Penny Trautman · Ohio Insider · College Debut · Week 8
Meet Your Insider
Brick by brick, friends. I'm Penny Trautman, and I live in Athens, Ohio, where the streets are brick, the hills are green, and the Bobcats run the football like they're laying Court Street, one solid block at a time. I'm a brick-street archivist by hobby (it's a real hobby; I have a binder), and I chart this run game the same way. I travel with this team and I live with this team, and every week I'll bring you the players, the matchups, the history and the storylines with some hill-country wit and an unreasonable number of brick puns. When we win, I tap a brick for luck and grin. When we lose, I say "brick by brick" and start rebuilding by Monday. Welcome to the porch. One more thing: I'll always be honest with you, even when the mortar's cracked.
The School in 60 Seconds
Ohio is the senior member of the Mid-American Conference. The Bobcats have played home games at Peden Stadium since 1929, and CFBD lists it at 24,000 seats. The recent run has been one of the steadiest in the league: 10-4 in 2022, 10-3 in 2023, 11-3 in 2024 and 9-4 in 2025. That's four straight winning seasons stacked like good masonry. Saturday is the last Saturday home game at Peden this year, with a Senior Day celebration before kickoff and Heroes Day honoring military members and first responders. Bring a flag and a thank-you.
The Coach and the Scheme
John Hauser is in his first season as head coach; CFBD dates his hire to Dec. 26, 2025. His Bobcats run it with purpose: 207 rushing yards a game, 24th in FBS, 1,449 yards on 289 carries. The passing game is a supporting wall, 164.3 yards a game (126th). The defense allows 22.1 points (57th) and 337.1 yards (51st). One crack to fill: opponents convert 42.1% of third downs, 106th. And we play clean, 42.6 penalty yards a game, 18th-fewest. A tidy wall stands longer.
The season, brick by brick: we opened at Nebraska and lost 49-21, then beat Jacksonville State 29-27. A 41-36 loss at South Alabama followed, and since then it's been four straight wins: Stonehill 35-7, at Kent State 13-10, Central Michigan 31-14 and at Sacramento State 48-7. The Kent State game was a grinder, the kind you win with defense and patience. The Central Michigan game was the template: run the ball, avoid mistakes, and let the fourth quarter come to you. Turnovers have been even-ish, eight lost and five gained, and the pass rush has 13 sacks while allowing 12.
Players to Know
QB Nick Poulos: 38 of 68, 503 yards, 5 TD, no interceptions. Last week he went 11 of 14 for 165 and a touchdown, and ran five times for 48 yards.
RB Duncan Brune: 330 yards on 73 carries, 3 TD. Irving Brown ran eight times for 87 yards and a score at Sacramento State.
WR Riley Neer: 32 catches, 441 yards, 5 TD. Preston Bowman caught three for 94 and a touchdown last week.
LB Michael Molnar: a team-high 52 tackles and an interception. DE Ike Ackerman: 4.5 sacks.
The Conference Picture
Ohio is 5-2 and 3-0 in the MAC, and 3-0 at home. The losses were at Nebraska and at South Alabama, both outside the league. In the MAC we've beaten Kent State 13-10, Central Michigan 31-14 and Sacramento State 48-7. Eastern Michigan comes in 3-1 in the league, so this is a real conference test. Next is a trip to Akron on Nov. 3.
This Week: Eastern Michigan (4-4) at Ohio (5-2)
Saturday, Oct. 24 · 4 p.m. ET · Peden Stadium · ESPNU. Senior Day and Heroes Day.
Last week: we beat Sacramento State 48-7 out west. Eastern Michigan lost 34-14 to Toledo.
Our offense vs. their defense: EMU allows 142.3 rushing yards a game (71st) and 237 passing (106th). That is a street I'd like to pave.
Their offense vs. our defense: Noah Kim has 1,678 passing yards and 11 TD, and EMU converts 41.9% on third down. Our third-down defense, 106th, is the brick that has to hold. EMU's run game, 128th, gives our front a chance to make them one-dimensional.
Series: Ohio leads 22-12-1 in 35 meetings since 1976. We've won four straight, including 28-21 in Ypsilanti last year and 35-10 here in 2024. EMU's last win in the series was 27-20 in Athens in 2016. Last year in Ypsilanti, Parker Navarro threw for a career-high 315 yards, and receivers Rodney Harris and Chase Hendricks each went over 100. Different Bobcats this year, same goal.
Availability: no injury or availability report found for either team as of Oct. 18.
What decides it: (1) Our run game against a 71st-ranked run defense. (2) Third-down defense. (3) Poulos staying turnover-free.
And Imogen Tremblay, EMU's insider: I like your spreadsheet. I'll trade you a brick for a cell.
Local Flavor (unsponsored, not an ad)
In Athens on Saturday? Casa Nueva on West State Street is a long-loved local spot for a family meal.
My call: Ohio Bobcats 31, Eastern Michigan Eagles 19.