October 18, 2018

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 18, 2018

homecoming Edition Homecoming is upon us. ‘The Post’ brings you stories from Court Street to Peden Stadium and everywhere in between

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Events that shaped OU in the ‘60s and ‘70s P8 The return of Maleek Irons P20 Revisiting Ohio’s Penn State upset P22

FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK

Happy Homecoming from your friends at ‘The Post’

h LAUREN FISHER EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

earing from alumni is, by far, one of the best parts of my job.

Usually, the messages come in the form of emails from former students looking for decades-old photos in our archives. Sometimes, it’s a note from an old reader, or an impromptu newsroom visit from Posties who just wanted to drop by the old stomping grounds.

We spend a lot of time stuck in the monotony of reporting: covering events, keeping tabs on facts and figures, and searching for the next big story. But every once and a while — especially around Homecoming — the stories come to us.

A few weeks ago, the newsroom’s front desk phone rang with a call from OU alumnus Casey Buchanan, who wanted to tell us about the organic hops farm he started with another OU grad. The 23-acre farm, just a short drive away in Albany, now supplies local breweries. But in a few years, the duo hopes they can open their own brewery.

Shortly after that phone call, I opened up my inbox to find an email from Michael Black, a 1990s grad. Although he admitted he was “a little shy” about reaching out, friends and family had encouraged him to tell his story.

And we’re glad he did.

Michael hails from Santiago, Chile — a 12-14 hour flight from Ohio, he tells me — and graduated from OU with a master’s degree more than 25 years ago. Having fallen in love with OU and the Athens community, he worked tirelessly to make sure his son could attend OU just like him. Another son soon followed the same path, and this year, their daughter Julia embarked on her freshman year.

I think it’s stories like these that remind us of what the “Athens State of Mind” really means. You can read more about the alumni-owned hops farm in this issue, and I encourage you to visit thepostathens.com to read more about how the Black family found their second home in Athens.

To current students: Remember that

Homecoming isn’t just for the alumni. Before you know it, you’ll be a grouchy, old senior like me, wishing you wouldn’t have slept through your first two parades. Get up early Saturday, go to the parade and actually stay through halftime at the football game. You’ll be exhausted, but I promise it’ll be worth it.

To all the alumni who have made their way back to Athens: You’ve probably noticed that this copy of The Post you’re holding is a bit different from the ones you used to read.

I can assure you, however, that our spirit hasn’t changed. We’re happy to continue bringing you the news you need to get acquainted with your alma mater.

Welcome back, and happy Homecoming!

Lauren Fisher is a senior studying journalism at Ohio University and the editorin-chief of The Post. Have questions? Email Lauren at lf966614@ohio.edu or tweet her @ Lauren__Fisher.

Cover by Art Department

EDITOR-IN-CHIEF LAUREN FISHER MANAGING EDITOR Maddie Capron DIGITAL MANAGING EDITOR Alex McCann ASST. MANAGING EDITOR Jessica Hill CREATIVE DIRECTOR Abby Gordon EDITORIAL NEWS EDITORS Sarah M. Penix, Ellen Wagner INVESTIGATIVE EDITOR Bailey Gallion SPORTS EDITOR Spencer Holbrook CULTURE EDITOR Alexis Eichelberger OPINION EDITOR Chuck Greenlee COPY CHIEF Laila Riaz ART ART DIRECTOR Abbey Phillips GRAPHICS EDITOR Riley Scott DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY Meagan Hall DIGITAL DIGITAL PRODUCTION EDITOR Megan Knapp SOCIAL MEDIA DIRECTOR Kate Ansel BLOGS EDITOR Georgia Davis MULTIMEDIA EDITOR Alex Penrose DIRECTOR OF PODCASTS Madeleine Peck

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Alumni connect throughout country TAYLOR JOHNSTON FOR THE POST

a

fter graduating from college, many former students register to be a part of the Ohio University Alumni Association.

According to the 2018 OU Factbook, about 237,000 alumni live in the United States and about 8,600 live internationally.

The five states that have the most OU alumni are Ohio, with about 144,700 alumni; California, with about 8,000; Florida, with about 8,000;

Pennsylvania, with about 7,000 and New York, with about 5,000.

Erica Lipscomb, the associate director for external relations of the OU Alumni Association, said the association is more than 150 years old.

“We have alumni all across the country and the globe,” she said in an email. “We (also) have 54 alumni chapters and societies, all are led by alumni volunteers.”

Membership to the association is free to all OU graduates.

As a member of the association, one can take part in events and services, Lipscomb said.

“Each year the OAA, in partnership with our volunteer groups, campus partners, hosts close to 300 events a year,” she said in an email. “These events range from professional networking, student networking, family outings, game watches, as well as community service projects.”

Other benefits of being in the association includes discounts on services such as banking, insurance and travel, according to the OU Alumni Association’s website.

@TF_JOHNSTON TJ369915@OHIO.EDU

Top 10 counties of alumni residence in Ohio FRANKLIN 19,994 CUYAHOGA 13,513 ATHENS 11,185

ROSS 5,003 MUSKINGUM 4,628 MONTGOMERY 4,171

FAIRFIELD 7,126

SUMMIT 4,028

HAMILTON 6,149

DELAWARE 4,013

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 3

ODDS AND ENDS

‘Boring’ news sources are on the menu CHUCK GREENLEE is a senior studying communication studies at Ohio University.

You’ve probably heard of the dastardly term “fake news.” You can’t escape it, it’s everywhere: Facebook, news and day-to-day conversations.

You’re likely to hear someone spout off the two words that have taken off in popularity since the 2016 presidential election.

This isn’t going to be some overzealous rant telling you how only Fox News is fake news or how CNN’s left-leaning bias makes it uncredible.

No, this is just a quick bit to fill up the page space, talking about the importance of having more than one go-to for your information. It’s true, you’re likely only to seek information from sources that align with your scope of the world — the person writing this is very guilty of that far too often.

There’s just so much fantastic reporting that goes over our heads in the slew of information being thrown at us. Publications with relatively

phenomenal objective reporting, like Roll Call and FiveThirtyEight are often overlooked because they have a tendency to make the news less sexy than other outlets make it seem. If you’re reading two articles about the same topic and one is far less exciting than the other, the more boring one may hold more factual stake in regard for the lack of glamour it has.

Sometimes boring news is good news. Which, yes, isn’t exciting, but you may remember Michael Wolff’s Fire and Fury ­ — a scathing commentary from inside President Trump’s White House — lit up social media when it was released. You may recall an excerpt from that book about a TV channel in the White House that exclusively plays the best “gorilla content.” It’s fake, but Wolff went on and wrote it. Why? Hard to say, but the oversensationalism in the book makes it complete hogwash com-

pared to the sort of objective reporting Wolff could have done. Yet he went along with what would sell more copies, and you can’t knock him for knowing what would sell.

As fun as the Gorilla Channel sounds, take a step back when you are taking in the news these days. The news never sleeps, and it feels like we don’t either. But if it feels like the news is hopped up on something, make sure you find a source that feels a bit more subdued than the one that feels like a 10-year-old on his eighth bottle of Mountain Dew ­— because you really don’t ever believe a 10-year-old on a sugar high.

Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What do you think of “boring” news sources? Let Chuck know by tweeting him @chuck_greenlee.

NOAH’S ARK

‘Halloween’ defines the slasher genre It’s October, and, naturally, horror movies are a huge topic of discussion.

One franchise in particular is getting a lot of recognition due to a brand-new sequel: Halloween. That sequel — a direct follow-up that’s coming out 40 years afNOAH ter the original — will be fully released in WRIGHT the U.S. on Friday. While the rest of the is an series’ nine films leave much to be deundecided sired, John Carpenter’s 1978 original is a sophomore defining film of the slasher genre. studying at Ohio For starters, the lore behind Michael University.

Myers — the knife-wielding psychopath who serves as Halloween’s main character and could be dubbed either the protagonist or antagonist — is far stronger than any similar characters across the genre.

When Carpenter was creating Halloween, he did not rely on the supernatural for the killer’s backstory like Friday the 13th and Nightmare on Elm Street. Carpenter paints Myers as a person who was born violent and evil and nothing more. That makes him more terrifying than his supernatural counterparts because he is more believable.

Along with the strength of Myers’ backstory, the simplicity and creepiness of his physical appearance sets him above the rest. The sequels and remakes, especially Rob Zombie’s 2008 rendition, have strayed from the original picture the first Halloween painted of Myers as more man than monster.

Of average height and wearing a minimalistic white mask 4 / OCT. 18, 2018

and a mechanic’s jumpsuit, his stiff walk was so unsettling because of how simple yet practical it was.

It’s important to consider the time period. In 1978, none of the cliches of the slasher genre existed. Instead, films that followed Halloween copied its plot, turning things like promiscuous teenagers and a killer who seems impossible to stop into the cliches we know today.

One impressive aspect of Halloween is Carpenter’s use of space. He filmed the movie in a Californian suburb during the spring and managed to turn it into a chilly fall night in the Midwest. Even more impressively, the whole thing was done in only 21 days. This small and inconvenient setting would sink most films, but Halloween uses the neighborhood to its fullest potential. Instead of having some sprawling forest to run off into, Myers’ victims seem trapped in their own home with no hope of escape. Additionally, the idea of a masked lunatic freely entering the homes of your and your neighbors is incredibly unsettling.

Instead of being bogged down by a small filming location, Carpenter turns it into one of the film’s biggest strengths.

The actors in Halloween were given a simple but difficult task: play the role of convincing teenagers while displaying compelling terror. Both of those things are usually severely lacking in slasher films when actors in their mid-20s playing cheesy teens display completely over-the-top fear, thus derailing whatever potential a movie had. The small-time names in Halloween almost completely avoid these setbacks, especially lead actress

Jamie Lee Curtis, who was incredibly convincing when confronted by Michael Myers.

Perhaps the most important thing Halloween got right was the score. Following the filming of Halloween, producers told Carpenter bluntly that there was nothing scary about his film. However, there was one crucial detail still missing in the rough edit viewed by producers.

The iconic score was yet to be added to it, and it is a societal staple in all things evil. The 5/4 beat played on the piano is now synonymous with Michael Myers, and the film would not work without it. The simple melody that plays every time Myers makes an appearance instantly evokes a feeling of dread in the audience. Myers would be a pretty jarring figure on his own, but the music behind him makes him an ominous, terrifying monster and truly brings the film together in a sinister harmony most movies can’t achieve Halloween began as a low-budget, B-list project, the kind of film you’d expect cheap scares and bad acting from. Instead, it emerged as the pinnacle of what slasher films should be. It’s simple and direct in every way, but it manages to evoke horror in an artistic manner that flashy, modern movies still can’t get right.

Please note that the views and opinions of the columnists do not reflect those of The Post. What do you think of the original Halloween film? Let Noah know by tweeting him @NoahCampaign.

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The Homecoming survival guide GEORGIA DAVIS BLOGS EDITOR

O

ne of the long-awaited weekends of Fall Semester is here: Homecoming. Alumni will flock to Athens to visit old friends and the city’s mainstays. But the weekend is not just for those who attended before us.

Organizations take up their own traditions and students find reasons to celebrate any time of the week. For those who have never experienced OU Homecoming, better known as “hOUmecoming,” there are a few things you should keep in mind: GO TO BED EARLY Most of the Homecoming festivities are Saturday, and they start at the crack of dawn. If you’re in an organization or just have really fun friends, chances are you’ll wake up at 5 a.m. to partake in kegs and eggs.

The tradition is exactly what it sounds like: alcohol and breakfast foods.

The reason it happens so early is because of the parade, but we’ll get to that later. A good night’s sleep will prepare your body for the gauntlet you’ll put it through the next day.

HYDRATE You can prepare yourself by drinking only water the day before. Keep a water bottle nearby and don’t be afraid to take it with you to kegs and eggs. You might get made fun of by your peers, but at least you won’t be the one puking in the bushes.

GO TO THE PARADE Even if you had too much fun at kegs and eggs, the OU Homecoming parade

is a must-see. Fellow Bobcats on the Homecoming Court will don their best attire and ride in the fanciest cars, but of course it’s the Marching 110 that will steal the show. Alumni march alongside current 110 members, making it a sight to be seen.

