Tag: Ohio Bobcats

Former Ohio State receiver signs with Rams

Former Ohio State receiver signs with Rams #GoBucks

Now that the madness of the NFL draft has ended, former Ohio State players who weren’t chosen are seeking opportunities to continue their football careers. One former walk-on, Sam Wiglusz, may have found his new home with the Los Angeles Rams.

Most fans will remember Wiglusz due to the success he had as an Ohio Bobcat. Before landing in Athens, he was a Buckeye for four seasons. After receiving a redshirt in 2018, he played in four games the next two years combined. In 2021, he received snaps in six games, but never cracked the two-deep.

He then transferred to Ohio and was named first-team All-MAC both seasons. Once a Buckeye, always a Buckeye and we are wishing good luck to Wiglusz in the NFL.

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Ohio State lands first player out of transfer portal

New addition won’t have to travel far. #GoBucks

The transfer portal has been open for a little over a month now and while Ohio State has had its fair share of players enter the portal and find new homes, the Buckeyes haven’t been very active in gaining new prospects. That changed today when Ryan Day landed his first player from the portal in tight end Will Kacmarek.

Kacmarek hails from St. Louis, Missouri, and was a two-star recruit as a defensive end. The former Ohio Bobcat entered the portal just two days ago and made his intentions known shortly after. Kacmarek will have two years of eligibility left after redshirting his freshman year in Athens in 2021.

With Cade Stover graduating and Joe Royer entering the transfer portal, there was room to add to the tight end room. However, with his history at defensive end, don’t rule out the possibility of a switch back to the defensive side of the ball.

Kacmerek caught 42 passes for 507 yards and two touchdowns for OU this season.

It remains to be seen if other areas of need will be addressed in the transfer portal, specifically on the offensive line and possibly the quarterback position. Rumors are swirling, but nothing official yet. Until then, we keep our eyes and ears peeled and let you know as moves are made.

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Ohio offense explodes in Myrtle Beach Bowl victory over Georgia Southern

The Bobcats started the game with 27 unanswered points to build an insurmountable lead over Georgia Southern in 2023’s first bowl game.

The Myrtle Beach Bowl kicked off the 2023 bowl season in college football, and the Ohio Bobcats wasted no time putting up a tour-de-force performance, beating Georgia Southern 41-21 for their 10th win of the season.

Ohio scored the first 27 points of the game powered by a huge day by running back Ricky Hunt. The freshman scored all five of Ohio’s touchdowns on the day, rushing for 115 yards and four touchdowns on just 17 carries and adding an 18-yard touchdown reception in the second quarter.

When Hunt wasn’t bulldozing his way through the Georgia Southern defense, the Ohio defense was stifling Georgia Southern on the other end. The Bobcats forced five Eagles turnovers, picking off Georgia Southern quarterback Davis Brin three times and forcing two fumbles.

The Eagles ended the day with more offensive yards than the Bobcats, outgaining Ohio 383 to 352, but the Bobcats never surrendered the ball and converted 10 of their 15 third downs.

Georgia Southern finally got on the board with a 3-yard touchdown run by David Mbadinga in the third quarter, but Hunt answered again with a 40-yard scoring rumble just five minutes later to stretch the lead back to 27.

Ohio’s lead never shrunk below 13 points for the entire second half, and Hunt’s last touchdown in the final three minutes cemented the final margin.

Here are the best images from the Bobcats’ dominant day.

Ohio touchdown features jump pass, one-hand catch in Myrtle Beach Bowl

The Ohio Bobcats with a highlight-reel TD in the Myrtle Beach Bowl

It is extremely early in bowl season but the Ohio Bobcats provided a quick highlight.

In the Myrtle Beach Bowl on Saturday against Georgia Southern, Ohio went with the Tim Tebow-style jump pass.

It worked to perfection thanks to Rickey Hunt making a one-hand catch of the pass from Parker Navarro.

Ohio was up 27-0, early in the third quarter and Hunt had three touchdowns.

Penn State’s defensive rankings among nation’s best

Penn State leads the nation in total defense and passing defense. How PSU compares with nation’s top defenses…

Penn State has started Big Ten play on fire on defense. In their first two Big Ten games played, at Illinois and this past weekend at home against Iowa, the Nittany Lions forced an astounding 9 turnovers to help set the tone and prevent its opponent from ever thinking it had much of a chance of doing any damage. The Nittany Lions are also coming off a shutout victory over the Hawkeyes in which they allowed fewer than 80 yards of total offense.

Defensive coordinator Manny Diaz has Penn State’s defense locked in and playing at a championship-caliber level. Although Penn State hasn’t been truly tested by an offense that is properly equipped, and that should carry over into this week’s game at Northwestern, it is still encouraging to see Penn State’s defense is not messing around with taking care of its business on the field.

