By: WV Sports Chat Staff
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – The West Virginia Mountaineers (1-0, 0-0 Big 12) head to Athens, Ohio, this Saturday, for a Week 2 showdown against the Ohio Bobcats (0-1, 0-0 MAC) at Peden Stadium. Kickoff is set for 4:00 p.m. EST, with the game airing on ESPNU.
Coming off a dominant 45-3 victory over Robert Morris, the Mountaineers look to continue their momentum in what promises to be an intriguing non-conference matchup.
All of our WV Sports Chat staff correctly picked the Mountaineers to win last week – and we’re back again offering our previews and predictions for West Virginia vs Ohio.
Season Standings:
- Jonathan K. Martin 1-0
- Justin “Couz” Walker 1-0
- James Gravely 1-0
- Cole Livengood 1-0
- Shanna Rose 1-0
Jonathan K. Martin | It took West Virginia a half to get going – but once they did it was all systems go. This week, however, should pose a tougher challenge.
WVU’s offense, led by a strong running game and efficient passing, will exploit Ohio’s defensive weaknesses, particularly in the secondary. The Mountaineers’ defense, with its aggressive front seven, should contain Ohio quarterback Parker Navarro, forcing the Bobcats into uncomfortable passing situations.
Despite Ohio’s resilience and home-field advantage, WVU pulls away late to set the stage for the highly anticipated Backyard Brawl.
West Virginia 34 Ohio 24
Justin “Couz” Walker | The WVU football program will be traveling to Athens, Ohio for their first true road game against a non-power four opponent since facing Marshall in Huntington in 2010. The Ohio Bobcats are coming off three consecutive ten-win seasons and are the defending Mid-American Conference (MAC) champions. They return only eight starters from last year’s team, and their head coach, Tim Albin, left for Charlotte.
However, there is still continuity on the Bobcats coaching staff. The new head coach is former offensive coordinator, Brian Smith. Defensive coordinator, John Hauser, returned and the new offensive coordinator is Scott Ishpording, who has been on the staff for 13 years. That continuity seemed to show on Saturday. While Ohio lost the game to Rutgers 34-31, the Bobcats actually outgained the Scarlet Knights on offense by putting up 440 yards.
Ohio quarterback, Parker Navarro, was excellent in the game. The 6-foot senior was 21 of 31 passing, for 239 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions. He was also the team’s leading rusher with nine carries for 93 yards and a touchdown. Navarro is the best quarterback in the MAC according to Phil Steele and is one of the top signal callers in the entire G6 coming into 2025. Bobcat wide receiver, Chase Hendricks, caught nine passes for 115 yards, while running back Sieh Bangura rushed 16 times for 86 yards. Defensively, Ohio was led by senior, Adonis Williams Jr. The 6-foot-2 inch safety had 11 total tackles, with three of them solo. The defending MAC champs gave up 399 yards of total offense to the Scarlet Knights, including 252 in the air.
If the Mountaineer offense can solve the turnover & penalty problems that plagued them in game one, and the defense can contain Navarro – which I predict they will – they should come out of Athens with a victory.
See the video version of the game preview with the latest episode of the Gold & Blue Breakdown Show on Couz’s Corner.
West Virginia 34 Ohio 21
James Gravely | West Virginia is coming off a second half blowout against Robert Morris, while Ohio is coming off a disappointing loss to Rutgers.
West Virginia will clean up the offensive mistakes and make sure to hold on to the ball. Jahiem White and Cam Vaughn have a big day offensively and the WVU defense will have a lot of tape on Ohio’s offense. I expect WVU to force a couple turnovers in this game whether it be fumbles or INTs and walk away with a victory.
West Virginia 31 Ohio 16
Cole Livengood | The main worry for the Mountaineers heading into this game will be ball security. West Virginia lost three fumbles in the first half against RMU, and that can’t happen this week against an Ohio team that put up an amazing offensive performance against Rutgers last week.
The Bobcats split the run/pass game 50/50 last week against the Scarlet Knights and gained over 200 yards in both. Ohio finished 12th in FBS in rushing yards per game last season with 213 per game, and new coach Brian Smith looks to do much of the same this season.
One major advantage for West Virginia this week is that the Bobcats’ defense looked very weak against Rutgers. Ohio forced just one punt from the Scarlet Knights, which they took back for a touchdown, and recorded just one sack the entire game.
The Bobcats pulled off a great 17-point comeback to tie the game heading into the fourth quarter, but the offense saw just one possession in the fourth quarter thanks to two long fourth-quarter drives from Rutgers. I don’t think the Bobcats’ defense does this offense enough favors for this to be as close a game as the -2.5-point spread suggests it is.
West Virginia 34 Ohio 17
Shanna Rose | WVU is coming off an opening win over Robert Morris, while Ohio suffered a tough loss to Rutgers. The Mountaineers struggled in the first half offensively and were plagued by turnovers and penalties. WVU must fix its mistakes, or the Bobcats might give them a run for their money.
Nicco Marchiol had an excellent game last Saturday and appeared to mesh well with Cam Vaughn, who caught seven passes for 126 yards. Jaheim White led the running backs with 93 yards on 18 carries and is expected to have another solid performance against Ohio.
Defensively, WVU turned in a solid performance last week. For the Bobcats, quarterback Parker Navarro consistently puts up strong numbers and has the ability to make plays. Offensively, I think the Mountaineers will be too much for Ohio. WVU can get it done on the ground and through the air and has the ability to turn the Bobcats’ weaknesses into an advantage. Defensively, the Mountaineers’ secondary will get its first real challenge, but I think WVU’s defense will be too much to handle.
West Virginia 35 Ohio 17
