August 31, 2024; Columbus, Ohio, USA;
Former Ohio State football coach Jim Tressel walks the sideline before Saturday’s NCAA Division I football game between the Akron Zips and the Ohio State Buckeyes at Ohio Stadium.

Ex-Buckeyes coach Jim Tressel named Ohio Lt. Gov.

Jim Tressel, who coached Ohio State to the 2002 national championship, was named lieutenant governor of Ohio on Monday.

Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine tapped Tressel to replace Jon Husted, whom DeWine chose to replace Vice President J.D. Vance in the U.S. Senate.

“My criteria, No. 1, the most important thing is someone who could serve as governor if something were to happen to me over the next 100 weeks,” DeWine said in his announcement on Monday. “Second, I want someone who can really contribute.”

DeWine added, “I wanted someone who knew Ohio.”

Tressel, 72, went 106-22 at Ohio State, including 9-1 against Michigan, though his record was adjusted to 94-21 by the NCAA after an investigation found he used ineligible players over improper benefits violations during the 2010 season. The Buckeyes reached the BCS Championship game in 2006 and 2007, both losses. He also led Division I-AA Youngstown State to four national championships in 15 years.

Tressel went on to become president at Youngstown State from 2014-23.

Tressel will have to be confirmed by the Ohio state Senate.

–Field Level Media

Jacksonville State offensive coordinator Rod Smith directs activities during the Jax State Spring game in Jacksonville, Alabama. April 19, 2024.

Interim coaches guide Jacksonville State, Ohio into Cure Bowl

Jacksonville State won its first Conference USA championship in only its second year playing FBS football. Now the leader and architect of the program’s transition from the FCS level is off to West Virginia.

The Gamecocks will move forward without Rich Rodriguez and face Ohio in a battle of conference champions at the Cure Bowl on Friday afternoon in Orlando.

Offensive coordinator Rod Smith was named the interim coach for the bowl game for Jacksonville State (9-4). Rodriguez was scooped up by a West Virginia program that he led from 2001-07.

Mid-American Conference champion Ohio (10-3) is in a similar position, as coach Tim Albin left for the same job at Charlotte. The Bobcats tapped their offensive coordinator, Brian Smith, as interim head coach.

Even though Rodriguez has left, the Gamecocks have accomplished plenty worth celebrating. Rodriguez took over the program in 2022 as it prepared to move up to the FBS level. The Gamecocks captured the Atlantic Sun title that year, finishing 9-2, then went 9-4 in their inaugural FBS season in 2023 and won the New Orleans Bowl.

This season, an eight-game winning streak propelled them to the top of the CUSA standings. Jacksonville State lost 19-17 to Western Kentucky in the regular-season finale but got a major dose of revenge when the two teams met six days later in the conference championship game.

Tre Stewart rushed for 201 yards and three touchdowns while quarterback Tyler Huff added 176 passing yards, 167 rushing yards and three total TDs in Jacksonville State’s 52-12 victory.

“Stay the course, always believing where you came from or where you’re at,” senior defensive end J-Rock Swain said postgame. “We had a lot of guys getting in the portal, a lot of guys coming from the portal, but we still got to stay the course. And everybody believed.”

The Gamecocks have the No. 2 rushing offense in FBS at 267.3 yards per game. Stewart racked up 1,604 yards and 23 touchdowns and Huff contributed 1,343 yards and 14 TDs on the ground in addition to 2,179 yards and 13 touchdowns passing. He was named Conference USA MVP and Newcomer of the Year.

The Bobcats ranked No. 12 nationally in rushing offense and No. 1 in the MAC at 211.5 yards per game. Anthony Tyus III has run for 1,111 yards and nine touchdowns, while quarterback Parker Navarro has added 943 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground.

By beating Miami (Ohio) 38-3 in the conference title game, Ohio reached 10 wins for the third season in a row. Winning the Cure Bowl would give Ohio the first 11-win season in program history.

With regards to the transfer portal, Brian Smith said last week he expected full participation from his roster in the bowl game, but “with that scenario, you never know.”

“The most unfortunate thing was the staff, players, you didn’t really get a chance to celebrate the (MAC title game) win quite the way you wanted to, with the (coaching) change as soon as it happened,” he said. “So that was the only thing that was unfortunate. The thing with our kids is they’re amazing and they’re resilient, so they’ve bounced back extremely well.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 21, 2024; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats running back Jamarion Wilcox (10) runs by Ohio Bobcats safety Austin Brawley (0) during the first quarter at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Kentucky finds end zone again and again in crushing Ohio

Brock Vandagriff went 17-of-24 passing for 237 yards to lead Kentucky to a 41-6 home win over Ohio on Saturday.

Dane Key was the biggest target for Vandagriff, catching seven passes for 145 yards.

