2018 DXL FRISCO BOWL
Ohio (8-4, 6-2 MAC) vs. San Diego State (7-5, 4-4 MOUNTAIN WEST)
Wednesday, December 19, 2018 • 8:00 pm ET • Frisco, Texas • Toyota Stadium (17,200)
ESPN Announcers: Kevin Brown (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), Kris Budden (sideline)
Watch Live
Ohio Notes: MAC Notes:
Ohio ended the regular season second in the MAC East Division with a 6-2 league-record, 8-4 overall. Bobcats head coach Frank Solich is in his 14th year leading the Ohio football program and is the third-winningest head coach in MAC history with an 105-75 record at Ohio. Last season Ohio defeated UAB 41-6 in the Bahamas Bowl. The Bobcats have been bowl eligible in 12 of the 14 years under Solich and will be making their 10th bowl appearance during his coaching tenure. Overall, Ohio will be making its 12th bowl appearance in school history.
Bobcats Notes:
• Ohio (8-4) is headed to Texas to compete against San Diego State (7-5) in the 2018 DXL Frisco Bowl on Wednesday, Dec. 19 at 8:00 pm ET at Toyota Stadium.
• The Bobcats are making their 12th bowl appearance in program history, 10th in the last 13 years and fourth in a row. Ohio has won three bowl games in its history, defeating Utah State, 24-23, in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in 2011, knocking off ULM, 45-14, in the Advocare V100 Independence Bowl in 2012 and rolling to a 41-6 win over UAB in the Bahamas Bowl last year.
• The DXL Frisco Bowl will mark Ohio’s first postseason matchup against a team out of the Mountain West Conference and will mark the first-ever meeting between the Bobcats and the Aztecs. Utah State is currently a member of the MWC but was a member of the Western Athletic Conference when the Bobcats beat them in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in 2011.
• Ohio is set to play its second bowl game in the state of Texas. The Bobcats made their first-ever bowl appearance in the 1962 Sun Bowl in El Paso, falling to West Texas State by a score of 15-14. The DXL Frisco Bowl marks Ohio’s third-ever game in played in Texas. The Bobcats beat North Texas in double overtime, 31-30, on Sept. 12, 2009.
• A victory over San Diego State would clinch Ohio’s second-straight season with at least nine wins and sixth nine-win season under 14th-year head coach Frank Solich. The Bobcats have clinched their 10th seven-win season under Solich’s watch.
• Ohio earned bowl eligibility for the 10th year in a row.
Ohio Perfect at Home: The Bobcats finished the 2018 regular season 6-0 in games played at Peden Stadium, winning all of their home games in a season for the first time since 1968. Ohio last went unbeaten at home in 1988, when the Bobcats finished their home schedule 3-0-1. Ohio averaged 49.7 points, 558.7 yards and 359.7 rushing yards per game at home this year.
High Scoring Offense: For the second year in a row, Ohio has put up video game-type numbers in terms of scoring and offense. The Bobcats lead the MAC in scoring offense (41.2 points per game; second-most in program history), total offense (470.7 yards per game; 5,647 total yards gained, third-most in program history), rushing offense (261.9 yards per game, sixth-most in program history; 3,143 rushing yards gained, sixth-most in prgram history) and pass efficiency (156.1 efficiency rating).
Taking Off: Ohio quarterback Nathan Rourke has reaffirmed his place as one of the MAC’s top quarterbacks. Rourke has completed 154-of-252 pass attempts (61.1 %, sixth-best in program history) for a career-high 2,228 yards (ninth-most in program history) and a career-high 22 touchdown passes (second-most in program history). He finished the regular season ranked fifth in the MAC in passing yards and third in passing touchdowns. His 185.7 passing yards per game rank as the ninth-highest average in program history while his 14.5 passing yards per completion lead the MAC and rank ninth nationally.
Rourke also ran for 816 yards (68.0 yard per game) to rank third on the team and leads the squad with 13 rushing touchdowns, the sixth-most in a single season in program history. In all, Rourke has accounted for 3,044 yards of total offense (fourth-most in program history), with his 253.7 yards per game of total offense ranking as the third-highest average in program history. He has been responsible for 35 total touchdowns in 2018, which is good for the third-most in program history.
