Week 5: VMI at Ohio

The Ohio football team has to be wondering just what it will take for it to win a football game. This could be the best “almost” team in the country.

For the second time in the past three weeks, Ohio went into a Big Ten stadium and gave the host team fits before falling. This past week it was Northwestern, and the Wildcats struggled to get past Ohio by a 16-8 count. Two games ago the Bobcats had the lead at the half at Ohio State. Wrapped around those two, a one-point loss at Wyoming, and a three-point loss to MAC defending champion Central Michigan.

Ohio is playing well enough to win, and this week should finally taste victory against VMI. The Bobcats’ defense, which had four interceptions at Northwestern, has been terrific, limiting three opponents to less than 300 yards. Ohio turns things around this week, and with some momentum could still make this a .500 season.

VMI comes in after issuing a 69-20 pounding to Chowan. The Keydets, who were sitting on a fat 48-0 lead at the half, had 10 plays in that game that produced 20 or more yards, and five that moved the ball at least 50 yards. It will be tougher sledding against Ohio, which might possess one of the better defenses in the MAC.

Notes:

Ohio junior quarterback Boo Jackson led the Bobcats to a near-upset of defending MAC champion Central Michigan recently by passing for 365 yards and three touchdowns. His 413 yards of total offense set an Ohio single-game record.

The VMI Keydets rolled up a Big South single-game record 517 yards rushing and had 659 yards total offense in the rout of Chowan.

The Bobcats have had a difficult time limiting turnovers in 2008, and are averaging 3.33 turnovers per game this season, up from 1.9 last season.

Ohio senior cornerback Mark Parson has worked his way into the school’s leaders for both pass breakups and passes defended. His 27 pass breakups rank fifth all-time, while his 30 passes defended, also fifth on the career list.

Key Player (Keydets) — Howard Abegesah, RB

VMI is a much more effective offense when it can pound away with Abegesah, a relentlessly punishing runner who has 1,121 rushing yards last season. He has improved as a blocker, and ball security, making him even more valuable.

Key Player (Bobcats) — Jameson Hartke, DE

Ohio has a pressure-oriented defense, and Hartke is one of the leaders of that effort in his third year as a starter. He had a lot to do with the rush that forced four interceptions in the Northwestern game.

Ohio by 12