I'm willing to use this is an excuse... (Jacoby + Bostic)...
Just to be clear, I'm not looking for excuses. I'm trying to look at what changed that might have affected the problem, and in doing so, reveal what needs to improve to solve it. The only changes to personnel that I am aware of are to Jacoby and Bostic, plus Meservy. In addition to his ability to do cartwheels, Meservy was a very good guard who started for 4-5 years, if I remember correctly, but I find it hard to believe that the loss of a single lineman alone was the cause of the dropoff in rushing production. If Meservy had been a 1st round draft pick, maybe....
There are lots of other possible reasons, too. For example, part of it may be that MAC defenses have now seen enough of Ohio's offense to find defensive solutions that take away the plays that Ohio ran so effectively last year. I have no doubt that the coaches are studying the film, trying to find solutions to the problem, or problems, and that they are making changes accordingly. With >7 days between each of the remaining games, it will be a good time to implement some changes.