2023 Ohio Bobcats football team
The 2023 Ohio Bobcats football team represents Ohio University as a member of the East Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) in the 2023 NCAA Division I FBS football season. They are led by third-year head coach Tim Albin and play their home games at Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio. Ohio entered the season coming off of their first 10 win season since 2011 as the defending division champion and favorite to repeat in the MAC East and the second favorite to Toledo to win the conference. Ohio entered the season returning 9 of 11 starters from the highest scoring offense in the MAC including the defending conference player of the year in quarterback Kurtis Rourke who is returning from a torn ACL that he suffered in the eleventh game of the previous season against Ball State. Ohio finished non-conference play with a record of 3–1. Rourke wasn’t cleared to play until the Monday before the Week Zero game with San Diego State. He suffered an undisclosed injury and was removed from the game in the first quarter. The Bobcat offense struggled in a 20–13 loss. C.J. Harris and Parker Narvarro split time at quarterback in a win against Long Island. Ohio’s running game held the ball for over 37 minutes. The following week, Ohio kept the ball on the ground 45 times in a 17–10 win at Florida Atlantic. Iowa State came to Peden Stadium where both offenses struggled in a game that featured 11 punts. The Bobcat's offense was unproductive but almost mistake free and held the ball for over 35 minutes. The Bobcat defense, led by Bryce Houston's 15 tackles, forced some key mistakes that made the difference in a 10–7 victory. Ohio opened conference play with a 38–7 over Bowling Green. Ohio’s defense again ruled the day forcing four turnovers and scoring two touchdowns. Rourke was 14 of 16 with three touchdown passes. For their Homecoming, they opened up their offense in a 42–17 win over Kent State. Rourke threw for 300 yards and 3 touchdowns of which 125 yards and 2 touchdowns had Miles Cross on the receiving end. The Bobcat's five game winning streak was snapped the following week with a 23–13 loss on a windy day at Northern Illinois. The Bobcat offense had 460 yards against Western Michigan without a turnover but only managed to score 20 points as Ohio held on to win by 3. Offseason

Transfers 
Source:

Outgoing

Incoming

Recruiting class

Preseason

Preseason polls

Coaches Poll
On July 20 the MAC announced the preseason coaches poll. Ohio was picked to finish first in the East. They received four votes to win conference which was second only to defending champion and West favorite Toledo. Preseason Award watch lists

Schedule

Game summaries

At San Diego State

Ohio traveled across the country to take on San Diego State in Week 0 game that was the earliest start to a football season in Bobcat history. Defending MAC Player of the Year Kurtis Rourke, who was coming off of an ACL tear, was not cleared as the starting quarterback until the Monday prior to the game. The teams exchanged field goals of their first two drives including a 49-yard connection by SDSU kicker Jack Browning on the opening drive of the game. After an 8 for 10 start, Rourke was pulled from the game for precautionary reasons late in the first quarter after he got up with a limp after being hit in the pocket. He was replaced by backup CJ Harris. Harris threw an interception on his first pass of the season but a missed field goal by Browning left the score tied. Ohio took the lead on a 40-yard FG by Gianni Spetic on a drive led by the running of Sieh Bangura. After an Aztec punt, Harris moved the Bobcats in position to take a two score lead going into halftime but was intercepted by Cedarious Barfield. After the return, San Diego State marched 71 yards in 44 seconds to take the lead on a Mark Redman touchdown reception on the final play of the half. Ohio used up most of the third quarter on a 19 play drive to open the half but it resulted in a missed field goal. Another Browning field goal and another touchdown catch by Redman gave SDSU a two score lead with 6:20 left in the fourth quarter. Harris led Ohio on a 15 play drive that concluded with a touchdown pass to Miles Cross. Ohio's defense stopped the Aztecs on fourth down with 59 seconds remaining to give their offense a chance. After driving to the SDSU 33, New Zealand Williams intercepted Harris and returned it 40 yards to run out the clock. Vs. LIU

In a game in which the Bobcats were heavily favored the staff chose to sit several starters Ohio played conservatively and kept the ball on the ground much of the game. CJ Harris started at quarterback. He and Parker Navarro combined to complete 12 or 15 pass attempts. Ohio ran the ball 45 times with Sieh Bangura getting 107 yards on 19 attempts to win MAC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Linebacker Bryce Houston had 11 tackles with an interception and a sack to win MAC Defensive player of the week as the Bobcats cruised to a 27–10 victory over Long Island. At Florida Atlantic