TAKE A NAP By the end of the parade, you’ll be sleepy, fighting a hangover or both.

That’s when you know it’s time to take a nap. Afterall, you did have to wake up at 5 a.m.

GO TO THE FOOTBALL GAME — AND STAY Set an alarm just in time to go to the football game. The stadium will be packed, but there’s no better way to show your OU pride than by hanging out with alumni.

The alumni 110 members also perform at halftime, and it’s cool to see the field filled with so many people. Unlike the usual tradition of leaving at halftime, stick around until the end of the game.

Not many people can say they’ve stuck around for a full game, so it’s something to add to your Bobcat bucket list.

SAY ‘HI’ TO ALUMNI It will probably be easy to spot the alumni because they’ll be taking up spots at your favorite bars and restaurants. Though it might seem annoying at first, remember this was once their home too. Say hi to them. You never know who you might meet, and after all, we are all one big Bobcat family.

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POLICE BLOTTER

Black walnut tree stolen; two people caught drinking beer in park JACKIE OSBORNE SLOT EDITOR

by intoxication and taken to Southeastern Ohio Regional Jail pending her sobriety.

Aw nuts! On Saturday, the sheriff’s office took a report of a stolen black walnut tree from a residence on Jordan Run Road.

According to the report, the tree had been cut down and stolen from the property.

DAY IN THE PARK The sheriff’s office responded to Albany Park for two individuals consuming alcohol last Wednesday.

Deputies made contact with the individuals as they sat at a table and were advised that they could not drink beer in the park, according to the report.

HELPING A NEIGHBOR The sheriff’s office responded to a report of a suspicious man on Porter Lane on Thursday.

The man was going door to door asking for gas money. Deputies located the vehicle and found out the man was a nearby residence, according to the report. He was advised to stop going door-to-door.

NOT SAFE MONEY On Saturday, the sheriff’s office received a call about a money safe and cash register found on Salem Road.

According to the report, the items were determined to be part of an ongoing inves-

LOST AND FOUND On Friday, the Athens County Sheriff’s Office took a report of a truck that was stolen on Oak Street.

The next day, the sheriff’s office received a call from Ohio State Highway

DRINKING TROUBLE While on patrol, an Ohio University Police Department officer came in contact with an intoxicated student near Kurtz Street on Saturday at 1 a.m.

According to the report, the officer observed she was unsteady on her feet, was slurring her speech and smelled of alcohol.

She was arrested for disorderly conduct

tigation by the Athens Police Department.

Patrol that the truck was located on U.S.33 in Hocking County, according to the report. The sheriff’s office contacted the owner of the vehicle to pick it up.

BATTERY GONE The sheriff’s office responded to State Route 56 for a theft report of a battery Thursday.

According to the report, machinery parked at the location had its battery missing and had the gas tank tampered with. The incident is currently under investigation and patrols in the area plan to be increased by the sheriff’s office.

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NEWS BRIEFS

Sexual assault reported; rehab center to open SARAH M. PENIX NEWS EDITOR OUPD RECEIVES SIXTH SEXUAL ASSAULT REPORT The Ohio University Police Department took a report of rape Saturday.

According to the OUPD police log, the subject received unwanted contact by a known person in Treudley Hall.

There have been 20 reports of sexual assault sent to OUPD and the Athens Police Department since Aug. 25.

This is OUPD’s sixth report of sexual assault — five reports of rape and one report of gross sexual imposition. APD has received 14 reports of sexual assault — 10 reports of rape and four reports of sexual imposition or assault.

FORMER HOCKING CORRECTIONAL FACILITY TO OPEN AS REHABILITATION CENTER FOR WOMEN The former Hocking Correctional Facility will become a rehabilitation center for women in the region who are struggling with drug addiction and have been charged with a misdemeanor, according to officials at a meeting Monday.

Rick Hodges, health policy executive 6 / OCT. 18, 2018

in residence, led the discussion of what the building will be used for, what organizations would be participating and helping the new space, as well as other issues such as who can be housed there and how it will be funded.

Hodges said the project began back in March. Nineteen community organizations have come together so far in an effort to help move this project forward, some of which include the STAR Community Justice Center, Hopewell Health Center and the Hocking County Municipal Court. It is set to open sometime next year.

The facility is meant to complement the local jails, not compete with them.

“There is a dire need to have a facility to house females,” Lanny North, Hocking County sheriff, said.

It is going to offer vocational programs; such as plumbing, heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC), electrical and welding through STAR Community Justice Center.

The facility will include 210 beds on two floors for the jail. For the Community Based Correctional Facility, or CBCF, there will be 100 beds. North said if there are any extra beds, they can help make up for the lack of beds for women in the

county jail.

There is a $1.1 million grant for the project as well as a $200,000 planning grant from Hopewell Health Center.

PROFESSOR AND PALEONTOLOGIST NANCY STEVENS TO SPEAK AT 2018 FALL COMMENCEMENT Ohio University announced Nancy Stevens as the 2018 Fall Commencement speaker on Thursday.

Stevens, a professor at the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine and a paleontologist, has made several discoveries of species and conducted field research in more than a dozen countries in Africa and the Middle East.

“We are honored that Dr. Stevens has agreed to serve as (OU’s) Fall Commencement speaker,” Executive Vice President and Provost Chaden Djalali said in a news release. “She exudes a great passion and excitement for her work, and her words will serve as inspiration for our newest class of graduates.”

Stevens’ discoveries include a 25-million-year-old bobcat-sized carnivore from the East African Rift, the first dinosaur tracks from the Arabian Peninsula and the oldest fossil evidence of the split between

Old World monkeys and apes.

She also recently co-authored a study linking fossils from mainland Africa with the origins of the lemurs of Madagascar. That study fills in the evolutionary history of lemurs, according to a previous Post report.

“Dr. Stevens has made exceptional contributions to the Ohio University community and to the world through her research and discoveries,” President Duane Nellis said in a news release. “We are pleased that she has agreed to share her wisdom and encouragement with (OU) graduates at Fall Commencement this December.”

Stevens’ work explores extinction dynamics and in her lab, students are able to pursue projects in biodiversity hotspots such as Madagascar, Uganda and Vietnam.

She holds degrees from Michigan State University, the University of Cambridge and Stony Brook University.

OU’s 2018 Fall Commencement ceremony is scheduled to take place at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 15, in The Convo on Ohio University’s Athens Campus.

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Aerial photo of Ohio University taken in 1967. (Archive)

MONUMENTAL

MOMENTS A look into the significant events that shaped OU during the ‘60s and ‘70s JESSICA HILL | ASST. MANAGING EDITOR

8 / OCT. 18, 2018

M

imi Hart flipped through the photo album, pointing out her friends, her old house and a hitchhiker who would stay for a meal and an empty couch.

“My gosh. I haven’t looked at these in a while,” Hart said.

She came to OU in 1967 to study English and hasn’t left since.

“We loved it so much,” Hart said. “Appalachia is just a compelling place, and we were compelled by each other; the friendships we formed at a young age.”

Athens was a welcoming city, she said, and she made friends with people who she is still close with today. Her college experience, like many others during the ‘60s and ‘70s, was not without its exciting events that would define significant moments in OU’s history.

For example, floods were a recurring

event in the ‘60s. Before the Hocking River was moved in 1969 to run alongside West Green, it ran through the university, going underneath Richland Bridge between West Green and Union Street. The greens would flood drastically, sometimes rising to more than 20 feet. Students would dive from the rooftops into the muddy water and would paddle in canoes. Besides the continuous flooding that occurred, other events popped up throughout the decade.

BREAKING CURFEW Also during this time, female students had a curfew of 11 p.m., while male students did not. Often, President John Calhoun Baker and his wife would spot couples kissing at Howard Hall, which is where Scripps Hall stands now. In addition to the curfew, Baker implemented a new student code of conduct because of some of those

public displays of affection.

In April 1969, about 850 women marched out of their residence halls at 11:15 p.m. and gathered at Templeton Blackburn Alumni Memorial Auditorium to protest the curfew. At midnight, student leader Alicia Woodson announced, “Women, it’s a minute after 12, and we’re liberated,” according to a Post archive. Women’s hours would not be repealed until the mid ‘70s.

Hart remembers that she would get “campused,” or punished, for leaving the campus to go see concerts by Jimi Hendrix and Cream. Her mother would have to write a letter giving her permission to leave, and the dean of women would reply. Even then, her roommates were forced to shun her, and Hart was only allowed to go to the cafeteria.

CIVIL RIGHTS On Feb. 3, 1969, the Athens City Council passed an anti-discrimination law, which was one of the strongest anti-discrimination laws in the state. It outlawed discrimination “due to race, creed, color, national origin or ancestry in areas of public accommodations, employment and housing,” according to a Post archive. It also established a Human Resources Commission to hear complaints and set a “penalty for conviction as a fine up to $500 per day until corrected.”

In the early 1900s, Athens had been very inhospitable to African-Americans, Betty Hollow, a retired faculty member who wrote a book about the history of OU, said. Although they were admitted to study at the university, black students did not have a place to live and had to rent rooms on the west side of town.

“Athens was a very unwelcoming town to African-Americans,” Hollow said. “Even much later when Baker came along, he had to threaten people who rented rooms in town that if they wouldn’t rent to African-American students, he would see that no one would rent from them at all.”

In the late 1960s, however, Athens’ new anti-discrimination law was considered one of the strongest in the state. It was proposed two years after a significant tragedy — the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr., which

Campus flooding was a common occurrence in the 1960s before the river was rerouted. (Archive)

Students and activists gathered in the intersection of Court and Union streets to mourn Martin Luther King Jr. in April 1968. (Archive)

sparked sit-ins and rallies. At the intersection of Court and Union streets, students gathered in memorial, and President Vernon R. Alden read a eulogy. King had come to the university almost 10 years before for a Christian World Mission, describing his visit as a “gratifying day,” according to Post Frontier archives.

“It was a significant several-hour strike in the way that Martin Luther King Jr. would have a strike — peacefully — in the middle of the street,” university archivist Bill Kimok said as he looked through pictures and documents of the event.

‘SCHOOL CLOSED’ Anti-war protests were rising throughout the country, and many occurred on campus. Students often rallied in between the war monument on College Green and the then Baker Center, which is now Schoonover Center, or they would take over Court Street.

On May 4, 1970, four students at Kent State University were killed and nine were injured by the National Guard during a protest against the U.S. military forces bombing Cambodia. The killing sparked outrage at campuses across the nation, but especially in Ohio. Colleges one by one were shutting down after student protests and revolts.

Ralph Izard, a journalism faculty member at the time, remembered standing at Logan’s Bookstore, now Follett’s Bookstore, when someone pulled a brick from

OU students tried to rebuff police gas attacks by returning the canisters to police lines during the riot that broke out after the Kent State Shootings in May 1970. (Archive)

the sidewalk and threw it into the window. Staff and faculty members were told to go to College Green to try to keep students calm. The university wanted to keep the school open, despite other area universities shutting down.

Attempts to keep the campus calm didn’t work, however. Hart remembers leaving the library with a friend and encountering tear gas thrown by the police. It was terrifying, she recalled. After several days of trying to calm the increasingly intense situation, the university closed at 3 a.m. on May 15, 1970. Students were given 24 hours to evacuate, and many of Hart’s friends who lived far away stayed with her family in Lancaster.

The National Guard marched into Athens in the morning. Instead of parking meters, Hart said, National Guardsmen lined Court Street.

“I will never forget looking out the window of my office onto Court Street and looking straight

down the barrel of a gun that was being held by National Guardsmen as they lined up across Court Street,” Izard said. “It was scary.”

Thomas Hodson, who was a journalism student during the time, helped cover the event for The Post. By the time the National Guard arrived, he was exhausted, and his sinuses would be affected for months because of the tear gas. The headline for The Post read, “School closed.”

“Because we lived through those incredibly hectic and tumultuous times, we formed bonds, and I’m still friends with tons of people from that era that worked on the paper with us,” Hodson said.

WORKERS’ STRIKE The riot that was sparked by the Kent State shooting was not the only protest that students would experience during that time. In 1971, there was a strike that endured for nine days when university non-academic workers demanded better working condi-

In April 1969, women protested curfew of 11 p.m. by walking out of their residence halls at 11:15 and onto College Green. (Archive)

tions. Workers picketed on Factory Street and even started blocking food deliveries in Athens.

