OHIO BOBCATS NOTES:
THE OPENING KICK
The Ohio football team (9-4, 7-1 MAC) is set to travel to Tucson, Ariz. on Dec. 30 for the Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl against the Wyoming
Cowboys (7-5, 5-3 MWC). Kickoff is set for 4:30 ET/2:30 MST at Arizona Stadium. The game can be seen on Barstool.TV with Jake Marsh, Dave Portnoy and Big Cat on the call; Caleb Pressley and Adam “Rone” Ferrone will be on the sideline. The Bobcats’ matchup can also be heard on the Ohio Sports Network from Learfield. Russ Eisenstein returns for his 15th season as the “Voice of the Bobcats” and will be joined by Ohio alum Rob Cornelius, who has been a part of the broadcasts for two decades.
SERIES HISTORY VS. WYOMING
The Bobcats and the Cowboys met twice in consecutive seasons, 2007 and 2008. The Cowboys engineered a fourth-quarter comeback to defeat Ohio, 34-33, in 2007. The following year, Ohio opened their season at Wyoming. The Cowboys pulled off another fourth-quarter comeback, defeating the
Bobcats 21-20.
SCOUTING WYOMING
Wyoming enters this matchup with the Bobcats with a 7-5 overall record and 5-3 against MWC opponents. Last time out, they fell to Fresno State, 30-0. Wyoming recorded 191 yards of total offense passing for 104 yards and rushing for 87 yards. Wyoming held Fresno State to only 297 yards of offense over 100 yards below their season average and 100 yards below their average yards passing per game at 183 for the night. The Cowboy defense was paced by Easton Gibbs with 12 tackles, as he went over 100 for the season becoming the 61st player in Wyoming history to record 100-plus tackles in a season. Oluwaseyi Omotosho recorded a career-high eight tackles including a sack. The Wyoming offense was paced by quarterback Andrew Peasley passing for 104 yards on 12-of-29 passing. Running back Titus Swen rushed for 75 yards going over 1,000 for the season. He is the 12th Cowboy to rush for 1,000 yards as that has been done 16 times. Wide receiver Josh Cobbs grabbed four passes for 23 yards. John Michael Gyllenborg recorded a career high three catches for 21 yards. Fresno State took the lead on the opening drive on a five-play, 66-yard drive ending in a four-yard run from Jordan Mims. Quarterback Jake Haener connected on a pair of passes for 33 yards on the drive to set up the score for the Bulldogs in the opening two minutes of the game. The Bulldogs took a 14-0 lead with 2:17 left in the first quarter on a Haener touchdown pass to Nikko Remigio from six yards out. The eightplay, 41-yard drive just set up by a partially blocked punt. Haener passed for 38-yards on the drive. Fresno State got pressure once again and blocked another Clayton Stewart punt this time for a safety to take a 16-0 lead four minutes into the second quarter. Mims would add another touchdown following the free kick and took a 23-0 lead with 8:28 remaining in the opening frame. That would be the score going into halftime, as Wyoming was held to 73 yards of total offense. Mims would score his third touchdown of the game from two yards out for a 30-0 contest with 7:55 remaining in the third quarter. On the season, the Cowboys are averaging 20.8 points per game; their opponents have been averaging 23.4 points per game. Wyoming averages 187.8 rushing yards
per game, while putting up an average of 127.8 yards per game through the air.
LAST TIME OUT
The Ohio football program fell to the Toledo Rockets in the Mid-American Conference Championship, 17-7. In the air, redshirt sophomore Quarterback CJ Harris finished the game 17-for-31 on 163 yards. Redshirt freshman running back Sieh Bangura led with four receptions while junior wide receiver Jacoby Jones accumulated 38 yards on three catches. Bangura also led the team on the ground, scoring Ohio’s only touchdown. He finished the game with 20 carries on 56 yards. Defensively, graduate student cornerback Zack Sanders led with 10 tackles and one tackle for loss while sixth year safety Alvin Floyd had six solo tackles and redshirt senior linebacker Bryce Houston recorded two tackles for loss. The Rockets struck on the first drive, taking an early 7-0 lead. With 6:47 remaining in the half, Bangura scored with a two-yard rushing
touchdown. Freshman kicker Nathanial Vakos followed with a good kick, tying the game 7-7. Just before halftime, Toledo kicked a 44-yard field goal to take a 10-3 lead. After a scoreless third quarter, the Rockets wrapped up a 16-play, 90-yard drive with a passing touchdown, taking a 10-point lead with 10:36 left in the game. Unable to score again, the Bobcats fell at Ford Field, 17-7.
