ATHENS, Ohio -- The Ohio football team (1-6, 1-2 MAC) is back in Athens on Saturday, Oct. 23 when it hosts Kent State (3-4, 2-1 MAC). Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. inside Peden Stadium and can be seen on ESPN+ where Michael Reghi and Je'Rod Cherry will have the call.  

The Bobcats' matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield. Russ Eisenstein returns for his 14th 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.

SERIES HISTORY VS. KENT STATE 
This is the 73rd all-time meeting between the Bobcats and Kent State, with Ohio leading the series, 44-26-2. 

Ohio and Kent State last met Oct. 19, 2019, with Ohio coming away with the 45-38 victory. The Bobcats and Flashes did not connect last season due to Covid-19. 

Ohio is 10-5 against Kent State in their last 15 matchups, with the Bobcats winning five of eight meetings in Athens. 

Ohio have won six-straight games against Kent State

LAST MATCHUP VS. KENT STATE
Ohio and Kent State last met on Oct. 19, 2019 in Athens, with the Bobcats coming away with the 45-38 victory. 

Ohio racked up a season-high 45 points, 571 yards of total offense and 31 first downs with Rourke recording his first career game with at least 300 passing yards.

As a team, the Bobcats racked up 229 rushing yards, with junior running back De'Montre Tuggle (Channelview, Texas) leading the way with a career-high 80 on a career-high 19 carries. He also matched his career high with two rushing touchdowns. Rourke added 79 rushing yards while redshirt freshman running back O'Shaan Allison (Norristown, Pa.) gained 51 yards on six carries. 

The Bobcats were led defensively by redshirt freshman linebacker Keye Thompson (Barberton, Ohio), who finished with a career-high 10 total tackles (two solo, eight assisted) while making his first career start at weakside linebacker. Redshirt sophomore nose tackle Kai Caesar (Cache, Okla.) and redshirt junior right defensive end Austin Conrad (LaGrange, Ohio) each recorded a sack. Conrad finished the game with a team-high two tackles for loss.

Kent State finished the game with 476 yards of total offense, with Crum throwing for 262 yards and four touchdowns on 24-of-35 passing while adding a team-high 96 rushing yards on 16 attempts. Carrigan and McKoy each hauled in seven receptions to tie for a game-high, with Carrigan compiling 72 receiving yards and catching two scores. Matthews added 85 rushing yards and a touchdown on 14 carries.

SCOUTING KENT STATE
Kent State enters the matchup with the Bobcats with a 3-4 record and a 2-1 mark overall in MAC play. The Flashes are coming off of a 64-31 loss at Western Michigan last week. 

Kent State brings back the vast majority of its starters on offense and defense in 2021. The Flashes will bring back 19 of 25 starters in 2021 including nine each on the offense and defense.

Quarterback Dustin Crum is 111-for-189 with 1,513 yards and eight touchdowns, while only throwing two interceptions. On the ground, Crum has rushed for 275 yards on 82 carries with five rushing touchdowns. 

Also on the ground, Marquez Cooper has rushed for 508 yards on 104 carries with four touchdowns. 

Dante Cephas leads the receiving core with 580 yards, 41 catches and five TDs. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Ohio football team (1-6, 1-2 MAC) dropped a heartbreaker to Buffalo (3-4, 1-2 MAC), 27-26, on a last second field goal, Saturday afternoon inside UB Stadium.

Starting quarterback Armani Rogers (Los Angeles, Calif.) went 6-of-10 for 75 yards, while leading Ohio on the ground, rushing for 183 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns. The highlight being his 99-yard NCAA record setting touchdown run in the first quarter.

Running back De'Montre Tuggle (Channelview, Texas) added 46 yards on eight carries and one touchdown. 

As an offense, the Bobcats registered 364 total yards, with 75 passing and 271 rushing. Meanwhile, Buffalo registered 373 total yards, 112 rushing and 261 passing. Both teams recorded one turnover each. 

On the defensive side, linebacker Bryce Houston (Lewis Center, Ohio) led the Bobcats with 15 total tackles, 11 solo and four assisted. He also added one tackle for loss for two yards.

SCOUTING OHIO
Ohio is 1-6 overall and 1-2 in the MAC after falling to Buffalo last Saturday. 

