Ohio Bobcats College Football Preview 2023: Breakdown, Prediction, Top Players, Win Total

Ohio Bobcats College Football Preview 2023

2022 Record: 10-4 overall, 7-1 in MAC
Head Coach: Tim Albin, 2nd year, 13-13
- Ohio 2023 Football Schedule
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Just when it seemed like all was lost and there was no way Tim Albin could ever fill the head coaching shoes of Frank Solich, Ohio got good at college football again.

Albin went 6-11 to start his era, the defense was getting destroyed, and then came a run of seven wins in the final eight games - the one loss was in the MAC Championship to Toledo - closing out with a thrilling Arizona Bowl victory over Wyoming. And now the talent is there to keep it all going.

The offense has plenty of depth across the board with a great-looking line and potentially more pop if QB Kurtis Rourke comes back healthy, and the defense should carry over the production from the second half of last year to be far better right out of the gate. But the season probably hinges around …

Ohio Bobcats Preview: Offense

Is Kurtis Rourke going to be able to go full-bore? The All-MAC star quarterback suffered a torn ACL late last season and missed the final three games. Junior CJ Harris stepped in and kept the team afloat - he led the way to two wins and came up big in the bowl win - but Rourke takes the Bobcats to another level.

The receivers are there around former Ohio State transfer and All-MAC performance Sam Wiglusz, who led the team with 74 catches and 11 scores. This is a deep bunch who’ll let the passing game spread the ball around, but the ground attack will help the cause because …

The running backs are terrific. O’Shaan Allison is back after missing all of last year with a shoulder injury, and Sieh Bangura showed he could more than pick up the slack with 1,078 yards and 13 scores. The line has the veterans in place to be more consistent overall and even better for the ground attack. It’s already solid in pass protection.

Ohio Bobcats Preview: Defense

To go totally cliché, it really was a tale of two seasons. The defense couldn’t stop anyone in the first five games - allowing 561 yards per game over the first six, and didn’t give up more than 390 in any of the last eight. There were more stops, the pressure improved, and the team - again, to be corny - the D flipped a switch.

The secondary should be the biggest strength with a terrific group of ball-hawking safeties helped further by getting Walter Reynolds from the transfer portal. As long as the pass rush continues to generate pressure from the front four, the corner combination of Torrie Cox and Justin Birchette should shine.

The linebackers are good enough as long as leading tackler Keye Thompson is healthy and back to his normal self in the middle. The line isn’t massive, and top pass rusher Jack McCrory is gone, but Vonnie Watkins is one of the MAC’s best edge rushers who should live behind the line.

Ohio Bobcats Key To The Season

The defense has to hold up against the run. It's not just about the bulk yards, it's about the yards per carry. The defense was ripped to shreds over the first part of last season overall, but the big change came when the big runs dropped. The Bobcats ended up 1-4 when allowing more than five yards per carry, and went 9-0 when allowing fewer. 

Ohio Bobcats Top Transfer, Biggest Loss

S Walter Reynolds in from Holy Cross, PK Nathan Vakos out to Wisconsin. The loss of an All-MAC-caliber kicker like Vakos really, really hurts, and now he’s off being a Badger. Reynolds is a big-hitting safety who made 175 stops with ten picks and 30 broken up passes in four years at Holy Cross.

Ohio Bobcats Key Player

CJ Harris, QB, Jr. Nathan Rourke is the star of the show with almost 7,500 passing yards, 60 touchdown passes, and 2,6,34 rushing yards and 49 touchdowns in his first three seasons. He’s expected to be fine, but he’s coming off a torn ACL that might still need a little while to get 100% right. Harris was the Arizona Bowl MVP with 184 passing yards and two scores, but he might have to crank out a whole lot more early on if Rourke has any issues with his return.

Ohio Bobcats Key Game

at Buffalo, Nov. 7. It was one of the key moments in the MAC East race last season. The Bobcats beat the Bulls 45-24, took down Miami University a week later, and they had the games they needed to win to go to the MAC Championship. The Miami game is first this time around, and then comes a week off, and then the trip to Buffalo. Win those two games again, go back to the title game. It might be that simple.

Ohio Bobcats 10 Best Players

1. Kurtis Rourke, QB Sr. (if healthy)
2. Sam Wiglusz, WR Sr.
3. Parker Titsworth, C Sr.
4. Vonnie Watkins, DE Sr.
5. Sieh Bangura, RB Soph.
6. Keye Thompson, LB Sr.
7. Jacoby Jones, WR Sr.
8. Torrie Cox, CB Soph.
9. Justin Birchette, CB Sr.
10. Jay Amburgey, OT Sr.

Ohio Bobcats 2022 Fun Stats

- Time of Possession: Ohio 32:10 - Opponents 27:50
- Fumbles: Opponents 25 (lost 13) - Ohio 15 (lost 8)
- Penalties: Opponents 83 for 725 yards - 69 for 618 yards

Ohio Bobcats Season Prediction, Win Total, What Will Happen

Set The Win Total At: 7
If you believe the run at the end of 2022 will be what the team can do in all of 2023, then assume the Bobcats will push for ten wins again. If you believe QB Nathan Rourke will be Nathan Rourke again coming off his injury, again, hope for a double-digit win season.

The schedule just isn’t that bad - there isn’t a game the Bobcats can’t win. Iowa State is the only date against a Power Five program, and that’s at home. Going to San Diego State will be a problem, and the game at Florida Atlantic is a concern, but there’s no Toledo in MAC action to deal with and no conference game is anything to get into a twist over.

There will be bumps. It should be a bit of a rough start, and things might gets scary if there’s a loss in the MAC opener at Bowling Green, but getting to six wins and a bowl game shouldn’t be any sort of a problem. With what’s returning on the lines, Ohio might be closer to an 8-to-10 win season than a 5-to-6 win disappointment.