Rushing defense
While Ohio's option offense may be the last of a dying breed, they have effectively moved the football and scored all season long. The Bobcats have caused opposing defensive coordinators headaches all season from trying to figure out how to stop their unorthodox style.
This week, it will be OU Head Coach Brian Knorr, quarterback Dontrell Jackson, halfback Jamel Patterson, and the rest of the Bobcats offensive unit chugging Advils as they try to recover from the thorough beating the Bulls defense administered. Gibson and Rohlfs shot the gaps to derail the Bobcats ground game and did not miss a tackle all game.
Grade: A
Passing Defense
Two yards passing?? I'm sitting two yards from my computer right now, trying to figure out how the Bulls held any Division I team to such a pathetic total. Cover men were outstanding, giving up no separation to Bobcats wide-outs all day. Lineman Chris Shelly and linebacker Bobby Johnson brought the heat, forcing Jackson and backup QB Freddy Ray into poor decisions and even poorer passes.
Grade: A
Rushing Offense
The offensive line controlled the line of scrimmage throughout. Head Coach Jim Hofher has said on many occasions, "they all run the same when there aren't any holes. It's when they do have holes that you can see their different styles and talents."
Maquis Dwarte's quick shifty style complemented Derrick Gordon's straight-ahead power game and Albert Grundy's physical, brutish running style perfectly. All averaged well over 4.0 yards per carry and ran like they were on a mission.
Grade: A
Passing Offense
No Andre Forde? No Zeke McKine? No problem. Filling in for the two injured starting receivers, Maurice Bradford and Matt Knueven have stepped up admirably and are making strides each week. There was rhythm and timing to the passing game Saturday that was not evident earlier in the season. Freedy made all the right decisions and came through with some big plays. Knueven's 43-yard touchdown catch in the second quarter brought back shades of Drew Haddad in his heyday.
Grade: A
Special Teams
There were three tremendous hits Sunday, hits that kept momentum in favor of the home team and that Bobcats return man Jason Caesar won't be taking Advil for - he'll be taking Percoset.
If he had committed such violent acts on the street, Rodney Morris would be facing malicious wounding charges. No one in Buffalo has seen this type of fearsome special teams play out of an individual since Steve Tasker played for the Bills in the early 90s.
Pelz was near perfect, missing an extra point that would have made it 45-0, but at that point, did it really matter? By then his leg was probably tired anyway; he'd been kicking all day.
Grade: A
Coaching:
One cannot underestimate the job Hofher and his staff did on Saturday. The Bobcats have been putting up points all season against stiff competition. They rolled up 41 points against possibly Bowl-bound Toledo. Future Bobcats opponents will be studying this game extensively to see how exactly Thurmond Moore put a straight jacket on the third-ranked rushing offense in the nation.
Grade: A
Exam graded by Sports Editor Matt Albert, and will not be re-graded under any circumstances. No extra credit was necessary.