In a game that went differently from last year's shootout between Ohio and Florida Atlantic in Athens the prior season, Ohio won a defensive struggle by holding off FAU by a score of 17–10. Kurtis Rourke started for Ohio after sitting out the prior week. Casey Thompson started for FAU after transferring from Nebraska during the off season. Rourke was intercepted on his first pass of the game. However, Thompson gave Ohio the ball right back with an interception by Austin Brawley on the next play. Ohio moved into field goal range on the ensuing possession, but, in the first of what would be many missed opportunities for Ohio's offense, Alex Kasee missed a 44 yard field goal attempt. After an FAU three and out, Ohio again got into field goal range. However, in lieu of another long field goal try they were stopped on fourth down. After a series of drives ending in punts, a Sieh Bangura fumble in the second quarter set up a Logan Lupo field goal to give the Owls the lead. On the next possession, Ohio drove into Owl territory again but Jarron Morris intercepted a Rourke pass off Ty Walton's hands and returned it 72 yards to give the Owls a ten point lead. Rourke then led the Bobcats on an 11 play, 75 yard drive and this time they capitalized with a touchdown pass to Will Kacmarek to cut the lead to three. After an FAU punt to open the second half, Ohio went on another long touchdown drive that culminated with an O'Shaan Allison 5 yard rush. After an exchange of punts Tank Pearson intercepted a Thompson pass set up a Kasee field goal to put Ohio up by a touchdown with 5 minutes left. Ohio's offense played conservatively the rest of the way and finished the game with 45 rushing attempts as they relied on their defense to stop the final two Owl drives and preserve the win. The Bobcat defense forced two turnovers and held the Owls to 185 total yards with only 5 yards rushing. Both FAU scores were set up by Bobcat turnovers. LaJohntay Wester was the lone bright spot for the Owls' offense with 12 catches for 101 yards. Vs. Iowa State

In another defensive slugfest, Ohio’s offense eked out enough points against the top defense in the Big 12 Conference from the prior season to edge Iowa State by a score of 10–7. Points were hard to come by. Each team had one drive during the first half that ended in a missed long field goal attempt but the other possessions in the first half ended in a combined six punts and Ohio’s final possession that ended with the half expiring. The score at the half was deadlocked at zero with very little productivity out of either offensive unit. Ohio caught the first break major break of the game when a Cyclone receiver slipped on his route on the second play from scrimmage of the second half. The play resulted in Torrie Cox Jr. intercepting a Rocco Becht pass that set the Bobcats up with a short field on offense. They capitalized six plays later when Sam Wiglusz grabbed a 5-yard touchdown pass from Kurtis Rourke on third and goal. Iowa State managed one first down on the next drive but then teams then exchanged three and out possessions. Ohio’s offense finally found some rhythm near the end of the third quarter. The Bobcat’s managed a 12 play drive netting 81 yards that ate 5:47 off of the clock. Ohio kicker Gianni Spetic hit a 27-yard field goal to give Ohio a ten point lead early in the fourth quarter. On the ensuing drive the Cyclones found some offense and marched 63 yards on 14 plays. They passed on going for a first down on 4th and 1 from the Ohio 19. Instead, they opted for a short field goal attempt with controversial results. The ball passed high over the right goal post and was ruled as a miss. After an Ohio three and out, Iowa State’s offense provided just what it needed to get back in the game with a quick two play touchdown drive ending in an 18-yard touchdown reception by Jaydin Higgins. After Ohio could only manage one first down on their next possession, a punt set up the Cyclones with a chance starting from their own 12-yard line. Becht’s pass on the first play was defected and bounced back toward defensive lineman Rodney Mathews who snatched a game sealing interception. Ohio’s defense held Iowa State to 7 points, 271 yards, and forced two Cyclone turnovers. Linebacker Bryce Houston led the way and won his second MAC East Defensive Player of the Week award on the young season with a 15-tackle performance. Ohio’s offense was equally unproductive but made fewer mistakes than the Cyclones and that made the difference in the game. The Bobcat offense allowed no sacks, never fumbled or dropped a pass, did not commit a single penalty or turn the ball over, held the ball for almost 36 minutes, and, other than the plays killing the clock at the end of the game, had only one rushing attempt for negative yardage. At Bowling Green