So, four weeks into the college football season, just how does Penn State’s defense compare to some of the best around the nation? Comparing defenses is often difficult in this sport, especially with just about a quarter of the season to weigh the data. But trends for team defenses have started to come into focus with four games under most schools’ belts at this point, and Penn State’s defensive ranks are quite impressive.

Below is a ranking of the nation’s top defenses according to yards per game allowed. Within each ranking will be noted where that team ranks in national scoring defense, rushing defense, and passing defense. As you will see, Penn State is sitting in good spots across the board.

Did Iowa State get robbed of points in their 10-7 loss to Ohio?

Ohio upset Iowa State on Saturday but a field goal that was ruled no good might be the biggest storyline coming out of the game.

The Ohio Bobcats on Saturday afternoon upset the Big 12’s Iowa State Cyclones 10-7.

While the Cyclones were less than a field goal favorite heading into the game, the win still is a big one for Ohio head coach Tim Albin and his program. It also marks the Bobcats’ first win over a Power Five opponent since 2017, when they defeated Kansas 42-30.

However, one of the major stories coming out of the win for the Bobcats is a controversial no-good call on an Iowa State field goal attempt midway through the fourth quarter.

In a 10-0 game at the time, Iowa State kicker Chase Contreraz attempted a 37-year field goal in hopes of getting the Cyclones on the board. The kick, which initially appeared to be good, was ruled no-good by the officials, keeping the score at 10-0 Ohio. A replay from under the goalpost would later show that the kick was, in fact good.

The Cyclones would later score a touchdown with under five minutes to go to cut the Bobcats’ lead to 10-7 but were unable to muster up another scoring drive. While Iowa State certainly didn’t bring their best effort on Saturday afternoon against Ohio and had plenty of chances otherwise, the missed field goal call will be one that may keep Matt Campbell and his program up on Saturday night.

Iowa State, now 1-2 on the season, will look to rebound next weekend as they host Oklahoma State. Ohio, now 3-1 this season, will travel to Bowling Green next Saturday to take on the Falcons in their MAC opener.

PHOTOS: Highlights from Florida basketball’s win vs Ohio Bobcats

Take a look at some of the best photos from Wednesday night’s romp over the Bobcats.

Florida basketball bounced back from an ugly loss the previous week with an authoritative win over the Ohio Bobcats inside Amalie Arena on Wednesday night. The Gators had control from the get-go and never took their foot off the pedal en route to an 82-48 neutral-court victory in Tampa.

[autotag]Kowacie Reeves[/autotag] led the attack dropping 20 points on 7-for-11 shooting overall and 4-for-7 from behind the arc. Three other Gators scored in double digits as [autotag]Kyle Lofton[/autotag], [autotag]Alex Fudge[/autotag] and [autotag]Trey Bonham[/autotag] joined the scoring parade with 15, 13 and 12, respectively.

Take a look below at highlights from the Gators’ route of the Ohio Bobcats in Tampa on Wednesday night.

Florida basketball stomps Ohio in Tampa behind Kowacie Reeves’ 20 points

Kowacie Reeves dropped 20 as the Gators dominated the Ohio Bobcats in Tampa on Wednesday night.

Florida took out a week of pent-up rage and frustration on the Ohio Bobcats Wednesday night as the Gators waltzed to a 34-point victory at the Amalie Arena in Tampa.

Of course, the last time Florida was on the court was over a week ago as it spent the better part of a 40-minute contest trailing by over 10 points to the now No. 3 ranked Connecticut Huskies. It was a tough test, but Florida has yet to come up big against a Quadrant 1 opponent and the frustration is mounting among the fans and team. A week to stew on that loss only seemed to fuel the Gators in the win over Ohio, but it might not be the bounce-back win Florida needed.

The Gators played a strong game against a lesser opponent, but this isn’t the first time this team has proven it can beat the teams it’s supposed to. Florida plays Oklahoma next week on neutral ground and that should paint a much clearer picture of where this team is at.

Here’s what we can learn from Florida’s 82-48 win over the Ohio Bobcats.

Ohio forced OT with Michigan thanks to one of the coolest — and confusing — buzzer-beaters

What a wild end to regulation in Michigan!

The Ohio Bobcats just pulled off one of the most ridiculous sequences of basketball you’ll ever see.

On Sunday, the Bobcats were able to take the No. 20 Michigan Wolverines to overtime after an incredible — but very confusing — final regulation sequence. After allowing Michigan to score two points on free throws to give the Wolverines a 63-61 lead on a wild sequence all its own, the Bobcats got the ball back looking for a tie.

Ohio then was able to make a full-length pass down the court that bonked off the backboard and rim before missing the first shot then downing the second to send the game to overtime 63-63.

Wow! That’s an incredible sequence of events right there for Ohio, from the hilarious bonk to the last-second shot for the score. Unfortunately for the Bobcats, the Wolverines won in overtime 70-66, squandering any chance that stunning end to regulation gave them to upset Michigan.