The big quarter for Kentucky was the second quarter, when it scored two touchdowns to break a two-game drought of reaching the end zone.

Defensively, Kentucky limited Ohio to 223 yards of total offense, including 113 rushing yards on 32 attempts, and forced two turnovers. The Wildcats totaled 488 yards on offense, 282 through the air and 206 on the ground.

Kentucky (2-2) opened the scoring with 5:48 remaining in the first quarter on Alex Raynor’s 30-yard field goal, and the Wildcats took a 10-0 lead with 14:39 to go in the second quarter on Demie Sumo-Karngbaye’s 1-yard touchdown run.

The run finished off a seven-play, 80-yard drive that featured runs of 21 and 23 yards by Jamarion Wilcox.

Kentucky then went on another 80-yard drive, this time in eight plays, to take a 17-0 lead following a 2-yard touchdown run by Sumo-Karngbaye.

On the drive, Vandagriff completed two long passes to Key, one for 42 yards and another for 36 yards that helped move the ball to the Ohio 2-yard line.

Following a 34-yard field goal by Raynor that made it 20-0, Kentucky went up 27-0 with 5:12 left in the third quarter on a 25-yard interception return by Maxwell Hairston.

Ohio finally got on the board on the first play of the fourth quarter, cutting Kentucky’s lead to 27-6 on a 1-yard touchdown run by Rickey Hunt Jr. that finished off a five-play, 51-yard drive.

The Bobcats went for two, but the conversion failed.

Kentucky quickly answered, driving 56 yards in six plays and taking a 34-6 lead with 11:38 left in the game on Barion Brown’s 23-yard touchdown run.

A 2-yard touchdown run by backup quarterback Gavin Wimsatt with 3:45 remaining completed the scoring.

–Field Level Media

Dec 16, 2023; Conway, SC, USA; Ohio Bobcats running back Rickey Hunt (28) is lifted into the air by Ohio Bobcats offensive lineman Parker Titsworth (69) after a touchdown in the first half against the Georgia Southern Eagles at Brooks Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Yeazell-USA TODAY Sports

Rickey Hunt (5 total TDs) powers Ohio past Georgia Southern

Rickey Hunt rushed for four touchdowns and was on the receiving end of another as Ohio beat Georgia Southern 41-21 on Saturday at the Myrtle Beach Bowl in Conway, S.C.

Hunt came into the game with six carries for 19 yards on the season, but he broke out on Saturday with the Bobcats’ top two running backs inactive after entering the transfer portal. His five touchdowns set a single-game program record.

Ohio (10-3) received 133 total yards of offense (115 rushing, 18 receiving) from Hunt, and it needed every single one of them after the Eagles mounted a ferocious second-half rally.

Hunt seemingly put the game away with a 40-yard rushing TD with 2:04 left in the third quarter. Georgia Southern answered just 45 seconds later, however, as Davis Brin connected with Derwin Burgess Jr. for a 65-yard score that pulled the Eagles within 34-14.

Georgia Southern (6-7) then recovered an onside kick and, seven plays later, Brin connected with Jjay Mcafee for a 15-yard TD, cutting the Eagles’ deficit to 13.

But the comeback bid stalled when Georgia Southern failed to convert on a fourth-and-2, handing the ball back to the Bobcats with 6:32 left in the game. Hunt capped the ensuing drive by rushing for his fifth touchdown, from 9 yards out, to seal the victory.

Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro completed 11 of 16 passes for 120 yards and a TD. Brin threw for 350 yards, two touchdowns and three interceptions on 32-for-42 passing.

Burgess finished with six catches for 117 yards and the score, but the Eagles totaled just 33 yards on 21 carries.

Gianni Spetic opened the scoring with a 27-yard field goal before Hunt rushed for a 2-yard touchdown and hauled in an 18-yard score to give the Bobcats a 17-0 lead with 3:16 left in the second quarter.

Spetic added a 26-yard field goal as time expired in the first half to send Ohio into the break up 20-0.

After Hunt rushed for a 6-yard TD, Georgia Southern finally got on the board with 7:54 remaining in the third quarter thanks to David Mbadinga’s 3-yard scoring scamper. That made it 27-7, and Hunt broke off for his 40-yard run to the end zone nearly six minutes later.

–Field Level Media

Sep 16, 2023; Athens, Ohio, USA;  Ohio University Bobcats quarterback Kurtis Rourke (7) during the second quarter against the Iowa State Cyclones at Peden Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Lunsford-USA TODAY Sports

Ohio shoots for historic win in Myrtle Beach Bowl vs. Ga. Southern

Although Ohio finds itself in the same situation it was in a season ago, program history is on the line this time.

After prevailing in last year’s Arizona Bowl, the Bobcats (9-3) will look to record back-to-back 10-win seasons for the first time ever when they face Georgia Southern (6-6) in the Myrtle Beach Bowl on Saturday in Conway, S.C.