Ohio spoiled Bowling Green’s homecoming by putting up 38 points, their highest point total of the young season, but it was again Ohio’s defense that stole the show. Ohio’s defense held Bowling Green to 211 yards and forced 4 turnovers, scored 2 touchdowns, and did not surrender points until the game was out of hand with Ohio holding a 38-0 lead in the 4th quarter. Former Missouri and Indiana starting quarterback Connor Bazelak was intercepted by Ohio linebacker Keye Thompson on the game's opening possession. Ohio capitalized on their second play with a 29 catch by running back Sieh Bangura. After a Bowling Green three and out Ohio went up by fourteen on a Will Kacmarek 10 yard reception. On the ensuing possession Keye Thompson came up big for Ohio after recovering a fumble forced by Vonnie Watkins and returned it 71 yards for a touchdown to put Ohio up by 21 less than ten minutes into the game. Thompson's big plays would eran him MAC East Defensive Player of the week. After a Gianni Spetic field goal early in the second quarter, Bryce Houston and Torrie Cox Jr forced a fumble that was picked up by Roman Parodie for the second scoop and score of the game. Beginning early in the 3rd quarter A 10 play, 77 yard drive resulted in Kurtus Rourke’s third touchdown pass of the game. This time Miles Cross was on the receiving end to put the Bobcats up 38–0. Bowling Green got on the board with a 4 yard rush by Terion Stewart in the 4th quarter to make the final 38–7. Ohio’s offense again played conservatively with another strong defensive performance. They kept the ball on the ground 37 times and held the ball for over 34 minutes. Rourke was 14 of 16 on his pass attempts for 198 yards and 3 touchdowns. His 98.5 Total QBR Rating on the game led the FBS for the week. Vs. Kent State

Ohio won its homecoming matchup with the Kent State Golden Flashes. They won at home for the ninth straight time and won their ninth straight MAC regular season game. Ohio had its best offensive output so far on the season with 42 points. The Bobcats gave quarterback Kurtis Rourke his first real opportunity to air it out since tearing his ACL in 2022. He took advantage of 32 pass attempts by netting 300 passing yards with 3 touchdowns and also scored on the ground. Two of the touchdowns were caught by Miles Cross who had 125 receiving yards on the day. That was good enough for Cross to win MAC East Offensive Player of the Week honors. Sam Wiglusz caught the other TD and ended with 44 yards. Ohio’s defense had another good effort as they held Kent State to 228 total yards. Linebacker Bryce Houston continued his stellar season with 10 tackles, ½ sack, 1½ tackles for loss, and an interception. Bradley Weaver added 2 sacks for the Bobcats. Chrishon McCray was the offensive bright spot for Kent State with 93 receiving yards and 2 touchdowns. Both offenses started slowly as the first quarter ended 0–0. Cross caught is first touchdown early in the second but Kent State immediately responded with a 42 yard bomb to McCray from Michael Alaimo. After an exchange of punts, Wiglusz scored the first of five touchdowns in five possessions on a 30 yard reception that was ruled a catch after official review. Rourke scored from 4 yards out on a rush just before the half as Ohio took a 21–7 lead. The Kent State opened the second half with a field goal but then Ohio broke the game open in the second half with another Cross catch and two 3 yard rushing touchdowns from running back Sieh Bangura. McCray caught his second touchdown from Golden Flashes backup quarterback Tommy Ulatowski in the fourth quarter to make the final 42–17. Vs. Northern Illinois

On a windy day in DeKalb, Illinois both offenses struggled moving the ball. Northern Illinois kept the ball on the ground 34 times for 130 yard while Ohio’s passing attack turned it over three times in the fourth as the Huskies defended their turf on their homecoming defeating the Bobcats by a score of 23–13. Northern Illinois struck first on their second possession of the game as Gavin Williams broke loose on a rush from 53 yards out for the first touchdown the Ohio defense surrendered in the first quarter on the season. Ohio responded with a field goal on the ensuing possession and took the lead on a 1 yard run by quarterback Kurtis Rourke on their next possession. Ohio’s offense burned up nearly the rest of the half with a 16 play drive on their next possession as Gianni Spetic connected on a 37 yard field goal with seven seconds remaining.to take a 13–7 lead into the break. After an Ohio 3 and out to open the second half, NIU quarterback Rocky Lombardi found Grayson Barnes on a short pass on third and 2 and he got behind the Bobcat defense and scampered 58 yards to retake the lead. The Huskies extended the lead after a nine play drive on their next possession ending in 37 yard field goal by Kanon Woodill. Ohio’s offense failed to move the ball against the wind in the third quarter gaining only 37 yards on three possessions. Now behind and with the wind the in fourth they opened up the passing game with disastrous results. Rourke missed his receiver resulting in an interception on all three Ohio possessions. Two of which set Northern Illinois’s offense up for late field goals as the game ended in 23–13 Huskie victory. Lombardi finished the game with 172 yards and no turnovers while Rourke was held to 159 yards. Vs. Western Michigan