Overall, the Bobcats are averaging 20.3 points per game to go along with 346.3 total yards per game. 

De'Montre Tuggle leads the ground game with 494 yards, while averaging 70.6 yards per game with three touchdowns. O'Shaan Allison adds 267 yards on the ground, while Armani Rogers adds 448 yards on 67 carries and a team-leading six touchdowns.  

Quarterback Kurtis Rourke is 73-of-115 with 602 yards, five touchdowns and three interceptions. Meanwhile, quarterback Armani Rogers is 26-of-41 with 336 yards.

Tyler Walton leads the receivers with 21 catches for 228 yards and two touchdowns.

AN NCAA RECORD THAT MIGHT NEVER BE BROKEN
On Oct. 16 at Buffalo, quarterback Armani Rogers, on the first play of Ohio's second drive, took the ball to his left, sprinting 99 yards for the touchdown. The run set a new NCAA record for the longest run by a quarterback. The mark was previously held by Mark Malone who ran for a 98-yard touchdown in 1979. 

ROGERS STEPS UP AGAINST CMU
Quarterback Armani Rogers earned his first start of the season on Saturday against CMU and made the most out of it. 

Rogers went 13-of-18 for 190 yards. He also ran for 37 yards on 15 carries, scoring one touchdown. 

A GREAT WEEK FOR DE'MONTRE
Running back De'Montre Tuggle has a great week in the awards category for his play on Oct. 2 at Akron. He was named the MAC East Offensive Player of the Week and Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award National Player of the Week Honorable Mention

Tuggle led Ohio offensively this weekend, helping the Bobcats open MAC play with a 34-17 victory at Akron - the first for first year head coach Tim Albin. Tuggle, a redshirt fifth year from Channelview, Texas, finished the game with a career-high 201 yards on 17 carries and one touchdown. Tuggle rushed for an average of 11.8 yards per carry and rattled off a 63-yard rush on the Bobcats' second drive of the game.

MAC EAST DEFENSIVE POW
Defensive end Will Evans was named the MAC East DPOW on Oct. 4. 

Evans led Ohio on the defensive end. The redshirt fifth year from Augusta, Ga., finished the game with six total tackles, all solo. He also finished the game with two sacks for 11 yards and two tackles for loss. Evans also registered one pass breakup and forced one fumble in the win.

MAC EAST SPECIAL TEAMS POW
Punter Jonah Wieland was named the Mid-American Conference East Special Teams Player of the Week on Sept. 20. 

The redshirt 5th year transfer led Ohio on special teams on Thursday (Sept. 16) at Louisiana. Wieland recorded four punts 165 yards for an average of 41.2 yards per punt, while recording a long punt of 46 yards, while placing two punts within the 20.

WIN #1 FOR ALBIN
First year head coach picked up his fist victory as the Bobcats' head coach on Oct. 2 in the 34-17 victory over Akron. 

MONSTER DAY FOR TUG
Running back De'Montre Tuggle registered a career day on the ground for the Bobcats against Akron. 

Tuggle ran for a career-high 201 yards on only 17 carries and scored one touchdown in the 35-17 victory. 

ROGERS FINDING HIS OWN
Quarterback Armani Rogers is finding his way into the Bobcat's offense. 

Against Akron, Rogers ran for 106 yards and two touchdowns. 

Against CMU, Rogers went 13-of-18 for 190 yards. He also ran for 37 yards on 15 carries, scoring one touchdown. 

In his second-straight start against Buffalo, Rogers went 6-of-10 for 75 yards, while leading Ohio on the ground, rushing for 183 yards on 22 carries and two touchdowns. The highlight being his 99-yard NCAA record setting touchdown run in the first quarter.

In the last four games, Rogers has rushed for 394 yards and six touchdowns. 

WHAT A DEBUT FOR SIEH
True freshman running back Sieh Bangura made the most out of his first collegiate carry on Oct. 9 against CMU. 

With his first career carry in the fourth quarter, Bangura took the ball 40 yards for his first career touchdown, at the time, giving Ohio the lead. 

WALTON COMES INTO HIS OWN
Tyler Walton has stepped for the Bobcats on the receiving end over the past three games. 

