Buffalo Bulls vs. Ohio Bobcats, 10/26/2024, 12:00pm CST

Bobcats 47 – Bulls 16, Attendance: 16,048

Weather: Sunny, 60; Ticket: $40, Parking: $34 (both Ohio U.)

“Making Good Choices” by Tree

Ohio University is in Athens next to the Hocking River. While it is a scenic location, it is not close to anything. Columbus is a little over an hour away, but I opted to fly into Cincinnati instead so I could visit with family. The nearly three-hour drive from Cincy was not bad and hanging out with my nephews is always fun. Athens is small and lodging is at a premium. The 50th anniversary of the Athens Halloween Party further constricted the hotel supply, so my traveling buddy Bob and I ended up at a shoe box of an Airbnb with paper thin walls. As we resorted to using space heaters to stay warm, thoughts of carbon monoxide poisoning and house fires danced through my head. Sleeping in that place was the scariest part of the Halloween celebration. The one positive was the location, which allowed us to walk to the party that night.

Peden Stadium sits on the banks of the Hocking River and allows for some nice tailgating spots. The best tailgating lot is in the Pepsi TailGreat Park with a view of both the river and the stadium. Unfortunately, the lot was sold out with no aftermarket availability. We ended up in the Blue Lot for $34 bought directly from the school. It was catty-corner to the Pepsi lot, and we could see the river across the street. It would not have been a bad tailgate spot if anyone else was there. We came at 8am for a noon kick and we could have slept in until 10am as the lot had, roughly, ten other tailgaters in it. Our lot was not the only one light on attendance. The Pepsi lot, while better, was, at best, half full. Given the price, the blue lot was worth it for convenience alone, but don’t expect a vibrant tailgating scene. Thankfully, our apple cider mimosas carried us through the calm morning chill.

The Bobcats play on Frank Solich Field at Peden Stadium. It was built in 1929, making it the oldest stadium in the MAC and one of the oldest in the country. For all that age, it is not too bad – the Hellen Mirren of stadiums if you will. It is mostly bleacher seats with seat backs that run from the forty-to-forty lines. There is General Admission seating on the endzone hillside. Our seats were just on the edge of the 40-yard line, but we were able to slide across to the aisle to score some seatbacks. The concessions were average, but they did sell Chic Fil A if that means something to you. I was able to get a souvenir cup, and they do sell alcohol. The stadium has some kinda, sorta luxury boxes. There is one video score board but is essentially useless when it comes to replays. I don’t think we saw one replay the entire game. Peden Stadium gets points for some appealing aesthetics especially when wrapped in fall foliage with a golf course and the river visible from the stadium. In summary, while it is a small and old stadium, it is not unappealing either. There’s no need to upgrade your seat from a view perspective unless you want a seat back and even then, you can probably do the “walk over” to get one.

When it comes to traditions, Ohio has a nice mix. There is the classic Bobcat roar, and they shoot off a cannon after every score. The fans have a couple of cheers. One is a classic play on the “O H I O” cheer you often hear in the Buckeye State. I more preferred the “OU, Oh Yeah!” cheer, which was short and snappy. The fan cheering was adequate while the student section could have been louder. We found folks to be friendly. The attire was strictly Midwest style – sweatshirts and jeans.

The Bobcat band, aka “The Ohio University Marching 110”, was top notch. Ohio University gets big points in my book for having the band playing during time outs instead of recorded pop music. They sounded great and it fit right in with the old school vibe. Where the band really excelled was during the halftime show. Given it was Halloween weekend, they rocked a great set of Janet Jackson’s Black Cat, ACDC’s Back in Black, and finished with Black Parade by My Chemical Romance. Couple this with a well-choreographed routine of Thriller by the Ohio Dance Team and it is fair to say the Bobcats nailed the non-football entertainment. In general, the band was a strong contributor to the entire game day experience.

The Bobcats came in as 6.5-point favorites, so we were hopeful for at least a close game. It was good, for a while. Buffalo struggled on their first drive, but Ohio gave the ball right back to the Bulls with an interception. The Bobcats defense then held Buffalo to a missed field goal. The interception was about the only mistake by Ohio’s offense. Their no huddle approach was effective, and they drew first blood with a very short field goal. Buffalo did not blink and answered with a touchdown, capped by a 27-yard run. The Bobcats rushing offense matched the effort with a strong drive highlighted by a 46-yard touchdown scoring run.

The Bulls unfortunately went three and out in the next series of the second quarter. Ohio pounced on the following possession, hitting a 65-yard bomb for a ten-point lead. The Bobcat offense continued to outplay the Bulls’ offense, scoring touchdowns while Buffalo settled for another field goal. The first half ended with Ohio up 24 – 10 and with the Bobcats were getting the ball to start the second half, it looked like Buffalo was on the ropes.

The Bulls, however, stopped Ohio’s opening drive. The Buffalo offense then moved steadily down the field, looking to tighten the game. It was not to be. They fumbled on the Ohio 15-yard line. The Bobcats roared down the field in under four minutes, scored another TD, and with a twenty-one-point lead, the game was essentially over. In the end, Ohio was a tier above Buffalo. Case in point, the Bulls did manage to score on the following possession only to see the 2-point PAT attempt returned a hundred yards. Even when the Bulls could score a touchdown it was only a net result of four points.

Ohio rolled from there, winning 47-16. It was the start of a five-game win streak, culminating in the Bobcats winning their first MAC Title.

As mentioned, we found the Bobcat fans to be friendly and talked to several parents. It was funny that this appeared to not be the ideal weekend for family visits. With the big Halloween weekend in play, we heard more than one parent say that their kids were clear that they had limited visitation time this weekend. The actual event was impressively well organized. Being old, we went early and wrapped it up (10ish) after the Eighties cover band finished on stage. The party was just heating up when we left. As we walked back through the picturesque campus, we passed by a sea of costumed students heading into town. We smiled and hoped they made good choices.

Speaking of good choices, between the game and the Halloween party, Bob and I decided a nice steak dinner was in order. The chosen restaurant rated highly with a dress code that would accommodate our limited sartorial options. We both ordered steaks medium rare. What we both got were steaks resembling brown shoe leather. When we mentioned it to the waitstaff, they graciously got us two new steaks. After all, you can’t un well-done a steak. When Bob’s second steak arrived, he felt it was still a bit raw, and he had it sent back again. We could only laugh when considering what the kitchen was doing to his steak on the second round. We agreed that sending something back twice was definitely rolling the dice. It turned out fine, but I do not recommend that approach.

After our early party exit (definitely a good choice) we entered our chilly Airbnb. It was now Bob’s turn to question my good choices. For the second time in two years, the lodging left a lot to be desired. In 2023, we had to sleep with one eye open in a dodgy Toledo neighborhood during an Eastern and Western Michigan double weekend. This year it was a one-bedroom ice box with an Ikea futon in the “living” room. Unluckily for me, it was my year for the futon. Next year we will upgrade, although I am tempted to go for the one-star three-peat. With Murfreesboro, TN and Muncie, IN still on the schedule, there’s some opportunity there. Never underestimate the value of making bad memories.

I am not going to say that visiting Peden Stadium at Ohio University is a must see – unless your team is playing the Bobcats on Halloween weekend. Under those circumstances, you should go. If your team is playing in Athens another weekend, I would still give it consideration. The game and tailgating aren’t expensive, the stadium is decent, and the Ohio U. band is almost worth the price of admission alone. And, if you are a big fan of Halloween, you should probably hit the Athens’ party at least once in your lifetime. Who knows, I might even be tempted to join you – if there are Red Bulls and Vodkas to keep me going.