to a MAC East Division title in 2018 and followed it up with a victory in the 2019 Bahamas Bowl.
Leipold served as an administrative assistant/recruiting coordinator under Frank Solich at Nebraska from 2001-03.
Off to a 4-0 start to the 2020 season, the Bulls currently in the driver's seat in the MAC East, having posted four decisive wins over Northern Illinois (49-30; Nov. 4), Miami (42-10; Nov. 10), Bowling Green (42-17; Nov. 17) and Kent State (70-41; Nov. 28).
Buffalo owns the top scoring offense in the country, averaging 50.8 points per game. The Bulls are ranked second in the nation in rushing offense, averaging 323.8 yards per game on the ground.
Buffalo's rushing attack is powered by dynamic junior running back Jaret Patterson, who is currently ranked fifth in the country in rushing yards (920) and first in rushing yards per game (230.0). He also leads the nation in points per game (24.0) and is ranked second in all-purpose yards per game (230.0). Over the last two weeks, he has rushed for a whooping 710 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns, going for 301 yards and four scores at Bowling Green and following it up with a staggering 409 yards and eight touchdowns against Kent State. He has been named MAC East Division Offensive Player of the Week each of the last two weeks and is the reigning Walter Camp National Offensive Player of the Week and Maxwell Award Player of the Week.
Vantrease is back under center for Buffalo in 2020 and has completed 47 of his 78 passing attempts for 753 yards, five touchdowns and one interception. His top target is senior wide receiver Antonio Nunn, who leads the Bulls with 19 receptions, 348 receiving yards and two touchdown receptions.
Defensively, junior linebacker James Patterson, who is Jaret's twin brother, leads Buffalo with 37 total tackles (team-high 22 solo), which currently ranks seventh in the MAC. Four Bulls have recovered fumbles while three others have recorded interceptions.
BOBCATS IN THE NFL
Four former Ohio football student-athletes are representing the Bobcats at the highest level of the sport -- Indianapolis Colts cornerback T.J. Carrie, New York Jets outside linebacker Tarell Basham, Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Javon Hagan and Jacksonville Jaguars offensive lineman Austen Pleasants.
UP NEXT
Ohio will play its 2020 regular-season finale at Kent State on Saturday, December 12, with kickoff set for noon ET at Dix Stadium. The contest will be streamed live on ESPN3 and can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield IMG College.
#OUOhYeah