“Suddenly you don’t have grounds people, you don’t have cooks, you don’t have dorm cleaners,” Hollow said. “You don’t have huge numbers of workers.

The students, interestingly, sided with the workers. They came out and marched with them.”

The strike ended when Harry Crewson, the president of Athens City Council, and Oscar McGee, the leader of the strike, went to The Little Ritz, now The Smiling Skull Saloon, to negotiate over a couple of beers, Kimok said, recalling Crewson telling the story.

“As I look back on it, despite all the uproar and in spite of the turmoil and the very sad things that were going on, it was one of my favorite times as a college faculty member because I loved the students so much,” Izard said.

@JESS_HILLYEAH JH240314@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 9

New Sook Athletic Academic Center constructs debates among faculty

A

fter about a year of debate surrounding an academic center exclusively for student-athletes at Ohio University, the Perry and Sandy Sook Athletic Academic Center will open this weekend.

The Sook Athletic Academic Center is located in Peden Stadium and gives student-athletes the ability to have a place on campus to study with tutors.

The building provides an instructional space and computer labs for athletes, according a university news release.

OU professors have opposed the center even before it was built.

Some faculty members believe the money should have been donated for teaching and research at the university, Loren Lybarger, president of the OU chapter of the American Association of University Professors, said. Now that the center has been constructed, they believe the center’s staff should be under academic control instead of athletic control.

The construction budget for the facility was approximately $7 million. The lead gift was provided

by Perry and Sandy Sook, who donated $2.40 million. There were 411 donors in total, who donated a cumulative $6.25 million, university Spokesperson Carly Leatherwood said.

The athletic department agreed with the university on $65,000 annually to upkeep the center, Jim Schaus, OU’s athletic director, said. That money will be taken out of the athletic department’s budget for maintenance and repairs.

The athletic department has tutors who meet with athletes for their study hall requirements, as well as advising.

“We really have a staff that is very engaged in communicating without coaches about where [the students] are academically,” Schaus said.

10 / OCT. 18, 2018

“

I will say that it is never good to completely silo college athletes away from the general university community. ­- David Ridpath, an associate professor of sports administration

“

IAN MCKENZIE FOR THE POST

A STUDY SPACE First-year student-athletes are required to take part in eight hours of study hall every week. The old location for study hall nights, which was on the fourth floor of Peden Tower, was crowded. This is where student-athletes are able to study, complete homework and work with tutors.

“If they have strong academics, they can work their way out of that requirement, but if they still need it, they require weekly care,” Schaus said.

On study hall nights, Schaus said it was common to have up to 160 people in the old center.

Schaus said coaches, athletes and staff complained about the lack of room.

“It’s an incredible increase in what we can do academically with regards to study space, all the different study rooms for tutors,” Deane Webb, the head coach of volleyball, said.

Katie Nelson, a senior studying pre-specialized studies and a volleyball player, said that while it is a fantastic facility, she will not use it because once she was exempt from study hall she didn’t want to return.

“I know the academic needs for athletes can be quite acute

Sook Center opened this school year for student-athletes.

(ELLIE PONTONES / FOR THE POST)

at times, but my issue is not so much with building the center,” David Ridpath, an associate professor of sports administration, said. “I will say that it is never good to completely silo college athletes away from the general university community.”

Ridpath is a member of OU’s chapter of the American Association of University Professors, or AAUP, the group that initially opposed the construction of the Sook Academic Athletic Center.

Lybarger said there are three reasons why they are concerned about the center.

The primary reason is because the AAUP wants to see the advising of the student-athletes moved under control of formal academic supervision and control.

“We opposed the building of the center because we felt that donor monies would be better used in supporting the core teaching and research mission of the university. Athletics is not part of this core mission,” Lybarger said in an email.

The organization also believes that it is not healthy to isolate athletes from the general student community.

On Oct. 17, 2017, the OU’s AAUP chapter presented a paper to OU President Duane Nellis;

David Descutner, the interim Vice President and Provost at the time; Schaus; Intercollegiate Athletics Committee chair Heather Lawrence and faculty athletic representatives Ann Gabriel and Bob Colvin, explaining why it believed that Sook Center should be in control of the academic side of the school.

“Professors formally requests of President Nellis and Interim Provost Descutner that the supervision, financing, management, and control of the soon-to-be finished Sook Center cease to remain under the control of the athletic department in any way,” the position statement reads. “Instead, we recommend structuring the center as an auxiliary service under the direct supervision of an academic office.”

The OU AAUP has received support from multiple organizations that agree with its statement, including the Coalition on Intercollegiate Athletics, the Knight Commission on Intercollegiate Athletics, the Drake Group and the American Council on Education.

Ridpath said he wants to see the university take a proactive risk management approach to the situation. He believes keep-

ing the academics of the athletes separated from the athletic department will help keep the staff members free from any conflicts of interests that could arise from the situation. He said that if the change is made, the athletes wouldn’t notice it at all.

One of the points Ridpath mentioned was that the university athletics have been complying with NCAA rules as well as avoiding any violations.

“If there ever is a scandal here, and we can never think that we are immune, even at OU, the first move that will be made is to move academic support under the supervision and control under an academic entity,” Ridpath said.

Despite the lack of academic control, Ridpath still believes there is an opportunity for change. Ridpath said that because there is a new provost, it is something AAUP will revisit.

A GAME DAY SPACE With the construction of the Sook Center, there are several different spaces that have been introduced to the stadium that helps with game day environments.

On the patio of the center, there is a new space for concessions, which features Jackie O’s beer, pretzels, hot dogs and other concessions. The patio also allows for more handicap and family-accessible restrooms, according to OU athletics.

There is also a new merchandise store and ticket offices on the patio. The ticket offices allow fans to enter the stadium on either side so it is not as long of a walk.

With the introduction of the Sook Athletic Academic Center, Ohio Bobcat Club Captain Members, who are required to donate $900 annually, have access to the center to watch games. The area features an exclusive terrace to watch the game.

@IANMCK9 IM581017@OHIO.EDU

Capturing the Athens State of Mind MEGAN CARLSON FOR THE POST

A

Tim Martin, a designer at Red Tail Designs Company, created the 2018 Homecoming logo. (KELSEY BOEING / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

her new home and is glad she did. Getting to know a diverse group of people through clubs, classes and organizations makes her feel closer to her friends back home.

Kimberly Romshe, a junior studying communication, said that the situations she experienced in Athens has taught her how the real world works outside of her hometown. When she leaves Athens, she’s leaving with more than just a degree.

“This community has shaped me into a person I never thought I would become,” Romshe said. “A person I love being every day.”

The creation was based off of a T-shirt design Martin sells at his company. With a design centered around the campus, the logo features Athens’ well-known hills and buildings, like the Convocation Center, Alumni Gateway and Baker Center.

Martin said his original design featured buildings from uptown Athens as well.

“

I got the inspiration from one of the books I read in an English class at OU that proposed the notion that ‘freedom is a state of mind.’ That resonated with me and made me think that even Athens is a state of mind, and you can carry it with you wherever you go.

- Sharon Miller, a 2014 graduate

“

s an Athens native and 2010 graduate of Ohio University, Tim Martin has a natural love for the town, making him the perfect person to design this year’s homecoming logo for the Athens State of Mind.

After getting a bachelor's degree in graphic design from OU, Martin decided to continue his life and his business in Athens.

After years of working for Electronic Vision, a local web and graphic design company created in 1985, he received the opportunity to take over the business after the owners retired. He kept the original staff and rebranded the company as Red Tail Designs Company.

In 2015, Martin started Ohio is Home, an apparel company located in Athens. He wanted to design outside of the corporate world. Martin also wanted to create high quality apparel that people would want to spend their money on.

“Hopefully, that’s what my company provides for them,” Martin said.

The Athens State of Mind theme idea for the Homecoming logo was proposed

by Sharon Miller, a 2014 graduate. Miller said the theme is reminiscent of how Bobcats carry the spirit of Athens with them no matter where they go.

“I got the inspiration from one of the books I read in an English class at OU that proposed the notion that ‘freedom is a state of mind,’ ” Miller said in an email.

“That resonated with me and made me think that even Athens is a state of mind, and you can carry it with you wherever you go.”

With friends, music, nature and good vibes, Miller said she is able to channel the spirit of Athens to escape adult obligations and responsibilities even when she isn’t able to be there physically.

“Everyone here is so determined to make me feel good about living here,” Reese Little, a freshman studying health and sciences, said. “Everywhere you go on campus feels like you have been here forever.”

After her parents sold the family home, Little said she had to quickly make Athens

While the design is more university-centered, Martin said he sees Athens as way more than just the university. “(People) see Athens as Ohio University, but it’s a beautiful region that is a lot more than just a college,” Martin said.

With Martin’s business and his locally inspired designs, he believes it fulfills something that Athens didn’t have prior.

He hopes keeping his business in Athens will help and serve other local businesses and organizations.

Allison Rhoads, a freshman studying business, believes this theme is a good representation of Athens and the community.

“Once we’re alumni, we’re alumni,” Rhodes said. “We’ll be a whole family together, and we can always go back to our college roots.”

@MEGCHRIISTINE MC199517@OHIO.EDU

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 11

Shared Growth JESS UMBARGER | ASST. CULTURE EDITOR

T

wo Ohio University alumni who graduated decades apart came together and started what is now Morning Dew Hop Farm, located at 42520 State Farm Road in Albany.

Steve Geisler, who graduated in 1995, and Casey Buchanan, who graduated in 2015, started their venture into the world of growing hops nearly two years ago. The pair purchased a 23-acre farm after discovering there was a high demand for hops in the area.

“We realized that the demand for growing hops in the area is huge,” Buchanan said. “There is no one really doing it here, so we thought we could get our foot in the door by being the first organic hop farm in the area.”

PLANTING ROOTS

The unlikely pair met when Buchanan was working at a chiropractor’s office as an intern.

Geisler and Buchanan discovered they were both interested in similar things and decided to pursue opening a business together.

“I thought I was going to be a chiropractor for a while,” Buchanan said. “But I took a lot of organic farming classes, and I fell in love with farming.”

After deciding to grow hops, Geisler and Buchanan joined the Ohio Hops Growers Guild.

They began attending meetings to learn the growth process. After three or four meetings, the pair officially decided having a hop farm was something they could do, Buchanan said.

The name of the farm has a bit of a hidden message in it, Geisler said.

“We had to come up with a cool name,” Geisler said. “(Morning Dew) is a Grateful Dead song, and we are kind of ‘deadheads’ a little bit, and so we thought it’s undercover.

It’s not complete Grateful Dead symbolism so ‘deadheads’ will know what it means.”

12 / OCT. 18, 2018

The first year after the two purchased the farm was spent solely setting everything up and figuring out their preferred farming methods. They had to make the field compatible to grow hops and set up a trellis system. Along with setting up the hop yard, Buchanan made an irrigation system based off the FertiGator fertilizing tool. “(The farm) has come a long ways in a year,” Geisler said. “If we made that many jumps in one year and do that again next year, that would be really good.”

This year, Geisler and Buchanan made about $700 from the 135 pounds of hops they harvested. They sold the hops to Little Fish Brewing Company, 8675 Armitage Road, to make a “wet-hop” brew. The hops produced 175 gallons of the beer.

In the future, Geisler and Buchanan both hope to sell their hops to more local breweries.

“I think it’s going to take a few years for it to get more connected and for us to make some more connections with some local breweries,” Buchanan said.

The end goal for the pair is to eventually open its own brewery and be able to sell its beer to the people staying in the local cabins.

“We decided it was a good business plan to have the hop yard and basically sell lodging and have our farm be centered around the craft beer industry,” Buchanan said. “I think eventually, down the line, we want to start brewing our own beer on site, but that’s going to take a little while to get set up.”

Geisler also hopes to someday brew his own beer because it is much more profitable.

“We only made $700 for doing all of that work, but if we made the beer that sells for $15 a bottle then we’re in the game,” Geisler said.