Ohio was 9-4 in 2022 before edging Wyoming 30-27 in the Arizona Bowl in Tucson to punctuate the campaign.

The Bobcats used a late-season surge to move into position to reach the 10-win plateau again in 2023, rattling off three consecutive victories ahead of bowl action.

“Winning a bowl game is one of our goals, one of the expectations here, and we have an opportunity to do that,” Ohio coach Tim Albin said. “Sure, we’re gonna try to win the game and … that’s an opportunity that we have in front of us.

“It won’t be the sole motivation, but (we) certainly have an opportunity to get that done for these guys.”

Saturday will mark the first-ever meeting between the Bobcats and Eagles, and the clock is ticking for Albin and his coaching staff as they try to learn about a Georgia Southern program that lost 23-21 to Buffalo in the 2022 Camellia Bowl.

The Myrtle Beach Bowl is the first bowl game of the postseason, kicking off at 11 a.m. ET.

“Georgia Southern, a tradition-rich program,” Albin said. “Six national championships in the FCS level. Don’t know much about them; we’re diving into them right now. … Coach (Clay) Helton will have them ready to go, but we’re looking forward to the matchup.”

Helton has had to use a little extra elbow grease to have his guys ready, though.

“Our coaches, half of them are on the road, half of them are back here (in Georgia) prepping for the game so we can produce a game plan by Wednesday when we go to that first practice,” Helton said. “You basically get six practices here, and you’ll get three practices there, then you put the ball down and get the chance to play.”

Although it might be hard to tell by their record, the Eagles have been bowl-eligible since Oct. 26, when they beat Georgia State 44-27. Georgia Southern then dropped its final four games of the regular season, most recently 55-27 to Appalachian State on Nov. 25.

The Eagles surrendered an average of 39.5 points per game during their skid, well north of their season average of 24.6 before that.

Georgia Southern sports a high-powered offense led by quarterback Davis Brin, who threw for 3,431 yards and 22 touchdowns in the regular season but was picked off 16 times. Jalen White led the rushing attack with 891 yards and nine TDs.

Meanwhile, Ohio has leaned on its defense for the bulk of its success in 2023.

Opponents averaged just 15.4 points against the Bobcats through their first 12 games, fifth-best in the country. Linebacker Bryce Houston had the 16th-most tackles (119) in the FBS.

Offensively, Kurtis Rourke had 2,207 passing yards and 11 TDs through the air, with five interceptions. Sieh Bangura totaled 811 yards and seven scores on the ground.

–Field Level Media

Ohio head coach Tim Albin reacts to a call during the game at Jack Trice Stadium in Ames, Iowa on Saturday, Sept. 17, 2022. The Cyclones defeated the Bobcats, 43-10.

Syndication The Des Moines Register

Syndication The Columbus Dispatch

Report: Ohio coach Tim Albin gets extension through 2026

Ohio gave head coach Tim Albin a two-year contract extension through the 2026 season on Tuesday, ESPN reported.

Albin also earned a raise to $700,000 per year, up from $535,000.

Albin, 57, was the offensive coordinator at Ohio from 2005-2020 under longtime head coach Frank Solich. He was named head coach when Solich retired in July 2021.

After a 3-9 campaign in 2021, the Bobcats improved to 10-4 in 2022 by winning their last seven regular-season games. They lost to Toledo in the MAC championship game but beat Wyoming 30-27 in the Arizona Bowl to get to 10 wins for just the third time in program history and the first time since 2011.

–Field Level Media

Sep 10, 2022; University Park, Pennsylvania, USA; Ohio Bobcats quarterback Kurtis Rourke (7) is pressured by Penn State Nittany Lions defensive tackle Hakeem Beamon (51) during the first quarter at Beaver Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew OHaren-USA TODAY Sports

Wyoming eyes fourth straight bowl win vs. Ohio in Arizona Bowl

Ohio wants to cap its successful turnaround season with a victory in the Arizona Bowl while Wyoming seeks to end its tumultuous year with its fourth straight bowl win in Friday’s game in Tucson, Ariz.

Ohio went from 3-9 last season to 9-4 this year, earning Tim Albin MAC Coach of the Year honors in his second season.

Fourth-year quarterback Kurtis Rourke was selected the MAC’s Offensive Player of the Year while running back Sieh Bangura was chosen the conference’s Freshman of the Year.

Rourke will not play in the Arizona Bowl because of a torn meniscus and ACL suffered last month. He passed for 3,256 yards (completing 244 of 353 attempts) with 25 touchdowns and four interceptions.

CJ Harris is his replacement. He has passed for 393 yards while completing 32 of 64 passes with one touchdown and one interception.

