All camp players and coaches alike have said that they believe this is Ohio’s most talented team in the five seasons under coach Frank Solich.

They believe this despite the absence of all-time rushing leader Kalvin McRae’s and 2008 NFL draft pick Landon Cohen. Ohio does return 68 letter winners, including 17 starters from last season’s 6-6 season.

So will this be a “dream season” for the Bobcats? Unfortunately the unprecedented influx of talent found this season corresponds with arguably the team’s most difficult schedule under Solich, with Ohio playing six of its first eight games away from Peden Stadium.

OFFENSE

Running Backs

The primary position to watch, one that was occupied with great consistency by McRae for four seasons, is now a crapshoot. During the spring and fall camps, Ohio has utilized four running backs that have engaged in a heated competition. The quartet, juniors Chris Garrett and L.J. Flintall, sophomore Vince Davidson and redshirt freshman Donte Harden have all received numerous opportunities to showcase their abilities in camp. While no one back will carry the load like McCrae did for four years, expect the versatile Garrett and the bruising Davidson to receive the majority of the workload.  At fullback, returning starter Mitch Morsillo will likely be sidelined until midseason with an injury, meaning senior Jason White will shoulder the workload.

“(Multiple running backs are) going to confuse defenses. They’re going to expect one thing from one running back and we’ll put another running back in and they will have another style so they are not going to know what to do or how to stop that," running back Vince Davidson said on Ohio’s ability to use multiple running backs with different styles. 

Quarterback

While many have speculated whether heralded junior-college transfer Boo Jackson will supplant the incumbent Theo Scott as the starter, it appears the job is Scott’s to lose. That is not to say that Jackson will not receive his shot if Scott is injured or struggles, but Scott will likely be under center when the team plays Wyoming Aug. 30.

“It’s not like ‘I’m not going to help you, I’m trying to win this position;’ It’s like I’m going to help you, you’re going to help me and push me to do whatever we can do to win games,'" quarterback Boo Jackson said on working with the other quarterbacks in practice.

Wide Receiver

One of the team’s deepest positions is also one of the youngest positions, with the starters Taylor Price, junior, and sophomore Lavon Brazill seen as two of the top leaders. Other key contributors include sophomore Terrence McCrae, who has had a stellar camp, sophomore Robert Mercer, redshirt freshman Riley Dunlap and senior Tyler Huffman.

“With Mooney and Dave, that will get all the receivers open and because Taylor (Price) is so fast they will have to double-team him, which will leave me open. I think we are going to have a good receiving core this year," wide receiver Lavon Brazill said on Ohio’s wide receivers.

Tight End

The team’s most experienced position boasts a pair of transfers who were two of Ohio’s top receivers last season. Senior Andrew Mooney led the team last season in receiving and was named second-team All MAC. While Mooney garners much of the attention, fellow senior David Carter is another threat rotating with Mooney to give the team the rare bonus of two viable pass-catching tight ends.

“It’s nice knowing that even if there is one tight end on the field there’s no dropoff between the two of us. Teams have to be worried about us doing the same thing," tight end Andrew Mooney said on having two tight ends with pass-catching abilities.

Special Teams

Ohio returns punter Matt Schulte, who is expected to remain the starter. The kicking position is much more unclear, with three players currently battling for the top spot. Freshman Matt Weller enters Ohio on a scholarship, a rarity for placekickers at schools like Ohio. He has battled Virginia Military Institute transfer Barrett Way and Bowling Green transfer Paul Belany throughout the fall.

“The competition has been pretty hectic and everyone has done pretty well so I don’t think the job for kicking is up yet," kicker Matt Weller said on the three-way competition.

Offensive Line

After being maligned with injuries last season, the frontline of the Bobcats hopes to rebound with a more consistent effort this season. Senior Josh Leuck is entrenched in the left tackle position, off a team-best 58.5 pancakes. David White will shift to left guard from center, with Tommy Stuck taking White’s position to start the season. Rounding out the offensive line are juniors Michael Philbin and Chris Rodgers, who will play right guard and right tackle respectively.

“In our first three seasons here we have had catastrophic injuries up front. The ball has not bounced in our favor for three straight years up front. This year, hopefully we can stay healthy up there. That is the key to anything," co-offensive coordinator Tim Albin said on the Bobcats’ inability to remain healthy on the offensive line. 

DEFENSE

Defensive Line

Stopping the run was a major concern going into this season for the Bobcats. Allowing 186.5 yards per game ranked them in the bottom half of the MAC.  The three returning starters from last season will look to improve the ’Cats rushing defense.  One face they will be happy to see again will be sophomore defensive linemen Ernie Hodge, who was redshirted last season.  Returning defensive end Jameson Hartke has been sidelined for most of training camp because of shoulder surgery last month.  He currently leads the team in consecutive starts.  Also returning on the defensive line will be Jacob Williamson and Conor Reilly. Both played in all 12 games last season totaling 45 tackles. 

“At first it was a little rough, but now I’m starting to pick it up.  Since the second week of fall camp, it was actually starting to come all together, it was kind of hard at first, sitting out that year not getting my reps, not really doing anything except working out, but it’s getting a lot better now," Ernie Hodge said on returning to the team this season.

Linebackers

Defensive coordinator Jim Burrow is looking for the defense to prevent the big plays that are categorized as a run for 12 yards and pass for 16 yards.  Look for all linebackers on the Bobcats depth chart to see action this season.  A year together has made this core smarter, stronger and eager to prove that last season’s lapse on the defensive side of the ball was a fluke.  With an injured Mike Brown nursing a hamstring injury, guys like Lee Renfro and Clevon Kirkland will have to step up and fill the void until he returns.  Returning from last season will be senior linebacker Chris Hall, who saw action in seven games last season.  Jordan Meyers, also coming off an injury, will add depth at a defense looking to stop the big plays.

“I think we have a lot of depth at linebacker, which was one of our positions where we didn’t have a lot of experience last year, at times we struggled. I know all these guys tendencies," Mike Brown said on the defense coming together as a unit this season.

Secondary

The Bobcats have a lot of speed in the secondary that will be a blessing in the pass-happy MAC. The two leaders in the last line of defense for the Bobcats are safety Michael Mitchell and cornerback Mark Parson.  While Mitchell remains the vocal leader on the field, Parson serves as a mentor to the younger players of the secondary.  Parson played in all 12 games last season and totaled 49 tackles and seven pass deflections.  Mitchell finished second on the team with 74 tackles last season and finished tied for the team-high in interceptions with two.  Manning the other cornerback positions will be sophomore Julian Posey and junior Idris Lawrence.  Both played in all twelve games last season combining for 81 tackles on the defense. 

“We definitely know it’s a big challenge to me honestly. I look at it as the day we get to fight the bully in the backyard; we’re going to be in their favorite part of the school yard.  We do understand that we have to play a great game; they’re a great team, they have not had the success they’ve had for no reason," Julian Posey said on going to Ohio State to play the Buckeyes.