What to know about the Ohio Bobcats, Georgia Southern football's bowl game opponent
Georgia Southern football is returning to bowl season for the second consecutive year.
The Eagles (6-6) are in need of a win. After Georgia Southern beat rival Georgia State in October to clinch bowl eligibility, the Eagles dropped each of its last four games to close the regular season. A win in the bowl game, though, not only gives Clay Helton his first bowl win since coming to Georgia Southern - he lost the Camellia Bowl to Buffalo last year after joining the program following his tenure as the head coach at USC - but also a signature moment for the coach in his second season at the helm.
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The Eagles drew the Ohio Bobcats in the Myrtle Beach Bowl. The game kicks off at 11 a.m. on Saturday, Dec. 16.
Here's everything you need to know about Ohio football:
Fast facts
Nickname: Bobcats
Conference: MAC
Head coach: Tim Albin (second season, 22-16 overall record)
Record: 9-3
Bowl record: 6-8
Record against Georgia Southern: N/A (No previous matchups)
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This season
Ohio enters as one of the top teams in the MAC, winning nine games and finishing second in the East Division to eventual conference title winner Miami (OH). It's the second consecutive year with nine wins or better for the Bobcats, finishing last season 10-4 in their second year under Tim Albin.
Ohio lost its season opener to San Diego State in Week 0 back in August, but rattled off five straight wins as a response. The Bobcats clinched bowl eligibility in late October with a win over Western Michigan, sandwiched between their two other losses: to Northern Illinois and Miami (OH).
Program history
Ohio carries a 6-8 bowl record into the Myrtle Beach Bowl, with the bulk of the program's success coming under legendary coach Frank Solich.
Under Solich, the Bobcats went to 11 bowls, winning five. Solich's first bowl in 2006 ended a 38-year drought for the program, while his first win - in the 2011 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl against Utah State - was Ohio's first bowl win in program history.
The Bobcats have won four straight bowls, with three coming under Solich, and the last under Albin, who replaced Solich after his retirement following the 2020 season.
This article originally appeared on The Courier: What to know about Ohio, Georgia Southern football's bowl opponent