This season Walton has 21 catches for 228 yards and two touchdowns. 

HOUSTON WE HAVE A PROBLEM
Redshirt junior linebacker Bryce Houston has taken advantage of his first season starting.

Houston leads Ohio in total tackles with 41, while registering 24 assisted, 37 solo tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack and one quarterback hurries. 

Houston set a career-high mark at Buffalo, recording 15 tackles, including 11 solo and four assisted. 

ELAD STEPPING UP
Redshirt sophomore safety Jett Elad stepped up defensively against Duquesne, setting career marks in total tackles (11), solos (6) and assisted tackles (5). 

He also added one tackle for loss, two pass breakups and one quarterback hurry. 

On the season he now has 25 total tackles, one tackle for loss, three pass breakups and one quarterback hurry.  

ALVINNNNNNN
Redshirt senior Alvin Floyd is helping lead the Bobcats on the defensive end as well. 

Through seven games he is third on the team with 37 total tackles, 18 assisted and 19 solo. He also has one forced fumble and has one interception. 

MAN THE CANNONS
Redshirt sophomore linebacker Cannon Blauser has made the most out of moving into a starting role. On the season, Blauser has 46 tackles, 21 solo and 25 assisted - with four tackles for loss, two sacks, four quarterback hurries and one fumble recovery. 

On Sept. 25 at Northwestern, Blauser led Ohio with seven total tackles and six solo, with a tackle for loss, quarterback hurry and his first fumble recovery of the season. 

At Akron on Oct. 2, Blauser added two sacks.

A MASSIVE PUNT
Grad transfer punter Jonah Wieland showed his range on Saturday at Buffalo, registering a punt of 64 yards late in the fourth quarter.  

It was the first punt from an Ohio kicker of over 60 yards since 202 when Paul Hershey booted one 61 yards at New Mexico State. 

SACK MACHINES
On Oct. 4 at Akron, the Bobcats defense was able to get to the quarterback constantly, registering seven sacks for over 49 yards, while also recording eight tackles for loss for 50 yards. 

OHIO GETS THE WIN AT AKRON
Ohio football picked up their first win of the 2021 season on Oct. 2, defeating the Akron Zips by a score of 34-17 at InfoCision Stadium. 

The Bobcats leaned heavily on their rushing attack, spearheaded by running back De'Montre Tuggle and quarterback Armani Rogers, to start conference play 1-0. Tuggle set a career high in rushing yards (201) on just 17 carries, good for an 11.8 yard/carry average while also adding a touchdown, while Rogers put two scores on the board on the ground.

EVANS IS SUPER
Redshirt fifth year defensive tackle Will Evans is making the most out of his final year. 

So far Evans has 24 tackles, but leads the team with 4.5 tackles for loss for 23 yards, 3.5 sacks for 21 yards, while also recording two pass breakups, three quarterback hurries and one forced fumble. 

DRAKE WITH THE PICK
Redshirt senior safety Tariq Drake had a career day against CMU, snagging two interceptions for 23 return yards. 

On the season, Drake has 23 tackles, 11 solo and 12 assisted, one QB hurry and one tackle for loss to go with those two INTs. 

CAREER DAY FOR BUCK
Redshirt junior wide receiver Jerome Buckner posted a career day for the Bobcats against Syracuse on Sept. 4. 

Buckner grabbed a career-high seven receptions for a career mark of 102 yards.

SUPER SENIORS
With the ability to take an extra year of eligibility due the COVID-19 pandemic, a number of Bobcats chose to come back for one final ride with Ohio. 

Cam Odom, Will Evans, Alex Wolff, Jarren Hampton, Armani Rogers, Julian Ross, De'Montre Tuggle, Adam Luehrman, Nick Sink, Hagen Meservy, Chase Cokley, Ryan Luehrman, Jonah Wieland and Zach Burks will all be back for one more yet. 

Those players will be wearing a special patch on their jerseys to honor those Super Seniors

UP NEXT
The Bobcats are off for 10 days before then begin mid-week MACtion. Ohio will return to Peden on Tuesday, Nov. 2 when they host Miami for the Battle of the Bricks. Kickoff is set for 7 or 7:30 p.m.   

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