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ATHENS, Ohio— Defensive coordinator Spence Nowinsky is excited to have the Bobcats back on campus for fall camp. It's the part of the season he looks forward to the most because he enjoys spending time with the student-athletes and getting to see what the new team brings to the table.
After 25 years as a college coach, Nowinsky has seen a thing or two. He doesn't fear the unknown and he's ready for his second season as a Bobcat.
Nowinsky's goal for the defense is to stay steady. He doesn't want it to become frazzled when things don't go the way it planned. Nowinsky wants the defense to thrive in pressure situations in order to strengthen the mental toughness and situational awareness of the group. It doesn't matter if the opportunity presented isn't the one the defense hoped for, it's about making the play.
"Even though that situation or that moment might not behoove us, we're going to make it a good situation," he said.
Ohio had several of those moments in 2022, and it found a way to steer the momentum in a positive direction. Whether it was as simple as getting a stop or catching an interception, Ohio made the best of every situation it was handed.
The Bobcats ended the season with the second most sacks in the MAC, 36, and the most yardage lost from those sacks (262 yards). Individually, Vonnie Watkins had the 10th-most tackles for loss with 14 for 50 yards, and Torrie Cox Jr. had the ninth-most interceptions in the MAC with three overall.
"I think we're very athletic," Nowinksy said. "I think that we run very well and more than anything, I talk about the toughness. I'll always talk about toughness. I think that it's probably easier to win today because everybody in the country doesn't want to play physical, everybody doesn't want to play hard. We do, and that's our magic potion."
Ohio made vast improvements on defense from the 2021 to 2022 season, but there is still work that needs to be done. Nowinsky wants his athletes to continue to grow over the course of the season, not just from fall camp to Week 0. He's excited to see them out on the field again, but he doesn't want them to collect their flowers quite yet.
"We don't relish in any sunshine. We're going though the cover of darkness and we're going to attack," he said.
The Bobcats are returning several key leaders on defense. Bryce Houston, Keye Thompson, Rodney Matthews, Justin Birchette and Watkins have established their roles as leaders with their play throughout past seasons and they're all back for 2023.
Thompson led Ohio with 96 total tackles, 51 assisted and 45 solo, last season. Houston followed him with 76 total tackles, 40 solo and 36 assisted. The two provided a major push for Ohio when it needed it most, and look to do so as well this season.
However, there are also some newcomers who have stepped up.
"Walter Reynolds has been unbelievable. He's so intelligent and very mature. He's been an incredible lift to the defense," Nowinsky said.
Reynolds, a graduate student safety, came to Ohio from Holy Cross where he was team captain in 2022. He is one of a few newcomers who will boost Ohio's defensive attack. Reynolds ended last season with a career-high 59 tackles, including 41 solo.
Now that Ohio is back together at camp, the defense is excited to get back onto the field. Every year is a new year, and it's excited to test the waters. It's first big chance will be against San Diego State, but Nowinsky is confident in his team.
"There'll be some things going into San Diego State. They have a new offensive coordinator and we won't know what they're going to do totally, so there's going to be some momentum shifts. There's going to be some of those things that we have to make adjustments to and see how the guys respond to that, who the leadership is, who comes out on top. There's always going to be great surprises. We're going to get something that we may not have fully thought we would get out of a young man that maybe just got here or had been in a backup role and that to me is always what's exciting."
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