SCOUTING OHIO
Currently, the Bobcats are 9-4 overall and 7-1 in MAC play. They average 31.92 points, 138.9 rushing yards and 285.31 passing yards per game.
Quarterback CJ Harris made his first collegiate start against Bowling Green (Nov. 22); on the season, he is 32-for-64 with one touchdown on 393 yards in the air. On the ground, Sieh Bangura has net 940 rushing yards with 12 touchdowns, Nolan McCormick has 303 rushing yards on 81
attempts, while Harris has three touchdowns on 116 yards. Sam Wiglusz leads the receivers with 69 catches and 11 touchdowns on 850 yards. Jacoby Jones has five touchdowns on 732 yards while James Bostic currently has 592 yards, 32 receptions and one touchdown. Keye Thompson leads the defense with 96 tackles, 45 of which are solo. He has three pass breakups, five quarterback hurries, two fumble recoveries and one forced fumble. Bryce Houston has 72 tackles, 11 tackles for loss and eight quarterback hurries while Alvin Floyd is just behind him with 70 tackles
and five pass breakups. Jack Wilson has 38 punts on the season, accumulating 1410 yards and averaging 37.11 yards per punt while Jonah Wieland
has recorded 621 yards on 16 punts. In 81 kickoffs, Tristian Vandenberg has recorded 4,880 yards and 31 touchbacks. Nathanial Vakos continues his strong freshman season, going 19-for-23 on field goals and 48-for-49 on PATs. So far this season, he’s scored 105 points.
NO. 1 PASSING OFFENSE IN THE MAC
The Bobcats the Mid-American Conference in pass completion percentage (65.6), yards (3,709) and average yards per game (285.3).
WIGLUSZ & JONES GET 100 YARDS EACH
Against Akron, the Bobcats finished the game with two 100+ yard receivers: graduate student Sam Wiglusz and junior Jacoby Jones. This marks the first time Ohio has had two 100-yard receivers in a game since 2013 against Eastern Michigan.
FOUR TDs FOR BANGURA
Redshirt freshman running back Sieh Bangura was unstoppable on Saturday’s game against Akron, recording four total touchdowns. Bangura led the team on the ground with three rushing touchdowns on 16 attempts, accumulating 90 yards. In the air, he made the most of his one reception, recording a touchdown and 25 receiving yards. His performance earned him MAC East Offensive Player of the Week honors (Oct. 10).
ROURKE ONE OF EIGHT QUARTERBACKS NAMED MANNING AWARD STARS OF THE WEEK
Manning Award, sponsored by the Allstate Sugar Bowl, has named eight quarterbacks as its “Stars of the Week.” Redshirt junior quarterback Kurtis Rourke earned this honor twice this season: first, for his performance in the Bobcats’ homecoming game against Akron (Oct. 8) and again for his performance against Buffalo (Nov. 1). Against Akron, Rourke finished the game 24-for27 with 427 yards in the air and three passing touchdowns, marking his fourth game over 300 yards. Against Buffalo, Rourke, who also ran for 45 yards, connected on three first-half touchdowns as the Bobcats build a 24-3 advantage on route to snapping Buffalo’s five-game winning streak in a 45-24 MAC victory. The Manning Award was created by the Allstate Sugar Bowl in 2004 to honor the college football accomplishments of Archie, Peyton and Eli Manning. It is the only quarterback award that includes the candidates’ bowl performances in its balloting. Since the Manning Award started recognizing Stars of the Week in 2011, 464 different quarterbacks from 129 schools have been recognized. Sixty-seven players from 66 different schools were honored during the 2021 season.
WIGLUSZ GOES FOR 100
Graduate student wide receiver Sam Wiglusz cross a milestone in his Bobcat career against Kent State (Oct. 1), recording 115 receiving yards.
Wiglusz recorded six receptions and one touchdown, setting another personal record with a 71-yard reception.