EXPANDING THE BUSINESS

The pair did realize, though, that making money off the plant isn’t as easy as it may seem. In addition to having the hop farm, Geisler and Buchanan have set up an Airbnb on the farm and have plans to expand.

“We realized it’s really hard to make money from growing the hops alone, so having an agro-tourism business where we rent out our cabins and we let people look at the hop yard … which is the main attraction to the place ... it’s unique and sets us apart from other farms in the area.” Buchanan said.

The idea to expand the hop farm into an Airbnb stemmed from Geisler’s success running another Airbnb in Athens.

“We want to make it a farm experience,” Geisler said. “Eventually we want to make a (bed and breakfast).”

There is currently one cabin at the farm and one that is close to being finished. Geisler and Buchanan already have the footprint set up for a third cabin.

“We already have people renting out cabins for Moms Weekend,” Geisler said.

For large weekends on campus, such as graduation and the various family weekends where hotels fill up quickly, the pair is eager to tap into the lodging business.

“It’s a good business,” Buchanan said.

“It’s good for when people come to OU because all of the hotels get rented out, so our place is definitely available for people.”

Buchanan did research on how many people stay in Ohio overnight, and he found that the number keeps going up year after year.

“It’s a really good time to sell lodging in Ohio,” Buchanan said.

Casey Buchanan and Steve Geisler pose for a portrait in their hop field located right outside of Athens in Meigs County. (MCKINLEY LAW | PHOTO EDITOR)

We decided it was a good business plan to have the hop yard and basically sell lodging and have our farm be centered around the craft beer industry.

- Casey Buchanan, 2015 graduate

OU ORIGINS

Keeping in touch with their OU roots, Buchanan and Geisler have students come to the farm for an internship program. The two work with the plant biol-

Photo provided via Morning Dew Hop Farm’s Facebook

ogy department to set up internships for students studying in that field.

Sean Graham, a senior studying applied plant biology, worked at the hop farm during the summer. He worked more than 100 hours at the farm.

“I had a variety of jobs and having studied plant biology, I watched for diseases in the hops and I looked for weeds, too,” Graham said. “I also did basic maintenance.”

Graham spent multiple days over the course of the summer at the farm. He helped Buchanan set up the irrigation system.

“We set up a drip irrigation system, which saves a lot of water, and it is a more sustainable way to grow plants,” Graham said. “There is less runoff, and it delivers nutrients directly to plants.”

Graham enjoyed the work because he has always been interested in botany and owning his own business. He would also rather be working in a field rather than in a lab, so the internship was a good fit for him.

“It’s interesting to see the interaction between plants and insects,” Graham said. “It’s like a small ecosystem you are working in when you are working on a farm, which is cool.”

Along with interns, Buchanan and Geisler have volunteers from an organization called World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms come to the farm to work.

In exchange for about six hours of labor a day, Buchanan and Geisler provide the “WWOOFers” with three meals a day and a place to stay for free.

The maintenance of the farm can become overwhelming at times, so Buchanan appreciates the extra help the volunteers in the program provide, as well as their different insights.

“It’s nice to have other people come from different places who are interested in organic farming, and we can share some of the same interests and compare notes and learn things from each other,” Buchanan said.

The volunteers have been a good thing for the farm, Buchanan said.

“A lot of the people that come from the ‘WWOOFing’ program know things from other organic farms that they have picked up along the way, so they have given us a lot of pointers on how to grow things and how to do things better with organic farming,” Buchanan said. “That’s a big way for us to learn about farming is getting other people to come here and basically teaching us.”

@JESS_UMBARGER JU992415@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 13

the weekender Photo illustration of fall decorations.

(MCKINLEY LAW/ PHOTO EDITOR)

Annual Pumpkin Fest to provide family-friendly Halloween activities BAYLEE DEMUTH STAFF WRITER

h

alloween is right around the corner, and if someone hasn’t gotten a chance to carve a jack-o-lantern yet, attending the Pumpkin Fest this weekend could be a great opportunity to do just that.

Attendees of the annual Pumpkin Fest can explore The Dairy Barn Arts Center property inside and out, as well as enjoy holiday crafts and activities with their families. Chesterhill Produce Auction will be on site with its gourd and pumpkin sale, and the Hutchison Horses will be there as well to provide carriage rides. The Pumpkin Fest will take place Saturday afternoon.

Lyn Stanton, the education director of the Dairy Barn, sees the Pumpkin Fest as a safe event for families in Athens.

“In Athens, a lot of activities are college student focused,” Stanton said. “The Dairy Barn wanted to make sure there was a place with very little financial investment that families could come to and enjoy during the holiday season.”

For any families who want to make the Pumpkin Fest an all-day excursion, the Dairy Barn will be offering a guided

14 / OCT. 18, 2018

IF YOU GO WHAT: Pumpkin Fest WHERE: The Dairy Barn Arts Center, 8000 Dairy Lane WHEN: 1 p.m., Saturday ADMISSION: Free

morning hike on their brand new Ora E. Anderson Nature Trail, as well as sunset yoga when the event ends.

“The Ora Anderson trail is just under a mile long, and took us about a year to make. We’re just now getting the signs into place, which is very exciting,” Stanton said. “Weather dependent, we’re also going to have sunset yoga. We want to do it up on a hill behind the Dairy Barn where you can overlook the whole city.”

During the actual Pumpkin Fest itself, usually a family’s first stop is to purchase a pumpkin, Stanton said. Once volunteers are finished helping children scoop the goop out of their pumpkins, someone from

Rural Action, a non-governmental organization working in Appalachian Ohio, will take all that compost and give it to local farmers to feed their livestock.

“It’s a lot of organic waste from pumpkins, which is a shame to just throw in a dumpster,” Stanton said. “So we don’t. We give it to a place where it can be used.”

Children can then take their hollowed-out pumpkins and either carve them with assistance from other volunteers, or decorate them in paint, sequins and feathers. All the while, there will be free carriage rides provided by the Hutchison Horses.

“It’s a 25-minute horse ride that goes down Dairy Lane and makes a loop at the base of The Ridges,” Stanton said. “It’s something nice kids get to do during the day.”

While attendees are enjoying the Pumpkin Fest, they’re also encouraged to check out the WideOpen photo exhibit being shown at The Dairy Barn.

Stanton is most excited to see some familiar faces at this weekend’s event, in hopes to catch up on how families are doing.

“I like seeing all the children and checking in on how everyone’s school year is going,” Stanton said. “I also can’t wait to meet some new people and hopefully get them interested in The Dairy Barn and what we offer here.”

Tom Redfern, the director of sustainable agriculture and forestry at Rural Action, is looking forward to selling pumpkins and other fall produce on behalf of the Chesterhill Produce Auction.

“We sold over 100 pumpkins last year, and we’re expecting more this year, plus a little extra produce,” Redfern said. “There will be more edible fall produce this year, including apples and butternut squash we hope that will sell well.”

The Chesterhill Produce Auction has been a part of the Pumpkin Fest for almost eight years now, Redfern said, and The Dairy Barn has been a great partner for their business.

“It’s such a good opportunity to connect local farmers with the Pumpkin Fest event,” Redfern said. “It’s very well-attended and fun for the whole family.”

Evelyn Nagy, owner of the Holy Guacamole food truck, is planning on attending the Pumpkin Fest this year.

“It’s a real celebration of fall and all things pumpkin,” Nagy said. “There are so many fun activities for the kids. It really kicks off the season for me.”

@BAYLEEDEMUTH BD575016@OHIO.EDU

WHAT’S GOING ON? CASEY GEORGE FOR THE POST

FRIDAY Ohio Smoked Meat & BBQ Festival at 10

a.m. at the Nelsonville Public Square.

Visitors can try their hands at a few competitions at the first official state of Ohio Championship for Smoked Meat and BBQ, including a best margarita contest. Admission: Free Field of Screams weekly at 7 p.m.

at Murphy’s Farm, 28364 Osborne Road, Coolville. Take a haunted journey through 2 miles of haunted woods and a corn maze. Grab some food from Hot Dog Willy’s and enjoy some spooky tunes by DJ Johnny Blue. Admission: $10

SATURDAY Fall Wine Express on the Hocking Valley Scenic Railway at 5 p.m. at Stu-

art’s Opera House, 52 Public Square, Nelsonville. The train ride will include wine and cheese. The event is a fundraiser for the opera house.

Character Show Spooktacular at 8

p.m. at The Front Room Coffeehouse. Blue Pencil Comedy will elicit some laughs while dressed as its members’ favorite Halloween characters. Admission: Free Angela Perley & The Howlin’ Moons

with The High Definitions at 9 p.m. at The Union Bar and Grill, 18 W. Union St. Enjoy a special Homecoming weekend show featuring the rock-Americana artist.

Admission: $7

SUNDAY Drums & Masks: All Hallows Eve at 10:30 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 184 Longview Heights Road. Go on a musical, rhythmic and artistic adventure by making a personalized mask and drumming through the morning.

Admission: Free Athens Asylum Walking Tours at 2

p.m. beginning at the Southeast Ohio History Center, 24 W. State St. An Athens Asylum expert will lead a two-hour outdoor walking tour of The Ridges, telling stories about what life was like for residents and staff of the former asylum. Admission: $12 with a Southeast Ohio History Center membership; $15 for ages 12 and over

TSI HOUSING Now leasing 2019-2020 Studios & 1-4 bedrooms Uptown on Court Street & E. State Street

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Athens Asylum walking tours will take place at The Ridges. (FILE)

‘The Great American Read’ Finale Event at 3 p.m. in Baker Center The-

ater. WOUB will air the final episode of PBS’ “The Great American Read” series. Attendees will have the opportunity to vote for which book they think should be named America’s favorite. Admission: Free

ATHENA CINEMA MOVIE TIMES

and 9:35 p.m.; Saturday, 2:55, 5:15, 7:25 and 9:35 p.m.; Sunday, 2:55, 5:15, 7:25 and 9:35 p.m.

Colette (rated R): Friday, 5:10, 7:20 and 9:30 p.m.; Saturday, 2:45, 5:10, 7:20 and 9:30 p.m.; Sunday, 2:45, 5:10, 7:20 and 9:30 p.m.

Tea with the Dames (not rated): Friday, 5:05 and 9:40 p.m.; Saturday, 3:05, 5:05, 7:30 and 9:40 p.m.; Sunday, 3:05, 5:05 and 9:40 p.m.

Drop Your Shorts: Sunday, 7 p.m.

Bladerunner (rated R): Friday, 7 p.m.

Blindspotting (rated R): Friday, 5:15, 7:25

@CASE_G10 CG918217@OHIO.EDU

Check out our podcasts on Spotify

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THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 15

CHASING THE CROWN Nathan Rourke has what it takes to be the best quarterback in the Mid-American Conference, and he’s poised to lead Ohio to a conference championship that’s 50 years in the making

EDITOR’S NOTE At the halfway point of the season, Ohio’s campaign for its first Mid-American Conference Championship since 1968 has been filled with slow starts and disappointing finishes.

The Bobcats started slowly against Howard, then had an odd Week 2 bye. In Week 3, they fell into a four-touchdown deficit in their loss to Virginia. They flipped the script and jumped out to a huge lead against Cincinnati, but they couldn’t hold on. Against UMass and Kent State, the Bobcats were in 14-point holes early. Against Northern Illinois on Saturday, the Bobcats had a late lead but couldn’t finish.

Although they lost to NIU, the Bobcats have shown signs of improvement. They seem poised to avenge that slow start to the season and make a run to Detroit.

The 90th season at Peden Stadium features Nathan Rourke, the best quarterback to don green and white since Tyler Tettleton marched into Happy Valley and upset national power Penn State.

The 90th season at Peden also features a powerful run game that’s led by two redshirt senior running backs who have vastly different paths that led them to Ohio. And it features an Ohio team hungry to avenge its Homecoming loss to Central Michigan a season ago. The Bobcats will face Bowling Green on Saturday with Homecoming redemption on the table.

But more important than all that, the 90th season at Peden Stadium features a group of coaches and players searching for the program’s first MAC Championship in 50 years. That drought is what Ohio ends its practice talking about each day, and it’s what coach Frank Solich is trying to capture before his storied college coaching career concludes.

