Ohio University does a really good job recruiting people, student-athletes and regular students, on the fact that the Bobcats are a Division 1 program. I thought, “Cool, even though I’ve never heard of this place before looking into it for my journalism degree, at least they have some standards for competition.” Then, I got there in the fall of 2008 and saw the difference between being a Division 1 school and a Mid-American Conference Division 1 school. Especially when it comes to football, you have a blueprint in your head of how certain traditions are supposed to go, i.e. tailgating. So, yes, to Ohio University’s credit, for the first home football game in 2008, there was a kickoff tailgate. However, it was confined to the 100-space parking lot on one side of the stadium. When I returned for the next home game, there was nothing, not one beaded necklace or cornhole game, to try and bolster the student crowd.
My first Ohio football game, all of those years ago! (Personal photo)
Since then, the Bobcats’ football team won the MAC East twice (’09, ’11), went to three bowl games (’09, ’10, ’11) and won their first bowl game in program history, the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl last December, which also marks the most prestigious linking of Ohio University and potatoes since ever. The men’s basketball team won the MAC Championship twice since ’08, beat Georgetown in 2010 for Ohio’s first-ever NCAA Tournament win and reached the Sweet 16 in 2012 (May God forever smile on you John Groce). The field hockey team went to the first-round of the NCAA’s as well. Bobcat supporters, new and old, have been basking in the glow of this success (and now there’s a lot more stuff to do before games). MACtion and MAC Attack is now something to be feared, not laughed at (in the right context).
Now, the football team is gearing up to play Penn State on Saturday. This game has received a lot of press mainly because it’s the first time the Nittany Lions are playing football since the Jerry Sandusky scandal shrouded Happy Valley in a cloud of darkness. Many people didn’t think they would be, or should be, playing football, but they will be, and Ohio (not Ohio State, thanks very much) will be on the other sideline. This is a national news story that the Bobcats are caught up in because they’re playing a certain team at a certain program-altering time.
When the national press needs to learn all they can about a smaller school, such as during the Bobcats’ Sweet 16 run, I’m brought back to earth about how much Ohio University is still off of the radar. One is how people refer to the university as Ohio U. Ohio State isn’t Ohio State U, is it? The pattern of most state universities goes like this: University of Florida, Florida State University. Florida is Florida, Florida State is Florida State. I understand publications need to make sure that they differentiate between Ohio University and Ohio State University. However, Manasseh Cutler knew what he was doing because the smaller, yet older brother of these two universities is, literally, the university of Ohio. As many Bobcats say, We Are Ohio. Ohio State is Ohio State. Call us Ohio or OU. End of story.
This is Ohio. (Personal Photo)
One slip-up that had me ROTFL is the Yahoo! Sports article about how Ohio (referred to as “Penn State opponent”) is wearing helmet stickers supporting victims of child abuse during the Penn State game. It’s a good story, but there was one glaring, but hilarious error that the writer calls Ohio’s athletic director Jim “Schnaus” when it is really Jim Schaus. This story was used all over the place, so now if you Google search Jim Schnaus, you get a bunch of entries with the wrong name.
My next point is about Tyler Tettleton. He’s the incredibly gifted Ohio quarterback that is slowly earning his due from the national media (click link, scroll to near the bottom of the page). But, Bobcat fans have had high hopes for him since we knew he’d be replacing big-haired Boo Jackson as a redshirt sophomore at the beginning of last season. I knew T-Tet was awesome before I had any idea who his dad was. But, in every article written about him, there’s always “son of Detroit/Texas catcher/All-Star Mickey Tettleton” as a qualifier. This is irritating because to me, Tyler is his own man and has his own accomplishments, but I can’t complain about the publicity for the program.
This is also Ohio sometimes. RIP Fest Season. (Personal Photo)
I’ll end with the error that I haven’t seen in OU vs. Penn State articles, but does come up occasionally is when the media (even people who cover the MAC regularly) call the MAC ‘the MAC Conference.’ MAC stands for Mid-American Conference, so it’s being called the Mid-American Conference Conference. Sad.
And this. (I have to stop looking through old photos. It’s making me miss college too much!) (Personal Photo)
Okay, I’m getting off of my soapbox now, until I find another reason to Stand Up and Cheer, cheer loud and long for old Ohio. (And I don’t approve of the title of this video either!)
No Cheering in the Press Box 
