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2018 Ohio

9–⁠4 (6–⁠2 Mid-American Conference), coached by Frank Solich.

Schedule and results

Ohio in 2018, game by game: won vs. Howard 38–32; lost at Virginia 31–45; lost at Cincinnati 30–34; won vs. Massachusetts 58–42; won at Kent State 27–26; lost at Northern Illinois 21–24; won vs. Bowling Green 49–14; won vs. Ball State 52–14; won at Western Michigan 59–14; lost at Miami (OH) 28–30; won vs. Buffalo 52–17; won vs. Akron 49–28; won vs. San Diego State 27–0+45−14Won 38–32 vs. Howard+6HowardLost 31–45 at Virginia-14VirginiaLost 30–34 at Cincinnati-4CincinnatiWon 58–42 vs. Massachusetts+16MassachusettsWon 27–26 at Kent State+1Kent StateLost 21–24 at Northern Illinois-3Northern Illino…Won 49–14 vs. Bowling Green+35Bowling GreenWon 52–14 vs. Ball State+38Ball StateWon 59–14 at Western Michigan+45Western MichiganLost 28–30 at Miami (OH)-2Miami (OH)Won 52–17 vs. Buffalo+35BuffaloWon 49–28 vs. Akron+21AkronWon 27–0 vs. San Diego State+27San Diego State
Each game’s margin, wins above the line and losses below.
DateOpponentResultElo
Sep 1vsHowardW 38–⁠3286%
Sep 15atVirginiaL 31–⁠4556%
Sep 22atCincinnatiL 30–⁠3449%
Sep 29vsMassachusettsW 58–⁠4272%
Oct 6atKent StateW 27–⁠2672%
Oct 13atNorthern IllinoisL 21–⁠2446%
Oct 20vsBowling GreenW 49–⁠1483%
Oct 25vsBall StateW 52–⁠1482%
Nov 1atWestern MichiganW 59–⁠1445%
Nov 7atMiami (OH)L 28–⁠3060%
Nov 14vsBuffaloW 52–⁠1754%
Nov 23vsAkronW 49–⁠2886%
Dec 19Bowls & playoffvsSan Diego StateFrisco BowlW 27–⁠057%

Elo: a pregame chance from scores alone.

How it ended: Beat San Diego State 27–⁠0 in the Frisco Bowl; unranked in the final AP poll; tied for 2nd in the Mid-American Conference.

In program history: The 3rd-best season in program history by end-of-season Elo (of 93 on file).

Record
9–⁠4
Conference
6–⁠2 tied for 2nd in Mid-American Conference
AP final
Unranked
Points
521–⁠320
Coach
Frank Solich
Elo
1632 +84 this season
SP+ rating
4.0 No. 54 of 130; offense No. 16, defense No. 107, special teams No. 38
SRS
3.8 No. 50 of 130 in FBS
Returning
72% of last season’s EPA, No. 48 of 130
Recruiting class
No. 121 roster talent No. 117 in FBS
Offensive coordinator
Tim Albin
Defensive coordinators
Jim Burrow and Ron Collins
Captains
Kent Berger, Evan Croutch, Javon Hagan, Joe Lowry, A.J. Ouellette and Nathan Rourke
Offense
Spread option
Defense
4–⁠3

How good, play by play

  • Offense6th of 130
  • Defense78th of 130
  • Offense, opponent-adjusted7th of 130
  • Defense, opponent-adjusted103rd of 130
EPA per playSuccessExplosivenessFBS rank
Offense0.2953%1.236th of 130
Defense0.1343%1.2878th of 130
Opponent-adjusted0.23 off
0.16 def		51% off
45% def		—7th off
103rd def
How these are measured

Play-weighted averages over games against FBS opponents; raw numbers, not adjusted for the strength of the opponent. EPA (expected points added) measures how much each play changed the expected score; success rate counts plays that kept the offense on schedule; explosiveness is the average EPA on successful plays. Lower is better on defense. Ranked by EPA per play among teams that were FBS that season. The opponent-adjusted row (offense / defense) is CollegeFootballData.com’s WEPA, which accounts for who each team played.

Drives and havoc

Points per trip inside the 40Average startHavoc
Offense4.8own 3113% allowed
Defense3.8own 2620% caused

CORE rating 4.2, 38th of 130 (offense 12.8, defense 8.6).

A trip inside the 40 is a drive that reaches the opponent’s 40-yard line; points per trip is how many it scored on average (allowed, on defense). Average start is where drives began (the defense’s line is where its opponents started). Havoc is the share of plays ending in a tackle for loss, a forced fumble, an interception or a pass broken up. CORE is CollegeFootballData.com’s context- and opponent-adjusted rating (points better than an average team; lower is better on defense). From CollegeFootballData.com.

Leaders

Passing yardsNathan Rourke QB2,431 yds
Passing touchdownsNathan Rourke QB23 TD
Rushing yardsA.J. Ouellette RB1,306 yds
Rushing touchdownsNathan Rourke QB15 TD
Receiving yardsPapi White WR987 yds
Receiving touchdownsPapi White WR9 TD
TacklesEvan Croutch LB86 tkl
SacksEvan Croutch LB5.5 sacks
InterceptionsEvan Croutch LB2 INT

Top recruits in the 2018 class

Jeremiah Wood CB★★★No. 1871
Jamison Collier ATH★★★No. 2120
Shane Hooks WR★★★No. 2162
Alec Burton TE★★★No. 2237
Bryce Stai TE★★No. 2397

247Sports composite rankings via CollegeFootballData.com; national rank in the class.

The 2018 class by position

SignedStarsRating
Quarterbacks12.00.790
Receivers52.40.787
Offensive line42.00.783
Defensive line12.00.780
Linebackers32.00.775
Defensive backs32.30.790
Athletes and specialists22.50.783
Whole class192.20.784

High-school signees by position group, with their average stars and 247Sports composite rating (out of 1), via CollegeFootballData.com. Athletes are signees with no set position.

Roster 112

The 2018 roster

112 players, with numbers, heights, hometowns and each player’s 2018 line; 67 have a stat line. See the roster

2018 Mid-American Conference standings

Conference page
TeamConf.OverallAP final
Buffalo7–⁠110–⁠4
Ohio6–⁠29–⁠4
Northern Illinois6–⁠28–⁠6
Miami (OH)6–⁠26–⁠6
Toledo5–⁠37–⁠6
Western Michigan5–⁠37–⁠6
Eastern Michigan5–⁠37–⁠6
Ball State3–⁠54–⁠8
Akron2–⁠64–⁠8
Bowling Green2–⁠63–⁠9
Kent State1–⁠72–⁠10
Central Michigan0–⁠81–⁠11

Ordered by conference winning percentage, then conference wins. Division splits and tiebreakers aren’t applied.