2012 AdvoCare V100 Independence Bowl
Ohio (8-4; 4-4) vs. Louisiana-Monroe (8-4; 6-2)
Friday, Dec. 28 at 2:00 pm ET
Shreveport, La., Independence Stadium
ESPN: Dave Lamont, Play-By-Play; Kelly Stouffer, Color; Cara Capuano, Sideline
FIRST AND 10
-Ohio faces off against Louisiana-Monroe in the 2012 Independence Bowl on Dec. 28 at 2 p.m. (EST). The game can be seen on ESPN.
-The Bobcats will make their fourth-consecutive bowl appearance and their fifth in the last seven years.
-Ohio is one of just 28 schools in the country to go to four straight bowl games.
-The Bobcats will make their 50th appearance on the ESPN Family of Networks since 2005.
-The Bobcats have won 14 of their last 19 games dating back to last season.
-Ohio ranks ninth in the NCAA in turnover margin.
-Quarterback Tyler Tettleton became Ohio University’s all-time leader in career completions at Ball State on Nov. 14. On Nov. 7 against Bowling Green, he became the program’s all-time leading passer.
-Tettleton currently holds six of the school’s career passing records.
-Running back Beau Blankenship, who set the program’s single season rushing record, has rushed for 1,500 yards to become the eighth individual in school history to surpass 1,000 yards rushing.
-Ohio became bowl eligible for the sixth time in the last eight years following its 38-31 win over Buffalo on Oct. 6 and was the first team in the country to become bowl eligible.
-The Bobcats won seven straight games to open the season. Ohio’s 7-0 start was its best start to a season since 1968.
-Ohio is one of four teams in the Mid-American Conference that have been ranked in the AP Top 25 this season.
-Head coach Frank Solich coached in his 100th game at Ohio on Nov. 7 against Bowling Green.
A WIN OVER LOUISIANA-MONROE WOULD...
-Mark the Bobcats’ second bowl win in program history.
-Mark back-to-back bowl wins for Ohio. Only four current league members have won bowl games in consecutive years.
-Hand Ohio its seventh nine-win season in school history and fourth under the direction of head coach Frank Solich.
-Give the Bobcats’ their 15th win in their last 20 games dating back to last season.
-Mark the Bobcats’ first win over a Sun Belt opponent since 2009 when it defeated North Texas.
-Give head coach Frank Solich his 59th career win at Ohio, which would tie him with former Miami head coach Randy Walker for 12th on the MAC all-time career wins list.
WHAT TO WATCH FOR
-Junior running back Beau Blankenship needs just 80 yards on the ground to crack into the Top 15 on the all-time single season MAC rushing list.
-Blankenship’s eight 100-yard rushing games this year are tied for the most in school history for a single season. If he surpasses 100 yards rushing he will become the all-time single season leader for most 100-yard games.
-Blankenship’s 11 rushing touchdowns are ranked in the all-time Top 10 for a single season. He is currently two rushing touchdowns shy of cracking into the all-time Top 5 for a single season.
-Redshirt senior offensive lineman Eric Herman will look to make his 51st-consecutive start against ULM.
-Quarterback Tyler Tettleton is just four touchdown passes shy of 20 for the season. No Ohio signal-caller has ever thrown for 20-or-more touchdown passes in back-to-back seasons.
-Tettleton is also just 57 yards shy of totaling 6,000 yards for his career.
-Wide receiver Donte Foster is just two touchdown receptions shy of cracking into the all-time top three for career touchdown receptions. He is currently fifth all-time
with 13 career receiving touchdowns.
-Foster is also just four catches shy of cracking into the all-time single season Top 10 for receptions.
-Linebacker Keith Moore is just 11 tackles shy tallying 100 tackles for the season.
2012 SEASON BY THE NUMBERS
25,893 - The Bobcats played in front of a school record crowd of 25,893 fans at Peden Stadium in its home opener.
21,844 - Ohio averaged a school record 21,844 fans at Peden Stadium this past fall.
2,513 - Quarterback Tyler Tettleton surpassed 2,500 yards through the air for the second-consecutive season.
1968 - The Bobcats 7-0 start was their best start to a season since the 1968 campaign.
1,500 - Running back Beau Blankenship rushed for a program record 1,500 yards on the ground during the regular season.
400 - Senior place kicker Matt Weller finished the regular season with 400 career points, which ranks No. 1 all-time in school history.
367 - The Bobcats scored 367 points in 2012, which is the third-highest mark in school history.
100 - Head coach Frank Solich coached in his 100th career game at Ohio earlier this season against Bowling Green.
50 - Senior offensive lineman Eric Herman made his 50th consecutive start in the Bobcats regular season finale at Kent State.
24 - Ohio scored 24 points in its season-opening win at Penn State.
23 - The Bobcats were ranked as high as No. 23 in the Associated Press Poll.
11 - Ohio played on the ESPN Family of Networks 11 times during the 2012 season.
8 - Blankenship has rushed for 100 yards-or-more in eight games this season.
7 - Ohio opened the year with seven straight wins to start the year.
6 - Ohio placed six players on the 2012 MAC All-Conference Team.
3 - Tettleton threw just three interceptions all season.
1 - The Bobcats became the first Division I-A team in the country to become bowl-eligible.
SIX BOBCATS EARN MAC ALL-CONFERENCE HONORS
Seniors Matt Weller, Eric Herman, Skyler Allen and junior Beau Blankenship earned All-MAC Second Team honors, while high school teammates and senior defensive players Alphonso Lewis and Neal Huynh were named to the All-MAC Third Team. Weller’s Second Team honor marked the third time in his career he was selected All-MAC.
TETTLETON 2K PLUS
Ohio signal-caller Tyler Tettleton became the first quarterback in school history to throw for 2,500-yards or more in back-to-back seasons. His 2,513 passing yards
this season rank second all-time for a single season.
AMONG THE NATION’S BEST
Ohio junior quarterback Tyler Tettleton has established himself as one of the nation’s best signal-callers. Tettleton is one of only three quarterbacks across the
country that have thrown 15-or-more touchdowns and three-or-fewer interceptions.
THE BEST IN THE MAC
Ohio’s 54 wins since 2006 are the second most victories by any school in the Mid-American Conference during that period second only to Northern Illinois.
1. Northern Illinois - 56
2. Ohio - 54
3. Central Michigan - 50
BEAU KNOWS
Junior running back Beau Blankenship has rushed for over 100 yards in eight of 12 games this season. He also rushed for 86 yards against Buffalo and 97 yards vs. Bowling Green. Blankenship’s 269 yards at Massachusetts served as a game and career-high. In 2012, Blankenship finished the regular season ranked No. 10th in the NCAA and third in the MAC in rushing, averaging 125.0 yards per game. At the end of the season, Blankenship was named All-MAC Second Team and Phil Steele All-MAC First Team. Earlier in the year, Blankenship was named to the Phil Steele, CBS Sports and SI.com Midseason All-America Teams.