Before the Bobcats can make that fabled championship run, they’ll have to handle a Bowling Green program that is at a crossroads. Questions surround the Falcons’ future after their coach was fired Saturday. On paper, the Falcons are outmatched.

Regardless of the outcome, the Marching 110 will make you “Stand Up and Cheer” at halftime, and The Post will be at every stop Ohio makes.

We hope you enjoy the content on the next few pages as much as we — the writers, editors, designers and photographers — enjoyed creating it for you.

Thanks for reading,

(KELSEY BOEING / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

SPENCER HOLBROOK | SPORTS EDITOR

What to expect from the Homecoming game SPENCER HOLBROOK SPORTS EDITOR

PETE NAKOS ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

Score: Ohio 51-27

Score: Ohio 48-10

I may be thinking too hard about Mike Jinks getting fired, but I feel like this will be Ohio’s most complete game to date. There are two things that can happen to a team when its head coach gets fired: It can rally around the interim coach, or it can roll over. The situation at Bowling Green is pretty ugly, and this team might just not have the wherewithal to rally around Carl Pelini, an exFrank Solich assistant.

The Bobcats haven’t played a complete 60-minute game yet. The offense and defense have both shown flashes of dominance, and this could be the game where it all comes together. Even after two straight emotional games, the Bobcats don’t appear to be rattled or tired; they actually seem to be in good spirits. Solich has Ohio ready for Homecoming and the large crowd that comes with it. Nathan Rourke plays his best game as a Bobcat, and Ohio wins 51-27.

18 / OCT. 18, 2018

vs.

OHIO (MAC Rank) 34.2 (3 ) rd

OFFENSE POINTS/GAME

BGSU (MAC Rank) 27.3 (6th)

433.0 (4th)

TOTAL YARDS/GAME

386.4 (8th)

177.5 (5th)

RUSH YARDS/GAME

174.8 (4th)

255.5 (5th)

PASS YARDS/GAME

278.9 (1st)

DEFENSE 33.8 (9th)

POINTS/GAME

47.6 (12th)

490.7 (10th)

TOTAL YARDS/GAME

506.7 (11th)

163.5 (5th)

RUSH YARDS/GAME

325.1 (12th)

327.2 (12th)

PASS YARDS/GAME

181.6 (3rd)

There’s no question that through the first half of the season there’s been some serious problems the Bobcats needed to fix — chunk plays, third-down defense, goal line offense and the running game.

All have continued to be a problem against Northern Illinois last week, a game the Bobcats lost 24-21. If things are truly going to take a turn for the better, it’s going to need to start sooner rather than later. With back-to-back home games for the first time all season, these next two weeks seem like the time.

Bowling Green is in the middle of its own turmoil with the recent firing of Mike Jinks and a 1-6 start to the season. Nothing screams confidence boost more than a blowout at Homecoming, which the Bobcats are capable of. I have Ohio winning big, 48-10. But remember this if things go south: Ohio’s chance of winning a Mid-American Conference Championship is out of the window and the struggle to even reach a bowl game is real.

Focusing on the Falcons PETE NAKOS ASST. SPORTS EDITOR Ohio returns home to the friendly confines of Peden Stadium for Homecoming. It’s a much- needed trip home after the first half of the season saw the Bobcats play on the road for four of the first six weeks, including a 1-1 start to Mid-American Conference play.

Bowling Green (1-6, 0-3) comes to Athens after a tumultuous week. On Sunday afternoon, the Falcons announced that they had parted ways with coach Mike Jinks. Defensive coordinator Carl Pelini will serve as acting head coach until they’re able to hire a new one.

ALL-TIME SERIES: Bowling Green leads 40-27-2.

LAST TIME THEY PLAYED: In one of Nathan Rourke’s best games as a Bobcat, Ohio defeated Bowling Green 43-30 at Doyt Perry Stadium on Oct. 15, 2017. Rourke finished the game with 143 yards and three touchdowns, including a 75-yard touchdown run in the second half to put Ohio on top for good.

In total Ohio scored 27 second half points.

BOWLING GREEN REPORT: With the sudden coaching change for Bowling Green, questions arise. Will Pelini run the same offense? Will he run the defense differently without a superior shutting him down with some opinions?

All signs show that it will be the status quo for the Falcons with a new face as head coach.

Pelini has coached at Ohio before and is known for his defensive mind. If anything changes Saturday, it will be the defense, not the offense.

The Falcons’ most recent MAC game was a 42-35 loss to Western Michigan, which included a 21-7 blown halftime lead.

Trent Smart sacks Bowling Green’s quarterback at the Homecoming game Oct. 8, 2016. The Bobcats won 30-24, making it the first time Ohio beat the Falcons in four seasons. (BLAKE NISSEN / FILE)

HOW OHIO BEATS BOWLING GREEN: On paper, the Falcons are outmatched. With one of the top offenses in the MAC, the Bobcats have found success running the ball. Bowling Green ranks last in the conference in rush defense and 11th in total defense.

Saturday’s game will be determined by Ohio’s success of shutting down Bowling Green’s passing game, which averages 278.9 yards per game. The Bobcats have struggled to shut down big plays, and it’ll be crucial for them to not allow that Saturday.

NUMBER TO KNOW: 6-7 Historically, Ohio coach Frank Solich has struggled against the Falcons. Just in the past two years,

has he beat Bowling Green. The last time the two teams met at Peden Stadium was Homecoming 2016, when the Bobcats won 3024 and broke a four game losing streak to the Falcons.

PLAYER TO WATCH: Jarret Doege, quarterback, No. 2 A sophomore for the Falcons, Doege has been the stabilizer for them this season. Through seven games, he’s thrown 18 touchdowns with a 62.5 completion percentage. He played in games last season, too, for Bowling Green, which has paid off in his growth between year one and year two.

@PETE_NAKOS96 PN997515@OHIO.EDU

VIEWER GUIDE

How to watch: Ohio vs. Bowling Green can be watched on ESPN3 through select television providers.

Doug Sherman and John Gregory will be on the call.

How to listen: The game can be heard on the Ohio IMG Sports Network with Russ Eisenstein and Rob Cornelius, which is available online through OhioBobcats.com and TuneIn.com/OhioBobcats.

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 19

Road to redemption Maleek Irons was arrested two years ago. He’s now trying to redeem himself and help Ohio win the MAC Championship for the first time in 50 years PETE NAKOS | ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

I

n the early hours of Jan. 15, 2017, Maleek Irons was arrested and charged with resisting arrest, obstructing official business and driving under the influence after the Athens Police Department found him driving his car into other vehicles.

He was 20, fresh off a season that saw him rush for five touchdowns and help Ohio reach the Mid-American Conference Championship Game.

That night, the first phone call he made was to his mother, Jolene. Instead of making the trek from Chilliwack, British Columbia, she told him that he’d gotten himself in this mess, he could get himself out.

MALEEK IRONS

5

329

56

5.9

GAMES

TOTAL

CARRIES

AVERAGE

343

4

14

41

GAIN

TOUCHDOWNS

LOSS

LONG

65.8 AVG. PER GAME 20 / OCT. 18, 2018

It was time to be a man.

So, he matured. Almost two years later, Maleek is now a semester away from graduation. He’s back to working for the MAC Championship that eluded him two seasons ago.

“I felt like the coaching staff and Maleek were handling it,” Jolene said. “At some point, he’s an adult. At some point, all of us are going to have to handle things on our own.”

That night was the lowest point of his life, he says. He lost a year of his eligibility.

He was not allowed to play for a season, except with the practice squad. He didn’t travel with the team, and he wasn’t always watching films with his teammates.

To put it bluntly, Maleek Irons was isolated for the first time in his life. He was forced to have some tough conversations but one specifically stands out.

Maleek was called into coach Frank Solich’s office a few days after his arrest.

In the room was Solich, offensive coordinator Tim Albin and director of operations Chris Rodgers.

He was embarrassed, and they had to talk about some tough things, most notably his future. Jolene believes she became closer with the coaching staff after the arrest. She knows it isn’t for the best reason, but she appreciates all the help Solich and Albin have provided her son and the constant contact they shared.

For a time, there was a chance that Irons would transfer out or be expelled from Ohio.

“They supported me, stood behind me and believed in me,” Maleek said. “I’ll be forever grateful.”

Jolene was disappointed in him and his actions. She was shocked that her only son would do such a thing. She thought back to the Maleek she knew as a kid who loved to play football.

Growing up in Chilliwack, he couldn’t play football as a kid, so he played rugby starting at the age of 7. Finally, when he was 9, his football team had enough kids to form a team in his age group. He always knew he wanted to be a football player, Jolene says.

In 2012 as a junior in high school, he rushed for 3,200 yards, averaging 10.5 yards per carry. He finished with 45 touchdowns. That summer, he started to attend a lot of football camps in the U.S. He played on Team British Columbia in the 2012 and 2013 International Bowl in Texas and played on Team Canada.

He initially started to receive a few offers from both sides of the border. Then, one day out of the blue, Maleek received a letter, offering a full scholarship to play football at Ohio. It was the first time anybody from Athens had made contact with him throughout the recruiting process.

Former graduate assistant Vince Lu-

“

He will always have our support to get him through things. At the end of the day, he is the one that needs to decide what he will learn from any given situation. He’s a good kid who made some wrong choices. It’s how you handle them that really shows what type of person you are.

“

- Jolene Irons, Maleek’s mother

ciani first contacted Irons, but from there, Albin took over most of the recruiting process. He liked what he saw from the Canadian running back.

Maleek fell in love with the campus, and the thought of playing Division I football was enough to convince him to commit to being a Bobcat.

“I did want to come here. I like the players and coaches that I met here,” he said. “It only took me a few hours to know I wanted to play here.”

Maleek went home for four months after the arrest, spent time with his family and reevaluated his life. He trained and changed his lifestyle.

One of the biggest focuses for him was to be level-headed. He felt that during the 2016 season, he wasn’t focused on or off the field. One of the reasons he was arrested was because he didn’t truly have a focus.

Since then, he’s made his future the focus. He understands that this will probably be the last season he will ever play football, and he hopes to be a firefighter after graduation.

Maleek and Jolene both say the reasons he wants to become a firefighter stems from his grandfather, who was a career fireman and was a fire chief for 30 years.

Maleek was close with him as a child, and he’s always known that he wants to follow in his footsteps.

“I want to start a family, be a firefighter and support my family,” he said. “I’m not saying this is my last season. But it is what

Ohio running back Maleek Irons dives toward the end zone during the Bobcats’ game against UMass on Saturday, Oct. 6.

(COLIN MAYR / FOR THE POST)

it is, I have to move on at some point. Life moves on.”

The other focus during the year of suspension was training. Along with focus, he felt like he could be a better football player. Yes, he could be a better person. But he could make a bigger impact on the field.

Most of that came from the loss in Detroit just a few months before the arrest.

Being forced to sit out for a season didn’t help his want for a championship. He was forced to watch the Bobcats squander success in 2017 by finishing their last two regular season games with losses.

It’s been almost two full years since the loss to Western Michigan in the MAC Championship Game. He feels that with a stronger running attack that night, Ohio could’ve won. He puts some of that on himself, and that’s why the training was so crucial.

Halfway through the season, it has seemed to pay off. He’s second on the team in total rushing and reached the 100-yard mark against UMass for the first time in his career. He has also scored four touchdowns, just one short of his mark in 2016.

“The exact play I can think about from

the MAC Championship (Game) is when Greg (Windham) threw the interception (on Ohio’s final drive),” Maleek said. “I kind of went down in a squat position, not a good feeling. I didn’t cry, but I was very, very disappointed.

I have never won a championship. That would’ve been it. I would’ve gotten a big pinky ring. Hopefully we can get one this year.”

Jolene makes the trek into Washington every Saturday to watch her son play football, a dream he chased down and achieved. ESPN isn’t available for her to watch his games in Canada.

She takes some family friends with her to the same restaurant, where Maleek says they usually eat Mexican food. He always knows that no matter what, his “momma” will be his biggest supporter.

The game will be on the TV, as she’s become a regular. The game will also be pulled up on her phone, so she can get a closer look at the game.

She could’ve told her son to drop out of college and come home after his arrest, but she didn’t. She wanted her son to keep chasing his dream. That’s what he did when he opted to play rugby when football wasn’t available.

