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ATHENS, Ohio — The Ohio football team (1-2) returns to Athens to host Fordham (3-0) on Saturday, Sept. 24. Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m. ET at Frank Solich Field at Peden Stadium. The game can be seen on ESPN+.
The Bobcats' matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield. Russ Eisenstein returns for his 15th 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. FORDHAM
This marks the Bobcats and Rams' first matchup.
SCOUTING FORDHAM
Fordham enters this matchup with the Bobcats with an 3-0 record, defeating University at Albany 48-45 on Sept. 17.
Despite scoring first, Fordham entered halftime trailing 24-17. The Rams quickly tied the game with a 33-yard pass in the third quarter, but were unable to hold Albany.
The Great Danes maintained their lead until 4:50 remained in the game: a seven-yard pass to conclude a five-play, 56-yard drive gave the Rams a three-point lead. Fordham successfully held Albany, winning the game 48-53.
The Rams' senior quarterback Tim DeMorat went 33-for-53 with 464 passing yards and five touchdowns. Sophomore running back Julius Loughridge led the team on the ground, netting 69 yards on 16 attempts. In the air, wide receiver Garrett Cody finished with four receptions and two touchdowns on 123 yards.
As a team, the Rams finished with 139 rushing yards and 464 passing yards, maintaining possession for 31:35.
On the season, Fordham is 3-0 overall. The Rams are averaging
49.3 points per game; their opponents have been averaging 41.7 points per game.
The Rams average 194.3 rushing yards per game, while putting up an average of 434 yards per game through the air.
LAST TIME OUT
The Ohio Bobcats fell 43-10 at Jack Trice Stadium.
Redshirt junior quarterback Kurtis Rourke was 20-for-33 with 194 yards and one touchdown in the air while redshirt freshman running back Nolan McCormick led the team with seven reception. On the ground, McCormick net 43 rushing yards while redshirt freshman running back Sieh Bangura finished the game with 28 total yards.
On defense, redshirt freshman cornerback Torrie Cox, Jr. finished the game with eight tackles, seven of which were solo, while graduate student Zack Sanders registered five solo tackles, two assists and one pass break-up. Freshman kicker Nathanial Vakos kicked a 45-yard field goal, marking his longest field goal as a Bobcat and maintaining his perfect start to his collegiate career.
As a team, Ohio had 209 passing yards and 24 rushing yards. The Bobcats possessed the ball for 28:58 in comparison to the Rams' 31:02.
SCOUTING OHIO
Currently, the Bobcats are 1-2. They average 20.3 points, 84.7 rushing yards and 239.33 passing yards per game.
In the air, quarterback Kurtis Rourke is 61-for-97 for 658 yards and five touchdowns. On the ground, Sieh Bangura has net 167 rushing yards with one touchdown and Nolan McCormick has 60 rushing yards on 11 attempts, while Rourke has one rushing touchdown on 23 yards.
James Bostic leads the receivers with 167 yards and nine receptions. Sam Wiglusz has the most receptions (12) on 102 yards, closely followed by Ty Walton with 10 receptions on 108 yards.
Ohio finished the 2021 season 3-9 overall and 3-5 in MAC play.
Overall, the Bobcats averaged 22.58 points per game to go along with 371.4 total yards per game.
Of the returning Bobcats, Rourke went 169-for-259, throwing 11 touchdowns. On the ground, Rourke net 327 yards and scored three touchdowns. O'Shaan Allison added 269 yards on the ground, while Sieh Bangura finished with 93 yards in four games.
Tyler Walton lead the receivers with 32 catches for 380 yards and two touchdowns.
FRANK SOLICH FIELD AT PEDEN STADIUM
The Ohio University Board of Trustees agreed to name the football field in Peden Stadium to honor long-time Ohio head coach Frank Solich, as announced by the program on Aug. 18.
The field will carry the name Frank Solich Field starting at first home game of the 2022 season against Florida Atlantic (Sept. 3), with an official field dedication ceremony to take place on senior night against Northern Illinois (Oct. 22).
Solich owns a career coaching record of 173-101. His 173 overall wins rank as the fourth most among active NCAA FBS head coaches. He is the winningest head coach in Mid-American Conference history with 115 overall victories while his 77 conference-only wins rank second to former Central Michigan head coach Herb Deromedi's 90. His 16 years of service match Deromedi's (1978-93) for the most in MAC history. 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 in 2005.
