what is going on in O hi O
The atmosphere figures to be electric, with a sold-out Peden Stadium expected and national TV coverage encouraging fans to be at their rowdiest for the cameras.
For Ohio, it is the second major test in as many weeks as the ‘Cats battled Rutgers to the end, coming up short by three points.
They’ll look to build on that performance in front of the home crowd, hosting a fellow squad under new— if familiar— leadership.
Without further ado, let’s get to the particulars then a look at each team heading into the contest.
Game notes
- Time and date: Saturday, September 6th, 2025 at 4 p.m. Eastern time
- Location: Frank Solich Field at Peden Stadium in Athens, Ohio
- TV network options: ESPNU (a valid subscription required)
- Radio options: Marty Bannister (play-by-play) and Rob Cornelius (analyst) will provide the Ohio call for WXTQ-FM 105.5 while Tony Caridi (play-by-play), Dwight Wallace (analyst), and Jed Drenning (sideline) have the call for Mountaineer Sports Network.
- Gambling considerations: WVU by 3 points, with an over/under of 59.5 points.
- All-Time Series: WVU is 13-4 all-time, with the last contest won by WVU by a final score of 20-3 on Sept. 8, 2001.
WVU kicked off the 2025 campaign with an expectedly dominant win, 45-3, over FCS foe Robert Morris.
Overall, the return of the prodigal coach Rich Rodriguez was a sweet one for all involved in Morgantown.
On a sun-splashed Saturday to open the season, the stadium was packed with fans looking like one, dressed in team colors, cheering loudly with joy at the successes in support of their squad. The stadium, to put it succinctly, was a sight to behold.
Alas, while there was a lot to celebrate, there were a few major setbacks once the game got started, including three straight-second quarter drives lost to fumbles, a conundrum which left Rodriguez wondering at the post-game press conference if the Mountaineers offense might have benefited from a few more live tackling sessions prior to the opener.
On the whole last week, WVU had fumbled five times— losing four— and hope they got those turnovers out of their system in a game where it didn’t matter on the scoreboard.
In broad brushstrokes, what WVU will bring to the table will be a tempo team with a focus on the running game.
At Jacksonville State last season, Rodriguez led the Gamecocks to about 2,600 yards passing and over 3,500 yards rushing, with the QB a major factor on the ground with over 1,300 yards.
Virtually everyone but the equipment manager toted the rock against Robert Morris, with 11 different ball carriers rolling up 393 yards on the ground, led by Jahiem White’s 93 yards and two scores.West Virginia will call some run-pass option (RPO), orchestrated by QB Nicco Marchiol, who was anointed the 2025 starter after paying his dues the last three seasons as a backup.
Marchiol showcased his dual-threat skills with 224 yards passing and 56 yards rushing and three scores in the season debut.
If all that wasn’t enough for Ohio’s defense, the Mountaineers boast an embarrassment of riches at wideout and tight end as well, starting with explosive playmaker and Jacksonville State transfer WR Cam Vaughn. The talented wideout picked up where he left off in 2024 with seven catches, 116 yards, and a score against an albeit overmatched Robert Morris.Last week’s performance was no fluke though.
‘Cats fans remember Vaughn’s performance in the Cure bowl last year against Ohio as he caught nine passes for 183 yards and a score, including a 75-yard strike.
Another playmaker familiar to MAC fans is wide receiver Oran Singleton, who played for Akron and Eastern Michigan before transferring to WVU this year.
We will know a lot more about West Virginia after this game, but I have a feeling WVU’s defense may be better than Rutgers at this point.
The Mountaineers, against easier competition, looked good last week, generally flying to the ball with very few glaring errors outside of perhaps a few explosive passing plays.
WVU’s defense has excellent players at all levels and here are a few to watch this week.
Linebacker Chase Wilson brings excellent experience and productivity to the contest with a well-rounded career statline including 240 stops, with both seven sacks and passes defended.