“He will always have our support to get him through things,” Jolene said. “At the end of the day, he is the one that needs to decide what he will learn from any given situation. He’s a good kid who made some wrong choices. It’s how you handle them that really shows what type of person you are.”

She isn’t able to make the trip to many games, only a couple per season. The trek involves flying to Columbus, which may include a layover. She always makes sure that she can get a few days to see him, especially because the travel is so long.

This Saturday, Maleek will play in the Homecoming game against Bowling Green. It will be the first time in two seasons since he played in front of a Homecoming crowd.

He’s excited. He’s learned from his mistakes. He’s never felt better about himself on or off the field. Now, he’s ready to show his “momma” how much he’s improved.

On Saturday, Jolene will see Maleek play in-person for the first time since 2016.

@PETE_NAKOS96 PN997515@OHIO.EDU

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 21

(PROVIDED via Ohio Athletics Archives)

Shocking Penn State The Bobcats upset the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley on Sept. 1, 2012, beating them 24-14 and silencing nearly 100,000 Penn State fans. The effects of that win are still palpable SPENCER HOLBROOK | SPORTS EDITOR

Editor’s note: This is an excerpt from an oral history of Ohio’s historic 2012 upset of Penn State. The full version of this project is available online at thepostathens.com.

t

he Bobcats started the game off slower than they had hoped. Penn State drove down the field at the opening possession of the game but fumbled the ball. From there, the Nittany Lions scored two touchdowns in the first half, starting with a Matt McGloin 6-yard touchdown pass to running back Bill Belton. Ohio was able get on the board when Matt Weller hit a 22-yard field goal. As the half winded down, McGloin threw his second touchdown pass, this time a 14-yard pass to tight end Matt Lehman.

22 / OCT. 18, 2018

PETE NAKOS | ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

FRANK SOLICH (Ohio coach): “I don’t think the mood dropped off because we were behind at halftime. I think (the players) remained confident and energetic, and they wanted to go out and play with a lot of energy in the second half.

They felt they could work their way back into it."

DWAYNE DIXON (Ohio wide receivers coach): “I just remember our guys didn’t have any fear about what was transpiring. They didn’t get down. ... We’ve always trained like that, where coaches say, ‘Don’t get too high, don’t get too down. Just play the game one play at a time, and do your best during those plays, and let the chips fall where they may.’ That’s the attitude that I think Coach tried to use in that situation in terms of things he’s done in the past here."

RUSS EISENSTEIN (Ohio radio play-by-play announcer): “I do think that Ohio could have played better in half one. I think that they think that way, too. There were a couple of plays that Penn State scored on in which you saw that they were Big Ten athletes. And not to say that Ohio didn't have players to back up with them, but they made a couple of Big Ten-like plays: a couple of broken tackles; a couple of tough plays to keep drives going. But you still had a thought that it was a manageable deficit if Ohio could just find the end zone, and eventually they did.

But at halftime, it wasn't like, ‘Gosh, Ohio can't come back and win this game.’ ” STEVE JONES (Penn State radio play-by-play announcer): “I thought (the Nittany Lions) were playing well and were probably on their way to

OHIO VS. PENN STATE GAME STATS

499

TOTAL YARDS

352

0

TURNOVERS

33:10

3

POSSESSION

25:05

winning the game probably by a couple touchdowns — maybe 17 points. ... But then Ohio came out in the third quarter and they really changed the tone of the game.

And when they changed the tone of the game, they did it in such a way where you looked back and say, ‘Uh-oh, (Penn State’s) in big trouble here because suddenly a good football team believes in themselves.’

The longer you let a good football team hang around and the longer you let them believe in themselves, the more dangerous it becomes for the alleged favorite..”

After the slow start to the game, Ohio knew it was still in it but needed to score early in the second half. The Bobcats received the ball to start the half and promptly went on a 12-play, 82-yard drive that was capped off by a 43-yard touchdown pass from Tettleton to wide receiver Landon Smith. The ball was tipped and nearly intercepted by a Penn State defender. Instead, it fell into Smith’s arms, and he sprinted into the end zone. Ohio was down 14-10 with 10:40 to play in the third quarter.

JONES: “I thought, going into the game, that Ohio was really good because I thought

21

JORDAN THOMPSON (Ohio tight end): “There’s times when great things happen, and there’s also times when there’s a lot of luck on your side. It’s all meant to be. That was the boost that got us going.”

TETTLETON: “It was crazy. It was a broken play. I drop back, and I remember vividly I had some pressure up the middle.

Had to escape a little bit, and I saw (Smith) just screaming up the middle and wide open. I threw it off my back foot, under duress. Lobbed it off. The safety from the backside had a chance to come up and undercut it, and (the ball) totally went right through his — probably would’ve been the easiest pick of his life — hands and into Landon’s arms, and then he did the rest. It was unbelievable.

“Probably a game-changing moment. If they had gotten the ball there, shoot, they could’ve just easily flipped the momentum.

Totally different ball game.”

(PROVIDED via Ohio Athletics Archives)

“

There’s times when great things happen, and there’s also times when there’s a lot of luck on your side. It’s all meant to be. That was the boost that got us going.

- Jordan Thompson, Ohio tight end

“

DONTE FOSTER (Ohio wide receiver): “My mindset was, now that I got these pregame jitters out, I know I can play with these guys.

You only have one opportunity to beat this team — you’re never going to see them again.

If you’re going to turn it on, you’re going to have to turn it on now.

“Looking across at Tyler, he was frustrated because, obviously, he was the leader of the group and he knew that we could be playing better than we were. We talked about some offensive schemes that we thought would work. Tyler sat there and said (the Nittany Lions) weren’t that good — we can play with these guys.”

FIRST DOWNS

not — I’d have to look back at it. I thought, ‘All right, big play for the Bobcats. Here they are at Penn State, and they’re really in this game now.’ ”

BEAU BLANKENSHIP (Ohio running back): “Just going into (the) half, we’re in it. We didn’t have much running room in the first half. I think we were wearing them down.”

TYLER TETTLETON (Ohio quarterback): “I remember we knew we could hang with these guys. I remember that we had left a lot of plays out there. We knew we could move the ball on them. We needed to be ourselves.

I think in the second half we did that. We controlled the line of scrimmage, do a lot of things on offense, move the ball and defense stepped up, too. We went out there and put together a pretty special second half.”

25

Tettleton was outstanding at quarterback. ... He ran when he had to run, and he had a really good arm. Anytime you have a guy like that, any team becomes a problem.”

BLANKENSHIP: “I remember it perfectly.

I remember (Tettleton) throwing it. I think we were in double coverage. It was tipped, and (Smith) caught it off the tip and took it.

That deep ball was probably play-action, then protecting Tyler.”

DIXON: “Yeah, we thought it was going to be a turnover, but Landon comes out with it. It was just an awesome feeling, seeing one of the guys that you coach actually not get distracted. We call that a ‘distraction drill,’ and I’m sure we work on those things during that week. (The drill) changes direction, and sometimes we put people in front or we have guys just try to mirror a guy and throw it past them so they (have) got to catch the ball with somebody around them. We do those drills a lot.”

EISENSTEIN: “As I mentioned, if Ohio could just get into the end zone, that would allow everyone that wanted Ohio to win the game and everybody playing the game for Ohio and coaching the game and around the game for Ohio, that touchdown allowed them to say, ‘All right, here we go.’ And the play itself was moving from right to left from our vantage point. It was basically right below us, and it was on the end zone on the side of the field that we were on. I remember in the past thinking, ‘Gosh, I hope it’s going to get there.’

Because there were a couple of hands in the way, there were a couple of bodies in the way, but Tettleton was able to get it in there. I don’t remember if it was flipped or

T.J. CARRIE (Ohio defensive back who didn’t play in the game due to injury but received the game ball in the locker room after the game): “The atmosphere — it was lights out, man. We made a lot of good plays, a lot of great memories from that game as far as plays made by teammates.

You know, me jumping up on the sidelines, coaching players on the sideline, just giving them as much confidence as I could from that standpoint. But we had fun.”

FOSTER: “The ball got tipped up really high, and Landon came down with it.

I’m running down the field with Landon, trying to block for him. He was going to score regardless, but I wanted to get a good block in to let him know, we’re here, too. I think Tettleton tried to throw it to me. That’s the only reason why I was right there next to Landon.”

SOLICH: “I want to see more plays like that.” *laughs* “Do I remember the play?

Yeah, I remember the play.”

@SPENCERHOLBROOK SH690914@OHIO.EDU @PETE_NAKOS96 PN997515@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 23

looking back Last year, Ohio played its Homecoming game Oct. 7, 2017, and lost 26-23 to Central Michigan PHOTOGRAPHS BY MIDGE MAZUR

The Marching 110 performs the national anthem before that Homecoming game.

Ohio running back A.J. Ouellette is taken down by the Central Michigan defense.

24 / OCT. 18, 2018

A member of the Ohio University cheerleading squad dances to the school’s fight song before the Homecoming game kickoff.

Members of the Marching 110 stand at attention before they take the field for the national anthem.

Then-seniors Hannah Britton and Nick Preston pose for a photo after being crowned the 2017 Homecoming King and Queen.

BOTTOM LEFT: Rufus makes his way across the field before kickoff.

BOTTOM RIGHT: Spotted at the Homecoming game.

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 25

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hio and Bowling Green will meet in the Bobcats’ annual Homecoming game Saturday at 2 p.m. Bowling Green leads the all-time series 4027-2, but the opponent is undermined by the Homecoming aspect. Ohio has won two of its past three Homecoming games.

Here are the results of Ohio’s past three Homecoming games: OCT. 10, 2015 | OHIO 34, MIAMI 3 In the 2015 installment of “The Battle of the Bricks,” Ohio pummeled rival Miami. Everyone got in on the scoring. Daz Patterson had a 2-yard touchdown run to open up the scoring. Derrius Vick found Sebastian Smith for a 6-yard score, and Josiah Yazdani added a field goal before the half. The Bobcats enjoyed a comfortable 17-3 lead at the break.

On Miami’s opening drive of the second half, Quentin Poling picked off a Billy Bahl pass and returned it 25 yards for an Ohio touchdown. From there, Yazdani tacked on another field goal, and Maleek Irons put the frosting on Ohio’s Homecoming cake, scoring from a yard out to finalize the scoring at 34-3.

OCT. 8, 2016 | OHIO 30, BOWLING GREEN 24 It seemed as if Ohio would roll in another easy Homecoming victory when it jumped out to a 10-0 lead behind a Louie Zervos field goal and Maleek Irons 17-yard touchdown run. By halftime, Ohio led 237. And deep into the third quarter, Ohio looked to take control for good after Greg

Windham’s touchdown run.

But Bowling Green adjusted. The Falcons scored a touchdown late in the third quarter to cut the deficit. It was 30-17.

After a monotonous first few minutes of the fourth quarter, the Falcons scored a touchdown with fewer than two minutes left. The Bobcats were clinging to a sixpoint lead. The ensuing onside kick attempt was recovered by the Bobcats, who ran the remaining time off the clock and secured a win.

OCT. 7, 2017 | CENTRAL MICHIGAN 26.

OHIO 23 In last season’s Homecoming game, the Bobcats jumped out to an early lead.

They led 7-0 and 14-7 behind a pair of Nathan Rourke touchdown runs. But the Chippewas blocked a Louie Zervos field goal attempt just before the half — and missed the proceeding extra point. Ohio led 14-13 at halftime.

Central Michigan opened the second half with a scoring drive, marching 65 yards in 10 plays. The Bobcats couldn’t find ways to respond. On the next drive, Rourke threw an interception. He fumbled on Ohio’s next drive. He coughed the ball up early in the fourth quarter, too.

Rourke had a bad day, and Ohio’s offense sputtered. With good field position, Shane Morris and the Chippewas stretched their lead. Ohio made things interesting in the final minutes; Rourke scored with five minutes to play. But the Chippewas never gave the ball back to the Bobcats.

@SPENCERHOLBROOK SH690914@OHIO.EDU

Quarterback Nathan Rourke prepares to snap the ball Saturday.

Ohio lost 24-21 to Northern Illinois.