Ohio has had a run of 12-straight non-losing seasons that has included 11 winning campaigns and six years with at least nine victories -- including a 10-win campaign in 2011. The 2012 season began with the Bobcats earning a signature win at Penn State, upsetting the Nittany Lions by a score of 24-14. Ohio captured division titles in 2006, 2009, 2011 and 2016. Solich led the Bobcats to 11 of their 13 bowl appearances and the first five bowl victories in program history, with back-to-back wins in the 2011 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl and '12 Independence Bowl and back-to-back-to-back victories in the 2017 Bahamas Bowl, '18 DXL Frisco Bowl and '20 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl (2019 season).
YEAR TWO FOR ALBIN
Tim Albin enters his second season as head coach in 2022 after serving as Ohio's offensive coordinator for 16 years under Frank Solich.
The 2021 Bobcats finished the season 3-9 overall and 3-5 against MAC opponents. Ohio opened MAC play with a 34-17 victory over Akron (Oct.2). They secured back-to-back wins over Miami (Nov. 2) and Eastern Michigan (Nov. 9), with 35-33 and 34-26 final scores, respectively.
Albin joined the Ohio Football coaching staff as offensive coordinator in 2005, reuniting with Frank Solich after four seasons together at Nebraska. The 2021 season will mark Albin's 17th year in Athens. Since his arrival in Athens, Albin has produced offensive units that have consistently ranked among the top of the Mid-American Conference. He also has directed an offensive attack that has practically rewritten all of Ohio's rushing, passing records, and scoring records. In the past 10 seasons, Albin's offensive units rank No. 1, 2, 4, 5, 6, 7, and 8 on the Ohio all-time Top-10 single season scoring list. The Bobcats 368 points in 2018 rank fourth on the all-time list.
Albin spent the 2004 season as offensive coordinator and running backs coach at North Dakota State, helping the Bison to an 8-3 record and No. 25 national ranking in their first season at the Division I-AA level. NDSU finished the season averaging 378.5 yards of total offense, including 192.4 on the ground, and had four offensive players named first-team All-Great West Football Conference. Albin served with Solich at Nebraska from 2000 to 2003. He started with the Cornhusker program as a graduate assistant, a position he held for three seasons before being promoted to running backs coach and passing game coordinator for the 2003 season. Prior to his stint at Nebraska, Albin was the head coach at Northwestern Oklahoma State for three seasons, winning the NAIA national championship in 1999 with a 13-0 record. He was named NAIA Football Coach of the Year by Rawlings and American Football Coach Magazine as the Rangers recorded their first undefeated season in history.
MAC EAST OFFENSIVE POW
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke was named the MAC East Offensive Player of the Week (Sept. 5) after his performance against Florida Atlantic during the Bobcats' season opener at Frank Solich Field.
Rourke led the Bobcats to a 41-38 victory over the Owls (Sept. 3). The redshirt junior hit 345 passing yards and threw four touchdown passes, finishing the game 27-for-34 in the air. On the ground, he net 11 yards on 14 rushing attempts with one touchdown, putting him at five total.
STRONG DEBUT FOR VAKOS
Kicker Nathanial Vakos earned MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week (Sept. 5) after his collegiate debut in the Bobcats' 2022 season opener.
The freshman was 2-for-2 on field goals, putting Ohio on the board in the first quarter with a 29-yard kick. With 1:24 remaining in the second quarter, Vakos' second field goal attempt hit its mark, this time from 36 yards. He was also 5-for-5 in his PAT attempts.
SIEH BREAKS 100 YARDS
Running back Sieh Bangura kicked off the 2022 season with a milestone, rushing over 100 yards in one game for the first time in his collegiate career.
The redshirt freshman led the Bobcats with 114 net rushing yards, surpassing his total yards in the four games he played in during the 2021 season (93).
RECORD-SETTING DAY FOR ROURKE
Rourke led the Bobcats to a 41-38 victory over the Owls (Sept. 3). Rourke also broke multiple personal records, setting two career highs. The redshirt junior hit 345 passing yards, surpassing his 308 yard record and threw four touchdown passes, beating his previous record of three. Overall, Rourke was 27-for-34 in the air. On the ground, he net 11 yards on 14 rushing attempts with one touchdown, putting him at five total.