MAPLE MISSILE MAKES HISTORY
Saturday (Sept. 24) was a record-setting night for redshirt junior quarterback Kurtis Rourke. Not only did he break his personal career records for pass attempts (50) and pass completions (41) while matching his career high for passing touchdowns (4), the redshirt junior set a new single-game program high with 537 passing yards, breaking a record that was set in 1983. On the ground, Rourke finished the night with 10
carries, 45 yards and one touchdown. This performance earned Rourke his second MAC East Offensive Player of the Week title.
BOBCATS OFFENSE SETS RECORD
In addition to Kurtis Rourke’s single-game program best 537 passing yards against Fordham, Ohio’s offense broke the program record for total offensive yards in a single game with 692 yards. The 2018 Bobcats previously held the title, going for 664 offensive yards against UMass in 2018.
WILBURN RETURNS FOR RECORD
In addition to the offensive records set against the Fordham Rams (Sept. 24), redshirt sophomore wide receiver Keegan Wilburn made history with the third-longest kickoff return for a touchdown in program history at 98 yards. Three Bobcats have recorded 100-yard kickoff returns and one Bobcat recorded a 99-yard kickoff return.
JONES LEADS RECEIVERS AGAINST FORDHAM
Junior wide receiver Jacoby Jones closed nonconference play with a milestone, receiving over 100 yards in one game as a Bobcat. He also scored his first Ohio touchdowns. Jones, who transferred from Northwest Mississippi Community College, finished the game with 104 receiving yards, six receptions and two touchdowns.
MAC EAST SPECIAL TEAMS POW
Kicker Nathanial Vakos has been named MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week twice this season: once for her performance during his collegiate debut against Florida Atlantic (Sept. 3) and again after his 55-yard field goal against Western Michigan (Oct. 15). Vakos kicked off his collegiate career with a perfect game against Florida Atlantic (Sept. 3). The freshman was 2-for-2 on field goals, putting Ohio on the board in the first quarter with a 29-yard kick. With 1:24 remaining in the second quarter, Vakos’ second field goal attempt hit its mark, this time from 36 yards. He was also 5-for-5 in his PAT attempts. Vakos had another successful game for the Bobcats against Western Michigan (Oct. 15), going 3-for-3 on PATs and 4-for-5 on field goals. The freshman’s strong game was highlighted by a 55-yard field goal, marking a personal career high as well as tying him for the third-longest field goal in program history. Kicker Tristian Vandenberg earned MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week (Oct. 3) after his performance against Kent State. Vandenberg kicked for five kickoff returns, going for 259 yards. He averaged 51.8 yards per kick and recorded one touchback.
MAC EAST OFFENSIVE POW
Quarterback Kurtis Rourke has been named the MAC East Offensive Player of the Week three times this season: once for his performance against Florida Atlantic (Sept. 3), again for his record-setting outing against Fordham (Sept. 24) and most recently for his performance against Buffalo (Nov. 1). Rourke led the Bobcats to a 41-38 victory over the Owls (Sept. 3). The redshirt junior hit 345 passing yards and threw four touchdown passes, finishing the game 27-for-34 in the air. On the ground, he net 11 yards on 14 rushing attempts with one touchdown, putting him at five total. Against Fordham (Sept. 24), not only did Rourke break his personal career records for pass attempts (50) and pass completions (41) while matching his career high for passing touchdowns (4), the redshirt junior set a new single-game program high with 537 passing yards, breaking a record that was set in 1983. On the ground, Rourke finished the night with 10 carries, 45 yards and one touchdown.
Against Buffalo (Nov. 1), Rourke led the Bobcats to a 45-24 victory over the Buffalo Bulls. The redshirt junior finished the game 20-for-29
with five passing touchdowns on 317 yards, marking the first Ohio quarterback to throw five touchdowns in a game since 2008. On the ground, Rourke accumulated 45 yards on six carries. Running back Sieh Bangura earned MAC East Offensive Player of the Week two consecutive times after his performances during the Bobcats’ homecoming game against Akron (Oct. 8) and during their first road victory of the season against Western Michigan (Oct. 15). With four touchdowns, Bangura’s stellar offensive performance led the Bobcats to a 55-34 homecoming victory over Akron. The redshirt freshman led the team on the ground with three rushing touchdowns on 16 attempts, accumulating 90 yards. In the air, he made the most of his one reception, recording a touchdown and 25 receiving yards. Quarterback CJ Harris earned MAC East Offensive Player of the Week accolades for his performance against Bowling Green (Nov. 22). In Harris’ first career start, he lead the Bobcats to a 38-14 victory over Bowling Green, clinching the MAC East title and a spot in the championship game. The redshirt sophomore set personal records in every category, highlighted by passing yards (196), rushing yards (65) and touchdowns (4). Three of Harris’ touchdowns were rushing and one was in the air.
