2024 Ohio Bobcats football team

2024 Ohio Bobcats football
ConferenceMid-American Conference
Record8–3 (6–1 MAC)
Head coach
Offensive coordinatorBrian Smith (1st season)
Offensive schemeSpread option
Defensive coordinatorJohn Hauser (1st season)
Base defense4–2–5
Home stadiumPeden Stadium
Seasons
← 2023
2025 →
2024 Mid-American Conference football standings
Conf Overall
Team   W   L     W   L  
Miami (OH)   6 – 1     7 – 4  
Ohio   6 – 1     8 – 3  
Bowling Green   6 – 1     7 – 4  
Buffalo   6 – 2     8 – 4  
Western Michigan   4 – 3     5 – 6  
Toledo   4 – 4     7 – 5  
Northern Illinois   3 – 4     6 – 5  
Akron   3 – 5     4 – 8  
Ball State   2 – 5     3 – 8  
Eastern Michigan   2 – 5     5 – 6  
Central Michigan   2 – 5     4 – 7  
Kent State   0 – 8     0 – 12  
Championship: December 7, 2024
  • $ – Conference champion
  • y – Championship game participant
As of November 27, 2024
Rankings from AP Poll

The 2024 Ohio Bobcats football team will represent Ohio University in the Mid-American Conference during the 2024 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Bobcats are led by Tim Albin in his fourth year as the head coach. The Bobcats will play home games at Peden Stadium, located in Athens, Ohio.[1][2][3]

Ohio enters the season coming of their second straight 10 win season and ended the 2023 season with a win over Georgia Southern the Myrtle Beach Bowl for their fifth straight bowl win.[4][5] It was the first time in school history that the Bobcats won 10 games in back to back years.[6] Ohio suffered numerous losses in the transfer portal in the offseason including 12 players who transferred to programs in power conferences.[7] Among the losses was starting quarterback and 2022 MAC Player of the Year Kurtis Rourke who transferred to Indiana.[8][9] Ohio enters the season ranked 133 out of 134 FBS teams in returning production as determined by the SP+ rankings.[10] With incoming transfers and freshman recruits the Bobcats feature 53 scholarship players who are new to the roster from the prior season.[11] Among the returners are quarterback Parker Navarro and running back Ricky Hunt who both made their first start in last season's bowl game while filling the roles left open by players transferring out and were two key players in the victory.[12] Navarro had 11 competitions on 16 attempts for 120 yards and 71 rushing yards.[12][13] Hunt's 5 TD's tied the record in bowl games and set an Ohio program record.[14]

In the season opener at Syracuse, the Bobcat running game got going behind Anthony Tyus III's 203 yards but they couldn't stop the Syracuse passing game as Kyle McCord threw for 354 yards and four touchdowns in a 38–22 loss in the JMA Wireless Dome.[15] Ohio opened their home schedule with evening game a win over South Alabama. Parker Navarro had 204 yards passing and 63 yards rushing and passed and rushed for a touchdown in a 27–20 victory.[16] Navarro threw three interceptions and the Bobcat offense turned it over four times but their defense held Morgan State to 211 yards in a 21–6 win the following week.[17] The Bobcats finished the non-conference schedule with two wins and two losses after a loss at Kentucky. Backup quarterback Nick Poulos started for Ohio and the offense struggled as the Wildcat front seven dominated in a 41–6 loss.[18]

Ohio opened MAC conference play with a 30–10 homecoming win over Akron. Parker Navarro came back from injury and threw for two touchdowns an ran for another in the win.[19] They moved to 2–0 in conference play as Navarro again scored on the ground and though the air to help the Bobcats to a 24–0 halftime lead in a win over Central Michigan in a game in which they had to hold on late to win 27–25.[20] Miami's defense held Ohio scoreless in the first half and to only 291 yards for the game as the Bobcats lost the 100th Battle of the Bricks in Oxford by a score of 30–20.[21] The Bobcats returned home the following week against Buffalo. Coleman Owen scored three touchdowns, Shay Taylor had a pick-six and Kadin Schmitz had a pick-two as Ohio cruised to an 47–16 win.[22] Ohio got its second easy win in a row when the travelled to play a banged up Kent State team on an 17-game losing streak in their first mid-week "MACtion" game. Eamonn Dennis returned a kick, Coleman Owen returned a punt, and the defense shutout the Golden Flashes on only 114 total yards in a dominant 41–0 win to move back into a tie for first in the conference.[23] Ohio, in control of its own destiny for a MAC Championship, hosted Eastern Michigan on a Wednesday night. Parker Navarro threw for 277 yards while rushing for 106 yards and 4 touchdowns while Tank Pearson had two interceptions in a 35–10 win.[24] The following Wednesday, they won at Toledo for only the second time since 1967. Ohio's offense kept the ball for over 41 minutes and their defense forced three turnovers in a 24–7 win.[25]