FRESH FACES ON STAFF
Ohio football head coach Tim Albin announced the addition of Spence Nowinsky, John Hauser and Brian Smith to the 2022 coaching staff.
Nowinsky is stepping into the defensive coordinator role. Most recently, Nowinsky was co-defensive coordinator with Hauser at Miami. Prior to Miami, Nowinsky spent nine seasons at Illinois State, including four as the defensive coordinator, where he coached two-time All-American Colton Underwood. He also coached at NCAA Division II member Emporia State and his alma mater, Minnesota State, where he was a defensive lineman from 1991-94.
Hauser is joining the Bobcats' coaching staff as the safeties coach after spending the last eight seasons with Miami, six of which as the co-defensive coordinator. During his first season with the RedHawks, Hauser coached Quinten Rollins, who earned MAC Defensive Player of the Year honors and was drafted by the Green Bay Packers. Prior to Miami, Hauser made appearances at the Citadel, Wayne State, Northern Illinois and his alma mater, Wittenberg. While he was a student-athlete at Wittenberg, Hauser earned all-conference honors three times and was on the NCAA Division III All-American team in 2002.
Smith is filling the role of running backs coach and passing game coordinator. Most recently, he was the offensive coordinator and running backs coach at Washington State before being promoted to associate head coach. Smith had multiple stints at his alma mater Hawaii, where he served as the associate head coach and offensive coordinator (2016-19), running backs coach (2009-11) and offensive line coach (2008) and coached 2020 NFL Draft pick Cole McDonald. Other coaching experience includes California Lutheran (2005, 2012) and Occidental College (2013-15). Smith played for Hawaii from 1998-2001 before signing professional contracts with the Baltimore Ravens (2002) and the Green Bay Packers (2003).
A LOOK BACK AT 2021
Ohio finished the 2021 season 3-9 overall. They registered three wins against MAC opponents, highlighted by their Battle of the Bricks victory at Peden against Miami (35-33) on Nov. 2. On the road, they defeated Akron (34-17) on Oct. 2 and Eastern Michigan (34-26) on Nov. 9.
CONTINUITY ON OFFENSIVE STAFF
Wide receivers coach Dwayne Dixon (16 years) and offensive coordinator/quarterbacks coach Scott Isphording (10 years). Co-offensive coordinator/offensive line coach Allen Rudolph is in his fourth year at Ohio. Tight ends coach Brian Metz, is in his third year with the Bobcats, however, Metz is no stranger to the Bobcats, having spent time as an intern with the program from 2013-14 and as an offensive graduate assistant from 2016-18.
AYE AYE, CAPTAIN
The Ohio football team has named seven team captains for the 2022 squad: graduate student defensive tackle Kai Caesar (Cache, Okla.), redshirt senior linebacker Bryce Houston (Lewis Center, Ohio) and redshirt junior quarterback Kurtis Rourke (Oakville, Ontario, Canada).
All three were captains for the 2021 team as well. Caesar and Houston are entering their third year as captains while this season marks Rourke's second season as captain.
Caesar played in all 12 games in the 2021 season. He finished with 25 tackles, including seven solo tackles. Caesar also registered two pass breakups and three quarterback hurries.
Houston led the team with 104 tackles, including 53 solo stops and eight tackles for loss, putting him sixth overall in the MAC. He set a career-high mark on Oct. 16 at Buffalo, finishing the game with 15 tackles, including 11 solo and four assisted.
Rourke went 169-for-259, throwing 11 touchdowns in 1,801 yards. He completed 31-of-38 passes against Kent State (Oct. 23) for a season-high 308 yards. On the ground, Rourke rushed 327 yards on 74 attempts and scored three touchdowns, registering a season-high 75 yards against Bowling Green (Nov. 26).
Rourke Named on the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award 2022 Watch List
Redshirt junior quarterback Kurtis Rourke (Oakville, Ontario, Canada) was named on the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award Watch List.
The Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Educational Foundation, Inc., along with presenting sponsor A. O. Smith Corporation announce the 2022 class of Golden Arm Award candidates. This is the largest selection of active quarterbacks in the history of the Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Award representing 76 schools around the nation. All 10 FBS conferences as well as a football independent are represented on the list. The Big Ten leads the way with 13 preseason selections.