Bangura has rushed for 940 yards on 107 carries with seven touchdowns.

“This team has brought me, our staff and the Bobcats fans so much fun and joy this season,” Albin said. “We can’t wait to take this show on the road to take the next step on our journey together.”

Wyoming (7-5) qualified for its second consecutive bowl game and third in four seasons.

The Cowboys are coming off a 30-0 loss at Fresno State last month to end the regular season.

“I’m so thankful that we got a bowl opportunity and for us to get this bad taste out of our mouth and play better,” Wyoming coach Craig Bohl said after the loss to Fresno State.

Wyoming will be without top rusher Titus Swen, who finished the regular season with a team-high 1,039 rushing yards and eight touchdowns.

He was dismissed from the team last month for violating team rules. The junior entered the transfer portal shortly after being cut from the team.

The Cowboys have three other players who have rushed for at least 300 yards, including quarterback Andrew Peasley with 330 yards on 70 carries.

Dawaiian McNeely has rushed for 356 yards on 63 rushes and D.Q. James has ran the ball 40 times for 346 yards.

But both McNeely and James are injured and not expected to play. Fourth-string running back Joseph Braasch (91 yards on 29 carries) is slated to start.

Wyoming is 9-8 in bowl games with victories in their last three, including a 38-17 win over Georgia State in the 2019 Arizona Bowl.

Bohl, who’s in his ninth season as head coach at Wyoming, is 3-1 in bowl games with the Cowboys.

He shares a past with Albin, who is coaching in his first bowl game.

Bohl was the defensive coordinator at Nebraska from 2000 to 2002, the same time frame Albin was a graduate assistant with the Cornhuskers. Albin was also the offensive coordinator and running backs coach at North Dakota State in 2004, when Bohl was the head coach of the Bison.

“Craig Bohl has been a friend and mentor to me for over 20 years,” Albin said. “He builds teams just like ours: tough, competitive and relentless. The game will be a great challenge for our players and an exciting conclusion to our season.”

Ohio, which has a bowl record of 5-8, and Wyoming have faced each other twice previously in a home-and-home arrangement in 2007 and 2008.

Wyoming won both — 34-33 at Athens, Ohio, in 2007 and 21-20 at Laramie, Wyo., in 2008.

“I’m just glad we get one more shot at (ending with a win),” Wyoming All-Mountain West first-team linebacker Easton Gibbs said. “I’ll just come out looking to finish strong and kind of put a cap on what I think has been a good season for us. I’m looking forward to that.”

–Field Level Media

Nov 19, 2022; Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA;  UAB Blazers interim head coach Bryant Vincent  talks to the side judge against the LSU Tigers during the second half at Tiger Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports

UAB holds off Miami (Ohio) late to win Bahamas Bowl

The bowl season began in dramatic fashion Friday as the UAB defense stopped Miami (Ohio) short of the goal line as time expired to hang on for a 24-20 victory in the Bahamas Bowl in Nassau.

Aveon Smith connected with Jalen Walker on a 13-yard pass on the final play of the game, but Walker was tackled at the 2-yard line to touch off a celebration by the Blazers.

UAB (7-6) had taken the lead on the previous series after making a bold decision. With no timeouts, 1:35 left and facing a fourth-and-1 at the Miami 12-yard line, the Blazers opted against attempting a game-tying field goal.

The gamble worked out even better than UAB hoped for, as Jermaine Brown Jr. burst through the offensive line and scampered untouched for the 12-yard go-ahead touchdown.

Brown paced UAB’s offense on the day with 24 carries for 116 yards and two scores. Dylan Hopkins completed 16 of 24 passes for 204 yards and a touchdown and Trea Shropshire caught six passes for 183 yards and a TD.

The Blazers have won back-to-back bowl games for the first time in school history after winning the Independence Bowl last season.

Smith completed 15 of 27 passes for 162 yards and two touchdowns for Miami (6-7). He also rushed 22 times for a team-high 50 yards. Mac Hippenhammer and Kenny Tracy caught touchdown passes.

The game featured four lead changes and saw UAB jump out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. Hopkins connected with Shropshire for a touchdown pass and Matt Quinn kicked a 42-yard field goal.

Miami battled back and took the lead in the third quarter on a 4-yard scoring rush from Kevin Davis. The two sides then exchanged touchdowns in the fourth quarter.

UAB won despite losing the turnover battle 0-3. The Blazers lost two fumbles and threw a pick. Miami’s offense simply wasn’t strong enough to take full advantage of those mistakes though. The RedHawks converted just 4 of 14 third downs and were outgained by 118 yards on offense by the Blazers.

It was the final game on UAB’s sidelines for interim coach Bryant Vincent. Former Super Bowl-winning quarterback Trent Dilfer takes the reins of the Blazers as their new head coach this offseason.

–Field Level Media