STRONG DEBUT FOR VAKOS
Kicker Nathanial Vakos earned MAC East Special Teams Player of the Week (Sept. 5) after his collegiate debut in the Bobcats’ 2022 season opener. The freshman was 2-for-2 on field goals, putting Ohio on the board in the first quarter with a 29-yard kick. With 1:24 remaining in the second quarter, Vakos’ second field goal attempt hit its mark, this time from 36 yards. He was also 5-for-5 in his PAT attempts.
SIEH BREAKS 100 YARDS
Running back Sieh Bangura kicked off the 2022 season with a milestone, rushing over 100 yards in one game for the first time in his collegiate
career. The redshirt freshman led the Bobcats with 114 net rushing yards, surpassing his total yards in the four games he played in during the 2021 season (93).
RECORD-SETTING DAY FOR ROURKE
Rourke led the Bobcats to a 41-38 victory over the Owls (Sept. 3). Rourke also broke multiple personal records, setting two career highs. The
redshirt junior hit 345 passing yards, surpassing his 308 yard record and threw four touchdown passes, beating his previous record of three. Overall, Rourke was 27-for-34 in the air. On the ground, he net 11 yards on 14 rushing attempts with one touchdown, putting him at five total.
WYOMING COWBOYS NOTES:
Wyoming vs. Ohio Preview
• Wyoming will be making its fifth bowl appearance in the last seven seasons when it plays Ohio in the 2022 Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl on Friday, Dec. 30. That is a school record.
• This year will be the second time the Cowboys have played in the Arizona Bowl. UW defeated Georgia State by a score of 38-17 in the 2019 Arizona Bowl.
• The Cowboys are looking for their fourth consecutive bowl victory having won the 2017 and 2021 Famous Idaho Potato Bowls and the 2019 Arizona Bowl. A win would mark the first time since the 1950s and ‘60s since Wyoming won four consecutive bowl games (1951 Gator Bowl and the 1956, ‘58 and ‘66 Sun Bowls).
• Wyoming and Ohio have played only twice previously, with the Cowboys coming away with one-point wins in both games — 34-33 in Athens, Ohio, in 2007 and 21-20 in Laramie, Wyo., in 2008.
• Ohio head coach Tim Albin worked with current Wyoming head coach Craig Bohl as assistants at Nebraska (2000-02) and Bohl hired Albin as his offensive coordinator at North Dakota State in 2004.
Wyoming Cowboys the Surprise
Team in the Mountain West in 2022: The Wyoming Cowboys were the surprise team of the 2002 season in the Mountain West Conference. Wyoming was picked to finish 5th in the Mountain Division in a preseason poll of conference media members. The Cowboys finished in 2nd place in the Mountain Division winning the tiebreaker vs. Utah State and Air Force. UW defeated every team but one in the Mountain Division — that one team being first place Boise State. No other team in the conference exceeded expectations like the Cowboys have, posting a 7-5 record and a 5-3 conference mark
Cowboys Earn Bowl Eligibility for the Sixth Time in Seven Seasons: The Wyoming Cowboys earned their sixth win of the 2022 season on Saturday, Oct. 29 with a 27-20 road victory over the Hawai’i Rainbow Warriors, and with that sixth win earned bowl eligibility for the sixth time in the past seven seasons. Under the direction of head coach Craig Bohl, Wyoming has appeared in the 2016 Poinsettia Bowl, the 2017 and 2021 Famous Idaho Potato Bowls and the 2019 and 2022 Arizona Bowls. Wyoming was also bowl eligible in 2018 with a 6-6 record but did not receive a bowl bid. Coach Bohl and his coaching staff are the only coaching staff in school history to win three bowl games (2017, ‘19 and ‘21) and are the only coaching staff to take Wyoming to five bowl games in a seven-year time span (2016-22)