The preseason Watch List, semifinalists, finalists, and award recipient are selected by the distinguished Johnny Unitas Golden Arm Selection Committee, a group of prominent college football journalists, commentators, announcers, and former players. The award annually recognizes the top senior or upperclassman quarterback set to graduate with their class. Candidates are chosen based on player performance on-and-off the field as we head into the 2022 college football season.
WELCOMING NEW BOBCATS
The Ohio football program welcomed a variety of new student-athletes via the transfer portal. Newcomers include: redshirt sophomore defensive tackle Rayyan Buell, redshirt junior defensive end Dontay Hunter II, junior wide receiver Jacoby Jones, redshirt freshman Parker Navarro, graduate student cornerback Zack Sanders and graduate student wide receiver Sam Wiglusz.
Buell (Hornell, N.Y.) joins the Bobcats after playing for Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he was recognized as a Distinguished Academic All- MACCC and first team NJCAA All-Academic selection. While playing for Hornell High School, he was named the Section V Defensive Player of the Year twice as well as New York State Sportswriters Association Class B All-State third team as a linebacker and Hornell Sports Night Male Athlete of the Year.
Hunter (Westerville, Ohio) transferred from Purdue. Prior to Purdue, he helped lead the 2018 Westerville Central high school team to the Ohio State playoffs. Hunter finished his senior season with 113 total tackles, 101 solo tackles and 12.0 sacks and was named three-star defensive ends by 247Sports, Rivals and ESPN.
Jones (Tunica, Miss.) previously played for Northwest Mississippi Community College, where he had 63 receptions, 929 yards and five touchdowns. Jones was named First Team All-MACCC, Third Team All-MACCC and Third Team Fall All-American. He was a two-time Academic All-MACCC and a two-time First Team NJCAA All-American Academic selection. Prior to playing at Northerst Mississippi Community College, Jones was named Second Team All-State and District Offense MVP at Rosa Fort High School.
Navarro (Temp, Ariz.) joins the Bobcats from University of Central Florida. Prior to college, he captained the Desert Vista High School football team from 2018-20. He also played volleyball and ran track in high school.
Sanders (Lawrence, Kan.) joins the Bobcats as a graduate transfer after a successful career at Missouri State. He made a name for himself quickly, playing in all 11 games as a true freshman in 2017. Sanders played in the majority of Missouri State's games in 2018, 2020 and 2021, starting in six of 11 games for the 2021 Bears. He finished the 2021 campaign with 23 total stops, including 15 solos and 4 pass break-ups.
Wiglusz (Brecksville, Ohio) transferred from Ohio State, where he played in 13 games and was named 2021 Academic All-Big 10 He earned three letters in football at Brecksville High School and captained the 2017 team, finishing his high school career with 37 touchdowns and 3,129 yard. Wiglusz was named Second Team All-Ohio, Cleveland.com All-Star and set the school record for yards in a single season in 2017 (1,432).
BOBCATS IN THE CFL
Five former Bobcats are currently active in the CFL, starting with former QB Nathan Rourke (BC Lions). Running back Maleek Irons and wide receiver Papi White are both with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, while running back AJ Ouellette (Toronto Argonauts) and defensive tackle Casey Sayles (Winnipeg Blue Bombers) are also active.
Ohio football alumnus Chip Cox is apart of the 2022 CFL Hall of Fame class, earning the honor in his first year of eligibility. Cox played 13 seasons for the Montreal Alouettes, wrapping up his career with the fourth highest total defensive tackles in CFL history (979).
BOBCATS IN THE NFL
One former Ohio football student-athlete are representing the Bobcats at the highest level of the sport -- Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker Tarell Basham.
After signing as an undrafted free agent in April, former Ohio quarterback Armani Rogers made the Washington Commanders' 53-man roster as a tight end (Aug. 30).
On Wednesday (Sept. 14), the Baltimore Ravens signed cornerback T.J. Carrie to their practice squad.
Javon Hagan is currently a free agent. Previously, he was signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent before signing with the Arizona Cardinals.
BOBCATS IN THE USFL
Former Bobcat Quentin Poling is currently active in the USFL, playing for the Birmingham Stallions. In the USFL's inaugural championship, Poling and the Stallions defeated the Philadelphia Stars 33-30 at the Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium.
UP NEXT
The Bobcats return to action on Saturday, Oct. 1 when Ohio travels to take on Kent State. Kick off is set for 3:30 p.m. on ESPN+.
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