(PETE NAKOS/ ASST. SPORTS EDITOR)

Ohio’s big lead turns sour in last week’s loss to NIU SPENCER HOLBROOK SPORTS EDITOR

A

well-timed pitch from Nathan Rourke to A.J. Ouellette resulted in Ohio’s first score. A pair of busted-coverage pass plays led to two other scores. Ohio was flexing its muscle on Northern Illinois.

The Bobcats’ defense forced five straight punts in the second and third quarters. Everything lined up for the Bobcats to leave Huskie Stadium with a win Saturday behind a dominant second half performance.

But the Huskies showed up to play the fourth quarter. After scoring on the last play of the third quarter, Ohio was shut out in the fourth quarter, and turnovers put its defense in a few uncomfortable spots. The Huskies capitalized on all of that, and the Bobcats couldn’t finish in their 24-21 loss.

When asked about what went wrong in the fourth quarter, coach Frank Solich quickly responded.

“Turnovers.”

It was only one turnover, but it was a

big one. Before that, Ohio had built a lead.

After Rourke found tight end Connor Brown on an 11-yard touchdown pass on the final play of the third quarter, the Bobcats held a 12-point cushion. Then, NIU went on a methodical 12-play, 77-yard drive to dip into Ohio’s advantage.

The Bobcats’ rushing attack, which was largely nonexistent, couldn’t shave much off the clock, so Ohio was forced to travel by air. Rourke dropped back to pass from NIU’s 39-yard line, and All-American defensive end Sutton Smith sacked him, forced him to fumble and recovered the fumble. The Huskies had the momentum, the home crowd and the opportunity to take the lead.

Ohio’s first two turnovers, a Rourke interception and an Ouellette fumble didn’t hamper the Bobcats. They survived with those mistakes and kept the lead. NIU only had eight points off the Ohio turnovers. The third one was the backbreaker.

Six plays later, the Huskies had the lead, and they didn’t give it back.

“There’s no excuse for not holding onto the ball,” Rourke said. “I’ve got to do a better job of that. That’s on me.”

Before the fourth quarter, Ohio made many of the right plays. The pair of touchdown passes Rourke threw were against heavy pressure, and he found receivers through busted coverage. Ohio got a career out five three-and-outs. The Bobcats were even helped out by NIU’s 12 penalties, which cost the Huskies 102 yards.

But the fourth quarter hit the Bobcats with force. It seemed to turn a page or start a new chapter. NIU delivered punch after punch. Ohio didn’t cover its face, and NIU landed those punches. The Bobcats had no answer — especially for Huskies’ quarterback Marcus Childers, who had 169 yards on the ground, 80 of which came in the fourth quarter.

“We didn’t tackle very well,” Solich said. “He had too many holes off of designed runs, designed draws. We’ll have to take a look at our schemes in terms of what caused him to have such lanes that he had. He’s an excellent runner. He’s got good speed. He’s got good size. If you let him get going, you’re going to have a tough time.”

It seemed to culminate when Smith came off the edge, pummeled Rourke and

recovered the remnants of the play: the ball, loose on the Huskie Stadium turf.

Before that, Rourke and the passing attack, carefully concocted with Ohio’s defensive effort, made all the plays for the Bobcats. They had the lead despite rushing for just 46 yards. What they were doing was working. They were going to win with what they had been doing.

Until they weren’t. Plays weren’t made in the fourth quarter. Ohio’s left with a .500 record, overall and in conference, and questions about the marquee road win that could have been.

A home game with Bowling Green is next for the Bobcats, and they’ll celebrate Homecoming and all its festivities. But the reality is that Ohio was unable to finish. Oct. 13 against NIU will be a game that festers in Bobcat minds for some time.

“We’ve just got to be able to keep the lead,” Rourke said. “I think it’s good experience (to be in close games), but that doesn’t make them sting any less.”

@SPENCERHOLBROOK SH690914@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 27

What it’s like to be Rufus the Bobcat BAYLEE DEMUTH STAFF WRITER

d

ylan Erdmann’s choice to attend Ohio University was heavily influenced by his intent to become OU’s mascot, Rufus the Bobcat.

“I was my high school’s mascot for two years and absolutely loved it,” Erdmann, a sophomore studying sociology-criminology, said. “I knew that I had to do it in college.”

During Erdmann’s freshman year, he was given a chance to try out the Rufus suit at an OU soccer game. He performed well and was hired as one of the two students who would get to be Rufus the Bobcat.

“I don’t have to try out again every year either,” Erdmann said. “As long as I don’t do anything to get fired, I have the job.”

A bobcat has been OU’s mascot since 1925, but the current image of Rufus the Bobcat came to be in 2006, according to a previous Post report. Rufus not only cheers for OU’s football team, but also makes his way to many other Ohio sports, including men’s and women’s basketball, women’s field hockey, women’s soccer, wrestling, softball and baseball.

Even as a freshman, Erdmann was not intimidated to be playing such a large roll for the university. With his previous mascoting experience, Erdmann was able to channel his high school mascot’s persona into how he portrays Rufus on a bigger platform.

“We haven’t had a really good full-time Rufus for a while, so there wasn’t anything for me to base off how he should act,” Erdmann said. “I pretty much transformed my high school mascot’s personality into what Rufus is now, which is kind of like the traditional high school quarterback who walks around super tough and doesn’t take crap from anyone.”

Football games are the primary performances for Erdmann as Rufus. A lot of individual work goes into preparing for games, so Erdmann makes it a point to practice with the cheerleading team in order to perform to the best of his ability.

“Last year, I would practice with the cheer team about once a week just to get to know them,” Erdmann said. “It’s so cra28 / OCT. 18, 2018

Rufus interacts with the crowd during the 2017 Homecoming football game against Central Michigan University. (MIJANA MAZUR / FILE)

zy when I get into the suit because there’s this complete contrast from who I am in the suit to who I am out of it.”

In the short time Erdmann has been Rufus, he’s made many connections with other schools’ mascots, something he would’ve never thought was possible before becoming Rufus.

“A lot of the mascots try to get to know each other, especially for the schools they play,” Erdmann said. “We have a secret GroupMe where we pass different ideas around. That’s also how I get in contact with people prior to games and see if away team mascots want to perform any skits with Rufus. It’s almost like we’re planning interactions.”

Getting the opportunity to be Rufus the Bobcat has been a worthwhile experience for Erdmann that he’s excited to continue throughout college.

“Not very many people get to say that they were their college’s mascot,” Erdmann said. “I’ve learned so much about different cultures and regions of the U.S. since becoming Rufus. The experience is amazing, and there is so much awesome stuff I wouldn’t have gotten to do had I

not gotten this job.”

Cody Buchanan, a senior studying coaching education, was also his high school mascot and knows what a blast it is to be in Erdmann’s position.

“I loved suiting up and dancing around,” Buchanan said. “Being a mascot brought so much joy to people, and that was one of the most amazing things about it.”

Zach Logsdon, a senior studying meteorology, is the other student who gets the opportunity to be Rufus.

“I just thought it’d be a fun and great way to represent the school,” Logsdon said. “I get to be OU’s biggest fan while also getting the opportunity to try something new.”

This is Logsdon’s second year dressing up as Rufus, and even though Erdmann has more experience with mascoting in general, Logsdon was able to catch on quickly.

“I think I’ve gotten pretty good at it,” Logsdon said. “Our boss can’t tell the difference between who’s in the suit and who’s not some games because of how well (Erdmann) and I have coordinated it.”

Like Erdmann, Logsdon puts in a lot of work before any sporting event Rufus has

to make an appearance at.

“I usually try and get there an hour before the game because there’s a script I have to go by,” Logsdon said. “I have to know what’s going on and where to be in the stadium or arena and when.”

With how many outside sporting events Logsdon attends as Rufus, one can imagine how hot it is inside the suit, but Logsdon doesn’t mind at all.

“It’s such an adrenaline rush getting to pump everyone up and being the game’s biggest fan that I just find a way to get through it,” Logsdon said. “Sometimes when I’m taking pictures with people, I still catch myself smiling inside the suit.

It’s a hard habit to break.”

Being OU’s mascot has been an amazing time that Logsdon will miss after he graduates.

“I’ll definitely miss being the college’s biggest fan,” Logsdon said. “I’m walking around campus and nobody knows that — in a way — I’m the face of the university.”

@BAYLEEDEMUTH BD575016@OHIO.EDU

VOLLEYBALL

Running out of time When 2018 began, the Bobcats were projected to sweep the MAC. Now, with a 3-5 MAC record, coach Deane Webb and his team must find a way to turn the tides before the season ends ANTHONY POISAL STAFF WRITER

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Sophomore, Vera Giacomazzi (No. 6), setting her outside hitter during the Ohio Invitational against IUPUI on Sept.8. (KELSEY BOEING / STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

Reigning MAC Freshman of the Year Tia Jimerson missed the first four conference matches with an injury, but Ohio’s deep depth filled the talent gap, and it still went 3-1 to begin conference play.

The Bobcats are 0-4 since Jimerson’s return on Oct. 5 against Miami. They’ve won just five of 17 sets in that span.

So, what’s wrong?

Webb has preached all season that Ohio has to lower its error totals. When the Bobcats aren’t hitting the ball out of bounds, they’ve looked like the team MAC coaches feared when they picked them to sweep 2018’s

“

There’s a lot of growing up that needs to take place. A lot of making more mature decisions on the way that we prepare to play.”

“

t the onset of 2018, Ohio was picked to complete the trifecta.

Mid-American Conference East Division.

MAC regular season. MAC Tournament. The Bobcats were picked to win all of those titles in the preseason coaches’ poll.

They were the team to beat.

But with eight matches left in the regular season, none of those achievements appear attainable for Ohio, which looked very beatable through eight matches of MAC play.

The Bobcats are a disappointing 3-5 in MAC matches and own a four-match losing streak, their longest skid of the season. They fell to Ball State — which will likely win the MAC West — 3-1 on Friday and lost in five sets to Toledo, which will likely finish with a sub -.500 record, on Saturday.

Something’s not right, and coach Deane Webb is running out of time to fix it.

“There’s a lot of growing up that needs to take place,” Webb said after Ohio was swept by Bowling Green on Oct. 6. “A lot of making more mature decisions on the way that we prepare to play.”

At this point last season, Ohio was 4-4 in conference matches and was coming off a sweep of Ball State, which still won the MAC West. The Bobcats’ potential was limited because of long-term injuries to three starting players, but they still found a way to win crucial matches.

Now, the Bobcats have no excuses. They’re one match worse than a year ago, yet all of their starting players are healthy.

- Deane Webb, Ohio volleyball coach

team achievements. “(Unforced errors are) just something we always have to be mindful of,” Webb said in September. “It’s just, we always want to go up and rip a ball, but sometimes, the moment doesn’t call for it. Sometimes, we refer to the phrase ‘out of rhythm’ with our hitters. If they’re not in rhythm when they go to swing, they do something else with the ball. Tip a ball, throw a ball, do something.”

In Ohio’s five matches between Sept. 15 and Sept. 29, the team never hit above 20 attacking errors. The Bobcats went 4-1 in that stretch, their best portion

of 2018 so far, and hit as low as six attacking errors against Akron in their sweep and last win on Sept. 29.

But every match after that has been the exact opposite. The Bobcats have hit a combined 100 attacking errors, their most in a four-match span this season, and have appeared to crumble under the pressure of playing bigger, more physical teams.

So, it’s plain and simple. If Ohio is going to claw itself back into the MAC East, the attacking errors will have to decrease.

The Bobcats won’t catch a break with their remaining schedule. Just three of their final eight matches are against teams currently in the bottom half of their division. Ohio will rendezvous with Buffalo, Bowling Green and Miami to end the season.

Those final three matches will serve as the perfect test for Ohio. If the Bobcats go 0-3, they likely won’t even make the MAC Tournament, which hasn’t happened since 2001.

If the Bobcats can muster at least two wins, they can hope for a middle-of-the-pack team to begin the tournament and a slightly easier road to attaining the most important of the three awards they were predicted to win — a MAC Tournament title.

But there are still five matches to play before then, and Ohio will have to clog its four-match losing skid before it can think about the future. Because if they can’t stop the bleeding, the Bobcats’ final three matches won’t matter.

Their season will already be over.