2024 All C-USA safety Fred Perry followed Rodriguez from Jacksonville State, bringing with him an instant upgrade to the secondary. Perry also played against Ohio in last year’s bowl game, finishing with eight tackles and a forced fumble.
Finally, the secondary adds a couple of Akron Zips transfers, with safety Darrian Lewis nabbing a starting role, while Devonte Golden-Nelson serves as a backup corner.
About the Ohio Bobcats
As Ohio embarks upon its 2025 season opener, three words come to mind: “Defend The Frank.”
A simple rallying cry and budding tradition at Ohio since Peden Stadium’s turf was dubbed Frank Solich Field in 2022 in honor of their legendary former head coach, the Bobcats are 17-1 on The Frank, including a win over Big XII opponent Iowa State.
Offensively, Ohio spread Rutgers out with formations regularly involving three receivers and a tight end, sometimes out of an initial pistol look or with the halfback aligned to the right or left of the quarterback.
The tight end or H-back will typically either be flexed out wide, or otherwise align in the backfield like an offset fullback.From there, Ohio seeks to mix it up with concepts like RPOs, zone, option, etc.One thing that helps the whole thing work is that all offensive players are willing and usually effective blockers.
Recalling the touchdown drive to open the game last week, halfback Sieh Bangura inserted himself into the center of the line to stone a blitz on a pass for first down. Later in the drive, Bangura picked up 26 yards around right end with a key block by receiver Max Rodarte sealing the edge.
The latest MAC Offensive Player of the Week, QB Parker Navarro, runs the show with poise, guiding the team to 31 points while individually recording 332 combined yards and four touchdowns with zero turnovers.
The spread featuring Navarro gives Ohio an extra man in the box and can be very useful in running the ball and keeping defensive box players honest. For instance, Navarro’s ability to pull the ball from the running back and break contain is a good lesson for overzealous defensive ends about crashing to stop interior runs.For options in the passing game, longtime Bobcat and first-year slot receiver Chase Hendricks had a field day against the Scarlet Knights, making nine catches for 115 yards.Tight ends Jake Bruno and Mason Williams were major factors in the red zone against the Knights, scoring three times with Bruno scoring twice.
Also key to Ohio’s success last week was an offensive line which replaced four starters this season and did not allow a sack while paving the way to 6.5 yards per rush, albeit in tandem with Navarro being Navarro.Defensively, in light of breaking in a whole new front six and rotational players in a 4-2-5 scheme, Ohio played well in holding an excellent Rutgers offense to just 27 points (seven was scored on a blocked punt). Notably, Ohio surrendered just three points in the second half last week in a game contested until the end, which suggests improvement.
Ohio generally contained Rutgers’ big play potential, allowing a manageable number of explosive plays through the air and ground except for a 54-yard touchdown pass on a coverage breakdown.Discussing preparations for this week, Ohio radio play-by-play man Marty Bannister caught up with Ohio head coach Brian Smith recently. The Bobcat lead coach shared some of the practice plan in preparing for WVU’s talented tempo offense: “you try the best you can to simulate it. We’ll do some good-on-good so we can give ‘em (the defense) a chance of seeing some tempo at a good rate.”
Ohio will continue to build on the defense in Week 2, looking to solidify the rotation on the defensive line where new players made some contributions last week like defensive end Jay Crable, who had his first career sack.A final key in this one is special teams, where a few plays in the second quarter last week resulted in a blocked punt touchdown and tough field position on a kick return mishap.
Final Thoughts
As we noted in last week’s game recap, Parker Navarro said at the postgame press conference that the standard for Ohio football has been raised and they expected to beat Rutgers on the road.
The ‘Cats will have another opportunity to pass a tough test and have one distinct advantage this week: playing at home in front of an always loud Bobcat crowd.I think WVU may prove to be a better team than Rutgers, but either team has a chance to win here so whoever executes a little better and protects the ball will likely win.
Whatever happens, both teams should come out of this game with a valuable experience, knowing a lot more about who they are in 2025.
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