As the calendar turns to September, the West Virginia Mountaineers turn their attention to a road matchup in Athens, Ohio, with the Ohio Bobcats. WVU football is fresh off a 45-3 win over Robert Morris in Rich Rodriguez’s return as the head coach. In Week 2, the Ohio crowd will certainly be amped up to host a power conference team like the Mountaineers. The Bobcats took a close Week 1 loss on the road against a power opponent to open the season, but are coming off a 2024 season in which they went 11-3 and won the MAC Championship in blowout fashion with a 38-3 win over Miami (OH).
With the countdown to Saturday’s Week 2 matchup officially on, let’s get familiar with the Ohio Bobcats in this opponent preview.
West Virginia Is Favored On The Road (But Not By Much)
West Virginia has opened as a -3.5 road favorite against the Bobcats. One would have to think that this slim margin is due in large part to the performance Ohio showcased in Week 1 against Rutgers.
As part of the opening weekend of college football, Ohio traveled to Rutgers on Thursday night – they trailed by 17 points in the first half, but staged a nearly successful comeback that saw them outgain the Scarlet Knights offensively but narrowly suffer a 34-31 defeat. Other contributing factors include the fact that the Bobcats are playing at home and returning plenty of talent from a successful 2024 campaign.
"I watched a lot of that game. They very easily could have won it, on the road against a pretty good Rutgers team. So they'll get our guys' attention," Rodriguez said after Saturday's game.
Ohio Bobcats: What To Know
Remember the name, Parker Navarro. On the set of College Gameday last season, Timothée Chalamet gave a noteworthy shoutout to the Bobcats’ QB. Navarro’s 2024 campaign was impressive en route to leading his team to a conference title. In 2024, he passed for over 2,400 yards and 13 touchdowns to go along with 1,054 yards on the ground and 18 touchdowns.
Navarro didn't miss a beat entering the 2025 season, going 21-for-31 passing for 239 yards and three touchdowns against Rutgers while adding 93 rushing yards and one touchdown with his legs. If the Bobcats come away with a win on Saturday evening, it is likely because Parker Navarro's performance played a huge role.
Some, including Timothee Chalamet, do talk about Parker Navarro.
— RedditCFB (@RedditCFB) August 20, 2025
pic.twitter.com/6ONpdpFrX7 https://t.co/E3oEpju7Be
Additional key contributors on the offensive side of the ball include running back Sieh Bangura and Chase Hendricks. Bangura was a 1,000-yard rusher for Ohio in 2022. Interestingly enough, he spent one season with the Golden Gophers of Minnesota in 2024 (receiving limited playing time) before transferring back to Ohio for the 2025 season. He picked up 86 yards in Week 1.
Chase Hendricks was the Bobcats’ second-leading receiver in 2024 with over 400 yards. He was the primary target for Navarro in Week 1 with 115 yards on nine catches.
Defensively, 5 of Ohio’s top 6 tacklers from last season are gone, though they do return significant production on this side of the ball as well. Rutgers QB Athan Kaliakmanis had an efficient night against the Bobcats’ secondary, throwing for 252 yards and 2 touchdowns on an impressive 18-for-23 passing.
What does this mean for West Virginia?
In his Robert Morris postgame press conference, Coach Rodriguez spoke highly of the Bobcats after watching them debut on Thursday night. This will not be a walk in the park for the Mountaineers, and the betting lines certainly do not indicate that it will be either.
The good news for the Mountaineers is that they were able to (hopefully) work out some of the kinks in Week 1 against an FCS opponent. Hopefully, the fumbles have been left in Week 1, the other mistakes made can be corrected, and they can play a cleaner brand of football against the defending champions of the MAC. While Navarro is a quarterback who can hurt the Mountaineers through the air as well as on the ground, he is also susceptible to hurting his own team – he did throw 11 interceptions in 2024. But Ohio’s Week 1 performance should at the very least warrant a deeper focus on game preparation for the WVU coaching staff and players.