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ATHENS, Ohio – The Ohio football team returns to Athens for the first time this season when it hosts the West Virginia Mountaineers on Saturday, Sept. 6, at Frank Solich Field at Peden Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m. ET and can be seen on ESPNU with Courtney Lyle and Rene Ingoglia on the call. 
 
The Bobcats' matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield, presented by Holzer Health System. Veteran Ohio radio personality Marty Bannister is reprising his role as Ohio's play-by-play broadcaster. Bannister will be joined by color analyst Rob Cornelius, who has been a part of the broadcasts for more than two decades. 
 
SERIES HISTORY VS. WVU
The Bobcats and the Mountaineers have met 16 times since 1897, posting a 4-12 record. They last faced off in 2001 in Morgantown; Ohio fell, 20-3.  
 
SCOUTING WVU
The Mountaineers opened their season with a dominant 45-3 victory over Robert Morris. 
 
Head coach Rich Rodriguez kicked off his second stint in Morgantown with his 61^st victory. Rodriguez was at the Mountaineers' helm from 2001-07; in that time, West Virginia made six bowl appearances and earned five Big East Conference Champions titles, three of which were co-champion nods. Rodriguez was named Big East Coach of the Year following the team's 2005 11-win campaign, marking the first of three consecutive double-digit win seasons. 
 
As a team against Robert Morris, the Mountaineers logged 625 yards of total offense, averaging 8.2 yards per play. Redshirt junior quarterback Nicco Marchiol led the offense for the majority of the game, going 17-for-20 with one passing touchdown on 224 yards in the air. Marchiol played three full quarters and the beginning of the fourth before giving way to redshirt senior quarterback Jaylen Henderson, who immediately got West Virginia into the end zone. All 54 yards of Henderson's fourth-quarter scoring drive came on runs by him and sophomore running back Cyncir Bowers, who broke free at the 26 and raced into the end zone to make it 38-3 in favor of the Mountaineers.
 
True freshman quarterback Scotty Fox Jr. got into the game with 4:15 remaining and it took him just three plays to excite those still left in the stadium with a 59-yard touchdown run down the near sideline. 
 
On the ground, Marchiol was responsible for one of West Virginia's five rushing touchdowns. Junior running back Jahiem White net 93 rushing yards on 18 attempts, scoring twice, while Fox amassed the majority of his yards on the ground, running for 63 of his 71 yards on the game. In total, 11 Mountaineers recorded at least one rushing attempt. 
 
Redshirt sophomore wide receiver Cam Vaughn recorded seven receptions and one touchdown on 126 yards, with his longest reception hitting 46 yards. Senior tight end Grayson Barnes and redshirt senior wide receiver Jaden Bray both caught three passes apiece. 
 
The West Virginia defense held Robert Morris to just three points on 123 yards of total offense, averaging just 2.1 yards per play. Individually, redshirt senior linebacker Chase Wilson logged a team-best six total tackles, including two solo stops and 1.5 tackles for loss. He also claimed one of two forced fumbles and one of four quarterback hurries on the game. Senior safety Fred Perry recorded five total tackles and six separate defenders recorded four total tackles each. Notably, redshirt senior defensive lineman Hammond Russell IV led the team in tackles for loss (2.5) and sacks (2) while redshirt senior linebacker Reid Carrico recorded the only fumble recovery of the game. 
 
Redshirt senior kicker Kade Hensley was 6-for-6 on PATs and 1-for-1 on field goals, adding three points for the Mountaineers in the second quarter with a 27-yard kick. Sophomore kicker Ethan Head amassed 376 yards on six kickoffs while redshirt sophomore Nate Flower handled the other two kickoffs.