@ANTHONYP_2 AP012215@OHIO.EDU THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 29

HOCKEY

Ohio goalie Jimmy Thomas scans for the puck during the Bobcats’ game against Eastern Michigan on Oct. 12.

(COLIN MAYR / FOR THE POST)

Inside the mind of Ohio goalie Jimmy Thomas, who rarely has to make saves TREVOR COLGAN SLOT EDITOR

g

arrett Jenkins ripped a shot, Gianni Evangelisti recovered the deflection and after the puck was poked away, Nick Grose prevented it from crossing the blue line.

Both Ohio and Eastern Michigan fought for the puck across the Eagles’ blue line and in the neutral zone. The puck found its way toward the Bobcats’ net but Jake Houston cleared the puck away once, and Cody Black dove in front of a shot to block it.

And while all this happened, all Jimmy Thomas had to do was watch. At this point in the game, Eastern Michigan hadn’t been able to get a lot of shots on target. But on its third, the Eagles were able to recover a loose puck in front of the net and slot one past Thomas.

Ohio had outshot Eastern Michigan by seven at that point, but found itself down by one, halfway through the first period. Thomas knew situations like that can happen as the netminder for a team that has a focus on puck 30 / OCT. 18, 2018

possession and getting a ton of shots off.

“You just gotta stay focused on those games,” Thomas said. “You never know when a puck can hop over to the defensive side, especially on bad ice, which we’ve had (in Bird Arena) at the beginning of the year.”

For Thomas, staying in focus means following the puck. The Bird Arena crowd prides itself on attempting to get into the heads of opponents around the American Collegiate Hockey Association.

“You can’t really pay attention to anything else,” Thomas said. “It just keeps you involved on the puck and the play the whole time.”

The Bobcats take a lot of shots and give up a few. They have outshot opponents 322100 this year — including a 68-15 thrashing of West Virginia on Oct. 6. The Bobcats almost had 100 shots themselves against Eastern Michigan last weekend.

To go with all those shots, Ohio has been scoring goals. A lot of goals. The Bobcats have scored 58 goals this year and only allowed eight.

That means the Ohio goalies — Thomas

and his backups — haven’t needed to be perfect, but there’s always pride in a shutout. As the Bobcats begin their Central States Collegiate Hockey League slate — which begins Friday night in Ames, Iowa, against Iowa State — games will begin to tighten up.

“You’re basically always trying to hold them to zero,” Thomas said. “It’s a lot less stressful when you’re up by a lot of goals.”

In those tighter CSCHL games, any mistake that a goalie might make can be amplified. One goal could snowball into more, and the game could take a different shape.

“One slip-up could cost you a goal,” Thomas said. “One goal could lead to two that easy, and then you have a game.”

Being able to focus on the game in front of the goalie isn’t always something that a coach can help with. So, when coach Sean Hogan is perched on the bench, it can feel like a games taking forever.

Hogan has to rely on his goalie to stay in the game.

“In general, goalies have to be mentally tough,” he said. “There’s going to be games

where they don’t get a lot of action, and when they do get action, it’s a breakaway.

That’s usually what happens.”

Even with the Bobcats’ puck possession offense, goalies have to be ready for the other team to force a turnover and have its own chance down the ice.

To start the season, that hasn’t happened often. But when it has, the Bobcats’ defense has been quick to recover. They know the importance that the goalies — especially Thomas — have. They are aware that he plays a lot of key minutes for Ohio, such as last season, when he leads the ACHA in minutes played and games played, and was tied for second in shutouts.

The skaters want to take the load off their netminder.

“Jimmy has been one of the better goalies to come through here,” said Grant Hazel, a senior defenseman. “He bails us out a lot. We need to be there for him.”

@TREVOR_COLGAN TC648714@OHIO.EDU

MEN’S BASKETBALL

Basketball debrief Coach Saul Phillips talks about what to expect this upcoming basketball season

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head of the 2018-19 season, The Post sat down with Ohio coach Saul Phillips to discuss the upcoming campaign and his personnel. Phillips enters his fifth season at the helm of the Bobcats, who have held practices for the past two weeks. Ohio tips off the season Nov. 3 against Rio Grande in an exhibition in the The Convo.

Here are a few highlights from the conversation: NONCONFERENCE THOUGHTS As it is every season, Ohio’s nonconference schedule looks to give the Bobcats some early season tests and some easy wins. Phillips acknowledged the excitement of playing the Jersey Mike’s Jamaica Classic, starting a home-and-home series with Purdue and taking on in-state rival Xavier.

The matchup with the Musketeers will be the first time since 2008-2009 that the two teams have met, a series which the Bobcats lead all-time, 20-14.

“It’s certainly an area where we recruit a little bit,” Phillips said about the trip to Cincinnati. “A, If you’ve got to go on the road where some of your fans and alumni base can get to. And B, to have it on a place where you don’t have to get on a real long bus ride or a jet ride. It’ll be nice.”

Phillips joked that the trip to Xavier will be a chance to see former Bobcat walk-on Sam Frayer, who is in his first season

as a graduate assistant with the Musketeers.

The home nonconference schedule features matchups against 2018 NCAA Tournament qualifiers Iona, Marshall and Radford in The Convo. It is Marshall’s first trip to Athens since the 2015-2016 season, and it’s the last trip Iona will take to Athens in part of its contract with the Bobcats.

“With all these new guys, it may be nicer to have a softer schedule, but I do want our guys to be prepared and I think that’ll do it,” he said. “It’s our schedule.

We’re playing it either way.”

EARLY IMPRESSIONS OF PERSONNEL A season removed from one of the worst bouts of injuries, Phillips and the Bobcats are quite healthy, the only true question mark being the status of Jordan Dartis.

“

Throughout the preseason, there’s going to be some trial and error.

There’s going to be times where some things work and we go back to it and some things that just don’t work.

“

PETE NAKOS ASST. SPORTS EDITOR

- Saul Phillips, Ohio basketball coach

Coach Saul Phillips discusses the game and encourages his players during the timeout at their game against the Buffalo Bulls on Jan. 26. (HANNAH SCHROEDER / FILE)

Dartis is coming off an off-season where he had surgery on both of his hips.

Still, Phillips has seven new faces on this squad, plus the return of Jason Carter and Ben Vander Plas from season-ending injuries last season.

“Throughout the preseason, there’s going to be some trial and error,” Phillips said. “There’s going to be times where some things work and we go back to it and some things that just don’t work.”

Early on, junior college transfer Antonio Cowart has been the standout. The junior guard from Southwest Mississippi Community College has helped Teyvion Kirk mature a lot after his breakout freshman season.

For Phillips, he loves to see his players grow from year to year.

The best example of that may be senior forward Doug Taylor, who has completely rebuilt himself physically throughout his four years in Athens.

“It’s a really, really rewarding part of my job is to witness a guy who figures things out,” Phillips said. “He definitely falls into that camp in every capacity of his life,

from leadership to the way he carries himself.”

QUESTIONS ABOUT THE FUTURE Phillips is entering his final season of the initial five-year deal he signed back in 2014 when he took the Ohio job. He doesn’t comment on contract matters, not to evade questions, but because he doesn’t want to speak about it openly.

Still, it remains a question entering a season in which he’ll see his first full recruiting class graduate. The contract will expire May 18, 2019, and he’s set to make $581,107.80 this season.

Throughout his four years at Ohio, Phillips is 67-60 and 34-38 in the Mid-American Conference regular season games. Last season, his team failed to make the MAC Tournament quarterfinals for the first time since 2015, his first year as coach.

Phillips has never coached a team in the last season of his contract before.

@PETE_NAKOS96 PN997515@OHIO.EDU

OHIO’S 2018 NONCONFERENCE SCHEDULE 11/3 Rio Grande* 11/7 Wilberforce 11/12 Campbell 11/16 South Fla.** 11/18 Loyola Marymount** 11/24 Austin Peay 11/27 Iona 12/1 Marshall 12/5 @ Xavier 12/8 Radford 12/15 @ Detroit Mercy 12/20 @ Purdue 12/30 Florida Int’l * EXHIBITION ** IN JAMAICA

THEPOSTATHENS.COM / 31

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7, 2017

THURSDAY, AUGUST 31, 2017

Virtual healing

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 14, 2017

The MAC’s rising star

DEFENDER THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2017

OF THE TURF

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 28, 2017

Claire Buckey claims her territory on Pruitt Field despite recurring health problems P12

Free speech policy causes concerns P11 Cover: Medical field utilizes VR P12 Embracing local agriculture P20

ANOTHER REMEDY

President

Duane Nellis

+

Breaking down OU’s budget P12

MORE AND MORE WOMEN ARE CHOOSING TO TREAT MEDICAL CONDITIONS WITH ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE INSTEAD OF DOCTORS VISITS PAGES 20-21

After a nearly yearlong nationwide search, Duane Nellis took office as Ohio University’s 21st president on June 12.

Now, Nellis reflects on his past and shares hopes for the future.

Safety Javon Hagan’s new role P16 Exploring the world of animation P20

Comparing expression policies P9

A sit-down with the president P12

Nellis in college P10

Sustainable volunteering P20

Hockey’s second-year starter P14

Effects of marijuana depenalization 9

OU Southern’s equine program 12

Volleyball setter’s move from Italy 18

Nellis’ previous employment P20

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2017 THURSDAY, OCTOBER 12, 2017

GRASS-ROOTS

ELECTIONS

L I F E S T Y L E Mamerto Tindongan finds life more valuable with less P20

DECK CAN GO HERE FOR A HALLOWEEN-RELATED STORY YAY BOO MWAHAHAHAHAH

Evaluating Trump’s presidency P8 TACO exceeds majority vote P15

PAGES 16-21

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DECISIONS FOR ATHENS Hispanic students balance college P20

Pumpkin’s rise to Athens celebrity P12 Setting up haunted houses P16

Looking for an enriching college experience centered around teamwork and creativity?

Quilt empowers sexual assault survivors P19

THURSDAY, JANUARY 18, 2018

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 16, 2017

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2018

Foundation of The Post hasThe been serving Ohio University OHIO HOCKEY and the Athens area for more than 100 years, and we’re always hiring.

Baker 70: one year later

How Bill Gurnick put the Bobcats on the map P20

P12

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Faculty diversity rises slowly P8 Photo story: MLK March P12

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Closing the gender gap in STEM 11

COVER: Ohio’s next big investment 12

NEWS SPORTS CULTURE OPINION BLOGS MULTIMEDIA VISUALS PROJECTS Basketball’s star center P18

Dave Jamerson’s journey to God 20

THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 8, 2018

Healing the scars

P 11

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T H W B H E Post-grad possibilities P10

CONTACT EDITOR@THEPOSTATHENS.COM

E Y I L L E A R D

A love for cult classics P20

Sibs Weekend events P22

THURSDAY, MARCH 8, 2018

Pipe bursts in residence hall P8

It’s Women’s History Month. ‘The Post’ compiled a collection of stories to celebrate women in Athens and Ohio University.

Cultural problems with ‘Friends’ P19

Hockey works on power plays P21 Businesses in action P10

THURSDAY, MARCH 22, 2018

UNEARTHING A SECRET

She walks

THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 2018

by faith P12

The story behind a patch of farmland, a man and his reputation P12

THURSDAY, APRIL 12, 2018 THURSDAY, APRIL 19, 2018

FOOD ISSUE

UNCERTAIN FREEDOMS P14

ATHENS CULTIVATES RESTAURANTS AND DISHES THAT STUDENTS AND LOCALS HAVE COME TO KNOW AND LOVE. THIS ISSUE IS DEDICATED TO THOSE FAMILIAR FLAVORS.

The turnover rate of businesses P9

One team, one video game P19

Caligraphy in the digital age P20

Brunch life in Athens P6 Carriage Hill one year later P9

Donkey’s most regular regular P19

From junior college to Ohio P20

Athletes’ diets in season P17

Cover story: family kitchens P18 Updates on Union explosion P9

Land of opportunity P12

A dazzling history P20

THURSDAY, APRIL 26, 2018

Fridging in comic book culture P18

REFLECTING ON THE YEAR Take a look at the different faces, places and events that highlighted the 2017-18 academic year through the lens of ‘Post’ photographers