Five questions for Ohio Bobcat beat writer Jason Arkley
By Alan Gerould, Senior Writer, Bronco Blitz
KALAMAZOO -- We are pleased to have Jason Arkley, sports writer from the Athens Messenger on the hotseat this week in advance of the MAC Championship game this Friday at Ford Field.
BroncoBlitz: Jason, in reviewing the Bobcats season..They had a 16 point win over Kansas of the Big 12 in game two and were in the game at Tennessee the following week before losing to the number 15 Volunteers by nine points. Since then they have only lost twice, both times by identical 27-20 scores to the other Michigan MAC teams...yet the Bobcats don't seem to be getting much respect (from the media). What is your take on this? Do you think Ohio is better or worse than its record indicates?
Jason Arkley: To me, the Bobcats have been a team this season that has played to the level of their competition to a degree. They’ve been able to get ‘up’ for some of the notable games on the schedule, but have had lack-luster starts to others. The Bobcats are capable. When playing well, I believe they can hang with most teams they’ll face. But the margin for error is minuscule. Because the Bobcats don’t score a ton of points usually, if they come out on the wrong side of turnovers or give a couple of big plays, it’s tough for them to overcome.Is Ohio better than it’s record? Maybe. But you are what you are at this point. The Bobcats are capable of pulling off the upset, but they’re going to need to play exceptionally well and get a couple of breaks going their way.
BroncoBlitz: It looks like the Bobcats have a two-headed monster at quarterback with both Greg Windham and Quinto Maxwell sharing time and putting up similar numbers. How does Coach Frank Solich use his signal callers and what are the strengths and weaknesses of each? What other explosive players are likely to make an impact?
Jason Arkley: At quarterback, Ohio made the switch to the redshirt freshman (Maxwell) at about the midway point of the season. Windham had some monster games early in the season, but his consistency dropped off. When that happened, Ohio didn’t see much difference between the two and went with the guy who will be in the program years to come (Windham is a 5th year senior). Maxwell, as you might expect, has run hot and cold. He has good size, decent speed, and has shown real toughness, but he’ll have bouts where his accuracy is not what you’d expect. He really struggled at Toledo, and Windham sparked the offense in relief, but Windham suffered a high ankle sprain in that game and hasn’t played since. Windham should be available on Friday, and having another QB option should help.The Bobcats have lost some of their explosiveness during the season because of injury. Junior RB A.J. Ouellette only got three snaps this entire season, and junior WR Brendan Cope has been out for the last six weeks (shoulder). Both are starters and potential difference makers.The current explosiveness comes almost entirely from two guys. Sophomore RB/WR Papi White and senior WR Sebastian Smith. Getting touches for those two will be an important part of Ohio’s plan. At RB, junior Dorian Brown has enjoyed something of a breakout this season and sophomore Maleek Irons has been the depth option. Both have produced at times.
BroncoBlitz: Tarell Basham is among the national leaders in quarterback sacks. Opponents have had a hard time getting pressure on Bronco QB Zach Terrell. What do you expect the Bobcats to try to do to slow down the WMU attack?
Jason Arkley: For Ohio, it’s all about stopping the running game. The Broncos piled up more than 400 rushing yards when the teams met in 2015, and had a big day running the ball back in 2014 as well.The Bobcats have been the best rushing defense in the MAC all season, and that’s because of exceptional DL depth and the talents of starting linebackers Blair Brown, Quentin Poling and Chad Moore.Any scenario which includes Ohio pulling the upset must also have the Bobcats winning the battle in the trenches. If WMU is able to get the ground game going, Ohio has no shot. If the Bobcats can force the Broncos into obvious third-and-long situations, then it does have a chance for explosive plays with a pass rush that tallied 41 sacks this season.Terrell is terrific at getting rid of the ball quickly, and is elusive. I don’t think you’ll see many all-out blitzes from Ohio, but instead a more coverage-based approach to give help to a group of young corners who remain the weakest part of a pretty sound defensive unit.
BroncoBlitz: Frank Solich and his coordinators have been around forever it seems and Ohio is now consistently at or near the top of the MAC East. How important is this continuity to the program and do you think that Solich can get the Bobcats to the next level?
Jason Arkley: Ohio has hung its hat on that consistency, and to a large degree it has paid off. The Bobcats will always be in consideration for a division title, winning season and a bowl trip with Solich and company at the helm.Solich deserves a ton of credit for getting Ohio Football to matter, at any level. There was roughly a 40-year gap (late 60s to early 2000s) where the Bobcats were an afterthought on their on campus.That has changed. There is more institutional support than ever before, there are better facilities, more coaches, ect. While that support still lags behind a few schools in the MAC, it’s better than it’s been.With all that said, is this the group to get Ohio to that proverbial ‘next’ level? Or is THIS (the current status) the next level? It’s a debate playing out for a small part of the fan base right now.But if Ohio springs the upset and gets its first MAC title since 1968, a lot of that debate dies on the spot.
BroncoBlitz: Western Michigan is favored by anywhere from 17 to 19 points. It will clearly take one of Ohio's best efforts of the year to come out victorious, but we know they are capable (just ask Toledo)..If it comes down to a field goal you have to like Ohio's chances with placekicker Louie Zervos (25-30 field goals, longest 51 yards). What will the Bobcats have to do to defeat the Broncos and what will the final score board read?
Jason Arkley: For Ohio to win: 1) It has to be able to run the football, control the clock and limit the number of total possessions (both sides) in the game. 2) Ohio has to win the turnover battle. It won’t be enough to be even, the Bobcats will have to find a way to generate a positive-number there against one of the best teams in the country in that department. 3) The Bobcats have to control the WMU ground game, and this remains the Bobcats’ biggest worry. They’ll take their chances with Corey Davis and Zach Terrell if they have too, but they can’t give the Broncos’ both. 4) Find a way to get it to the fourth quarter with a one-score margin, and then make a big play when it really matters.As for predictions, I really dislike doing that, but if I had to venture a guess: Western Michigan 41, Ohio 31. I believe it’ll be a good one, but Broncos’ firepower is too much to handle for a full 60 minutes.