  1. ^ "2024 Football Coaching Staff". ohiobobcats.com. Retrieved January 29, 2024.
  2. ^ "Peden Stadium". Ohio University Athletics. Retrieved March 3, 2023.
  3. ^ "Tim Albin". Sports Reference.
  4. ^ "Reserves Hunt, Navarro lead Ohio to 41-21 victory over Georgia Southern in Myrtle Beach Bowl". WTOP.com. AP. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 17, 2023.
  5. ^ "Ohio University football game times announced". Athens News. July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  6. ^ "Ohio goes for second straight 10-win season against Georgia Southern in Myrtle Beach Bowl". usatoday.com. AP. December 18, 2023. Retrieved December 15, 2023.
  7. ^ Fiutak, Pete (June 30, 2024). "Ohio Preview, Best Players, Top Transfers, Season Prediction, Win Total 2024". cfn.com. College Football News. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  8. ^ Schumann, Mike (December 14, 2023). "Ohio transfer quarterback Kurtis Rourke announces commitment to Indiana". The Daily Hoosier. Retrieved December 14, 2023.
  9. ^ "MAC Announces 2022 Postseason Football Awards & All-Conference Teams". Mid-American Conference. November 29, 2022.
  10. ^ Connelly, Bill (February 5, 2024). "College football 2024 returning production rankings: 134 teams". espn.com. ESPN.
  11. ^ "Football: Looking at who Ohio added via the transfer portal". thepostatherns.com. Ohio Post. July 17, 2024. Retrieved July 19, 2024.
  12. ^ a b "Reserves Hunt, Navarro lead Ohio to 41-21 victory over Georgia Southern in Myrtle Beach Bowl". foxsports.com. AP. December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  13. ^ "GA SOUTHERN 21 OHIO 41". Fox Sports. December 16, 2023. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  14. ^ Machlin, Tzvi (December 16, 2023). "Freshman Running Back Rickey Hunt Tied NCAA Bowl Record This Saturday". msn.com. The Spun. Retrieved December 18, 2023.
  15. ^ Keegan III, Robert (August 31, 2024). "Football: Ohio couldn't overcome defensive woes in 38-22 loss to Syracuse". thepostathens.com. Ohio University Post. Retrieved September 1, 2024.
  16. ^ Fadel, Charlie (September 8, 2024). "Football: Ohio picks up home opener win against South Alabama". thepostathens.com. Ohio University Post. Retrieved September 8, 2024.
  17. ^ Keegan III, Robert (September 15, 2024). "Football: Ohio survives upset in tight battle against Morgan State". thepostathens.com. Ohio University Post. Retrieved September 16, 2024.
  18. ^ Fadel, Charlie (September 21, 2024). "Football: Ohio's offense falls flat in loss against Kentucky". thepostathens.com. Ohio University Post. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
  19. ^ Keegan III, Robert (September 29, 2024). "Football: Ohio tallies first MAC win against Akron on Homecoming". thepostathens.com. Ohio University Post. Retrieved September 29, 2024.
  20. ^ Fadel, Charlie (October 13, 2024). "Football: Ohio escapes comeback in road win over Central Michigan". thepostathens.com. Ohio University Post. Retrieved October 14, 2024.
  21. ^ Keegan III, Robert (October 19, 2024). "Football: Ohio gets knocked down, falls 30-20 against rival Miami". thepostathens.com. Ohio University Post. Retrieved October 20, 2024.
  22. ^ Fadel, Charlie (October 26, 2024). "Football: Ohio gets crucial MAC win over Buffalo on senior day". thepostathens.com. Ohio University Post. Retrieved October 27, 2024.
  23. ^ Fadel, Charlie (November 7, 2024). "Football: Ohio gets second blowout win in a row against Kent State". thepostathens.com. Ohio University Post. Retrieved November 7, 2024.
  24. ^ Keegan III, Robert (November 14, 2024). "Football: Ohio dominated its way to seventh MAC victory". thepostathens.com. Ohio University Post. Retrieved November 14, 2024.
  25. ^ Fadel, Charlie (November 20, 2024). "Football: Ohio gets massive win on the road against Toledo". thepostathens.com. Ohio University Post. Retrieved October 27, 2024.