By Brian Grady
Special to FOX Sports Ohio
Friday, December 17th, 2010
The battle at New Orleans will feature two wild and dynamic offensive methods. One features the run. The other will rely heavily on the pass.
Ohio versus Troy will likely be an offensive bowl game, and whoever dominates time of possession will also dominate the score.
WHEN OHIO IS ON OFFENSE
QB Boo Jackson's performance typically distinguishes a win from a loss. A leader in pass efficiency (131.4), Jackson also proved his versatility in the game against the Buffalo Bulls where he ran, caught, and threw the ball for four touchdowns.
Despite anticipation for the bowl game, this senior may have already had his last hoorah. It started with a facial injury following a skirmish outside a local bar. Then came the painful and unexpected loss to Kent State, in which he was dropped seven times in the backfield and intercepted twice. And then local reporter and Twitter master Jason Arkley broke the news that Jackson missed Tuesday's flight to New Orleans to "tie up some academic loose ends." If Jackson doesn't play, QB Phil Bates will take his spot in the pocket.
Jackson brings balance and spontaneity to the field. Without him, Ohio's game looks one-dimensional and totally run-oriented. Bates took 95 snaps as quarterback this year, and only attempted to pass 22 times while netting 508 yards on the ground.
Ohio's ground game is powerful. The diversity of Ohio's backfield is unpredictable, with Vince Davidson, Phil Bates, Boo Jackson, Donte Harden, Ryan Boykin and Dallas Brown all getting significant amounts of playing time as running backs in 2010. No one Bobcat has negative net yardage this season, totaling 2030 yards as a whole.
Trickery is the name of their game. It's no surprise to see option read plays, option runs, double reverses, end-arounds and fake punts all in the same quarter.
WHEN THE TROJANS ARE ON OFFENSE
The Trojans get to the point quick. They're a big play team with a pitcher who finds his receivers like a needle in the haystack. QB Corey Robinson has thrown 3,339 yards this season, with the help of his receiving corps.
Led by WR Jerrel Jernigan's 774 yards, four receivers have each cranked out 400 yards or more this season, and combine for 18 touchdowns. The team as a whole caught 29 TDs.
Troy's most dangerous weapons are multi-faceted Jerrel Jernigan and RB Shawn Southward.
Apart from his 774 receiving yards, Jernigan averages 7.3 yards per rush. He is an aggressive punt and kick returner, and even tried his hand, successfully, at quarterback. Jernigan totaled 10 touchdowns and 2,022 yards this season alone.
RB Southward leads the run game with 568 yards and also makes a significant contribution as a receiver.
One thing's for certain. The Trojan offense is barreling into this game with confidence, and momentum driven by their fifth Sun Belt Championship title.
WHEN OHIO IS ON DEFENSE
The Bobcat defensive front is a veteran front, made up entirely of seniors. The Trojan offense should not expect any bit of senioritis from these guys. They are driven by passion, and love for the game. Ohio DE Dak Notestine (#51) is only one story. The man played through a shoulder injury for most of the season, sitting out practices, but desecrated the backfield once the ball was snapped.
Look for Stafford Gatling (#36) in the backfield, too. Trojan QB Robinson rushed for -105 yards this season, and we can expect that number to keep going down on Gatling's watch. The bulldozer led the team with seven sacks and 13.5 tackles for loss.
The Bobcats are 14th in the nation in rushing defense, and known for its persistent goal line stops. But this won't matter much Saturday, because Ohio's secondary will be tested by the Trojan pass addiction.
Ohio's secondary can overcome challenges however. Captain Noah Keller injured his leg after playing OSU and Gerald Moore, last year's leader in interceptions, was injured at the start of the season.
"It was definitely an adjustment," said Ohio safety Donovan Fletcher. "Our second and third team guys get treated like starters in practice reps. We have trust in all 11 guys we put out there on defense. That's just the way it is here.
The invisibles stepped up. Senior captain Donovan Fletcher snagged five interceptions in the first seven games. Hilton Dawson III also came out of nowhere with a couple crucial snags, and CB Julian Posey (#9) deflected 12 passes. Despite a decrease in defensive scores and total interceptions