Comeback Cowboys — Wyoming Has Five Come-From-Behind Wins in 2022: This year’s Wyoming Cowboys have shown an ability to comeback to win games. Wyoming has come from behind in five games this season to record wins. In Wyoming’s home game vs. Tulsa on Sept. 3, the Pokes trailed 34-24 with 14:52 remaining in the contest. Wyoming would win the game in double overtime (40-37). Against Air Force on Sept. 16, the Cowboys faced a 14-10 deficit with 9:58 remaining in the game. Wyoming came away with a 17-14 victory. On Oct. 8, Wyoming trailed New Mexico 14-0 in the first quarter before the Cowboys came back to score 27 unanswered points to win 27-14 in Albuquerque, N.M. At Hawai’i on Oct. 29, UW fell behind 10-0 in the second quarter, before fighting back to record a 27-20 road win. In its road game at Colorado State on Nov. 12, the Pokes fell behind 10-0 in the first half before rallying for a 14-13 victory
Cowboy-Ohio Series History: This year’s meeting between Wyoming and Ohio will be the third in history. The 2022 Meeting Will be the: Third Overall Series Record: UW leads 2-0 Series Began: Sept. 22, 2007
UW Record in Laramie: 1-0
UW Record in on Road: 1-0
UW Record at Neutral Site: 0-0
Longest UW Win Streak: 2 (2007-08)
Longest Ohio Win Streak: NA
Largest UW Margin of Victory: 1 (2007 & ‘08)
Largest Ohio Margin of Victory: NA
Most Points Scored by UW: 34 (2007)
Most Points Scored by Ohio: 33 (2008)
Wyoming is 11-5 Against Teams from the Mid-American Conference: Since 1996 when the Wyoming Cowboys first played a Mid-American Conference team in Western Michigan, the Cowboys are 11-5 alltime against current teams from the MAC. UW is 5-3 against MAC foes in Laramie, 4-2 on the road and 2-0 at neutral sites.
Dates Opponent Results
10/12/96 Western Michigan W, 42-28
9/16/00 Central Michigan W, 31-10
9/7/02 at Central Michigan L, 20-28
9/22/07 at Ohio W, 34-33
8/30/08 Ohio W, 21-10
9/27/08 Bowling Green L, 16-45
10/2/10 at Toledo W, 20-15
9/17/11 at Bowling Green W, 28-27
9/8/12 Toledo L, 31-34
9/12/15 Eastern Michigan L, 29-48
9/23/16 at Eastern Michigan L, 24-27
9/3/16 Northern Illinois W, 40-34 (3OT)
12/22/17 Central Michigan# W 37-14
9/11/21 at Northern Illinois W 50-43
9/18/21 Ball State W 45-12
12/21/21 Kent State# W 52-38
Indicates the 2017 and 2021 Famous Idaho
Potato Bowls
Series Records vs. MAC Teams
vs. Ball State 1-0
vs. Bowling Green 1-1
vs. Central Michigan 2-1
vs. Eastern Michigan 0-2
vs. Kent State 1-0
vs. Northern Illinois 2-0
vs. Ohio 2-0
vs. Toledo 1-1
vs. Western Michigan 1-0
Overall 11-5
About the Ohio Bobcats: The Ohio Bobcats won the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division this season with a 9-4 overall record and a 7-1 conference mark. Ohio ended the regular season winning its last seven games before losing a close 17-7 game vs. Toledo in the MAC Championship Game. Ohio led the Mid-American Conference in offense for the 2022 season and ranked No. 39 in the nation, averaging 424.0 yards of total offense per game. The Bobcats passing game keys its offensive attack, averaging 285.4 passing yards per game to rank No. 1 in the MAC and No. 18 in the nation. Bobcat Quarterback Kurtis Rourke was named the winner of the MAC Vern Smith Leadership Award as the top player in the conference. Rourke was also named the MAC Offensive Player of the Year in 2022. He unfortunately was injured in the Ball State game on Nov. 15 and was lost for the remainder of the season. Ohio head coach Tim Albin was also named the MAC Coach of the Year, and freshman running back Sieh Bangura was named the MAC Freshman of the Year.