In a game a day where both offenses moved the ball well but failed to capitalize with a lot of points, Ohio managed to hold on late to edge Western Michigan by a score of 20–17 to become bowl eligible. After WMU opened with a 3 an out, the Bobcats went on a 13 play drive but had to settle for a 18 yard field goal. The Broncos responded with an 11 play drive of their own. On the following possession WMU drove 43 yards but missed a 4 yard field goal try. After an Ohio 3 and out, the Broncos got to the Ohio 6 yard line but penalties left them missing a 41 yard field. Early in the second quarter Ohio drove to the Western Michigan 41 but were stuffed on 4th and short. After an exchange of punts it was WMU that was stopped on 4th down at the Bobcat 22. Following another Ohio punt, the Broncos again got into Ohio territory but a Hayden Wolfe pass was picked off by Tank Pearson at the 18 yard line. OU took over with 0:39 left in the half. On the 5th play of the drive a 38 yard reception by Sam Wiglusz put them on the WMU 13. Kurtis Rourke tried to hit Miles Cross in the corner of the end zone but a pass interference penalty prevented a touchdown. Now with the ball spotted on the 2, and with only 4 seconds left in the half, Ohio chose to settle for a short field goal. After one half of play the two teams managed to combine for only 6 points. Ohio received the second half kickoff but an 11-play drive ended in a missed 25 yard field goal. WMU went 52 yards on the ensuing drive and got on the scoreboard by finally succeeding on a field goal try. This one was from 43 yard. Ohio was the first team to find the endzone as the as running back Sieh Bangura found paydirt with a 1-yard rush with 2:36 left in the 3rd quarter. WMU’s offense quickly moved down the field to get back within three 5 plays later as quarterback Hayden Wolff scored from 3 yards out. Ohio went on a 9 play, 66 yard drive early in the 4th but, again, failed to capitalize, as the drive ended in another missed short field goal from 26 yards. Ohio’s defense held the lead and forced a WMU punt. The Bobcats took control on the game when Rourke found Wiglusz in the endzone with 4:36 remaining to take a 20–10 lead. The Broncos kept hope alive with a TD reception by Kenneth Womack late in the game but after a first down on the next possession on the running of O'Shaun Allison, Ohio was able to run out the clock. Wiglusz had a big day with 10 catches for 155 yards. Rourke threw for 275 yards while Bangura had 85 yards on the ground. Linebackers Keye Thompson and Bryce Houston led the defense with 13 and 12 tackles respectively. Punter Jack Wilson aided the Bobcat cause averaging 48 yards per punt to win MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week. Hayden Wolff threw for 290 yards for the Broncos with 90 going to Womack who had 14 catches. Vs. Miami (OH)

Miami snapped Ohio’s ten game home winning streak and took possession of first place in the MAC East with a rivalry win in the Battle of the Bricks in spite of their starting quarterback Brett Gabbert being lost for the season with an injury during the prior week. Ohio jumped out to a 9–0 lead by the end of the first quarter with a rushing touchdown by Sieh Bangura and a field goal by Gianni Spetic. Miami converted a field goal after a strip sack of Kurtis Rourke set them on Ohio’s 11 yard line. That was the first of 30 straight points the RedHawks would score as they took a 30–9 in the fourth quarter. A late Ohio touchdown catch by Ty Walton made the final 30–16. Miami kept the ball on the ground 46 times and rushed for 188 yards. Playing from behind for much of the game Rourke had his highest passing yard total so far on the year with 313 yards. At Buffalo

Vs. Central Michigan

At Akron

Personnel

Coaching staff
Since July 14, 2021, the head coach of the Ohio Bobcats has been Tim Albin. He heads a staff of ten assistant coaches, four graduate assistants, a director of football operations, and numerous other support staff. Roster

As of August 19 - Source:

Depth chart

For homecoming game vs. Kent State - Source:

Awards and honors

Weekly awards

Rankings

Source: 
AP -

Coaches -

References

Ohio
Ohio Bobcats football seasons
Ohio Bobcats football