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Back 4 MAC teams in Week 12: Mid-American Conference’s best bets

Analyzing Mid-American Conference betting odds and lines for Week 12, with picks and predictions for the best MAC bets to make.

The Mid-American Conference (MAC) season is winding down, with just 2 more weekends remaining in the regular season. Toledo has already punched its ticket to the Dec. 3 title game at Ford Field in Detroit. But several teams have plenty left to play for down the stretch.

Below, we analyze Tipico Sportsbook‘s lines around the MAC’s Week 12 slate, and make our expert college football picks and predictions.

Check out: AFCA Coaches Poll powered by USA TODAY Sports

Stream select live college football games and full replays: Get ESPN+

MAC best bets for Week 12

– All games listed are ET unless noted

Odds provided by Tipico Sportsbook; access USA TODAY Sports Scores and Sports Betting Odds hub for a full list. Lines last updated Monday at 7:04 a.m. ET.

Ohio -4 (-113) at Ball State – Tuesday, 7 p.m. (ESPN2)

The Bobcats (7-3, 5-1) are in the driver’s seat in the East Division, controlling their own destiny. If Ohio keeps winning, it will represent the East in Detroit against Toledo in the MAC Championship Game.

The Cardinals (5-5, 3-3) are simply playing for bowl eligibility, needing 1 win in the next 2 games to qualify for the postseason. Ball State fell 28-21 against the Rockets in Toledo, but the Cardinals did cover the 13.5-point number.

The Bobcats have covered each of the last 6 outings, while going 6-0 ATS in the last 6 MAC games, too. Ohio is also 4-1 ATS in the last 5 appearances on Tuesday, too.

On the flip side, the Cardinals have covered just once in the last 6 games against teams with a winning overall record, and it is 3-9 ATS in the last 12 home games against teams with a winning record, too.

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Bowling Green +15 (-111) at Toledo – Tuesday, 7 p.m. (ESPNU)

The Falcons meet the Rockets in the annual Battle of I-75 at the Glass Bowl. Toledo (7-3, 5-1) has already clinched the West Division title, and will be playing in Detroit. It’s possible, with a win here, Bowling Green (5-5, 4-2) could meet its rivals, Toledo, in the MAC Championship Game for much bigger stakes.

Toledo holds a 42-40-4 lead in the series, but the Rockets have dominated lately with 11 wins in the previous 12 meetings. The Falcons haven’t won in Toledo since a 38-10 victory on Nov. 28, 2008.

While the Falcons are just 3-7-1 ATS in the last 11 trips to Toledo, the road team is 6-2-1 ATS in the last 9 in the series, too.

Bowling Green is worth taking with the points, as it still has plenty left to play for, while Toledo has already clinched a division title. While the Rockets would certainly like to spoil the chance of their rivals joining them in Detroit, Toledo has a little less to play for here.

Western Michigan +10 (-108) at Central Michigan – Wednesday, 8 p.m. (ESPNU)

The Broncos hit the road to meet the Chippewas, and Western Michigan will be playing for nothing but pride in this rivalry game.

Western Michigan (3-7, 2-4) can knock Central Michigan (4-6, 3-3) out of contention for a bowl with a win here, giving it a little extra incentive at Kelly/Shorts Stadium on Wednesday.

The Broncos are worth backing, too, as they’re 6-2 ATS in the last 8  appearances on Wednesday, while going 5-2 ATS in the last 7 games on the road. In addition, WMU is 5-0 ATS in the last 5 trips to Mount Pleasant, with the road team 9-1 ATS in the last 10 in the series.

Central is an amazing 15-1-1 ATS in the past 17 appearances on Wednesday, so you’ll be picking against that history. But, more importantly, CMU is just 1-5-1 ATS in the last 7 home games, and 1-6-1 ATS in the last 8 against losing teams. CMU is also 0-4-1 ATS this season as a favorite of 6 or more points, too.

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Akron +16.5 (-108) at Buffalo – Saturday, 3:30 p.m. (CBS Sport Network)

The Bulls (5-5, 4-2) are still alive for the East Division title, but it needs to keep winning. That shouldn’t be a problem against Akron, a team which has managed just 1 win overall, and none inside conference play to date.

However, the Zips (1-9, 0-6) have actually been pretty competitive lately, falling just 34-28 against Eastern Michigan last week, its 3rd 1-score loss in the last 4 outings. Akron ran for 163 yards while passing for 223 yards, outgaining EMU in each category. Akron also had 25 first downs to just 22 for EMU.

The Bulls have been tripped up in a pair of games against Central Michigan and Ohio, both on the road, damaging their hopes for an East Division title. The pair of non-covers also splashed cold water on a 5-0 SU/ATS run.

Backing Akron will have you bucking some trends, as Akron is 0-4 ATS in the last four meetings, and 0-5 ATS in the last 5 trips to Buffalo.

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