Honest to god, I'm not sure why everyone on this board is so deflated right now....Let's look at the facts before we all jump off the Richland Bridge today.

1. We lost arguably our two best players to injury early in the season. One, the heart and soul of our defense who proved truly irreplaceable. The other, a special teams whiz with ability to stretch the field at the WR position.

2. We beat ABSOLUTELY NOBODY leading up to this game. This, to me, was the most telling piece of foreshadowing that hinted at what the end of the season was going to hold for us.

Wins: Wofford, EMU, BG, Akron, Miami, La La, Buffalo, and Temple
Losses: Ohio State, Marshall, and Toledo

People, let's get real. Our wins are a joke. Our losses are unspectacular. I'm just not sure why you expected a better performance out of a team that didn't beat anybody worthwhile all year long. The bitter reality is that a halfway decent NIU team and subsequently "ok" bowl team would have summarily taken us apart in the post-season.

3. You can't underestimate a team playing with strong emotions in the face of adversity for it's beleaguered coach. Kent has a solid defense, certainly better than our vanilla and rice pudding offense today. They wanted to win the game, and we wanted not to lose it.

4. If a bowl game comes calling - you go. Period. End of story. 100% of you jackals on the football board have been whining for weeks and months about how we need to get this supposed "bowl victory monkey" off our back before our program can take the next step. Now, you all are saying we should stay away from the bowl scene, if we are invited. Even with my arguments last year during the LCPB/Marshall debacle (and it was a debacle) - it still makes more sense than not to play in a bowl game - if it's a financial break-even or better. If it's a money loser, there is no way this team is going to a bowl.

That said, I would say the Administration will do everything in their power to get us to a bowl game that is financially viable. For the simple reason, that the "How much is national athletic publicity worth to the University" is clearly in play - and a break-even bowl game will help them pump this argument up even further during the times of budget austerity.

5. I can only ask this board now...should we start the fundraising efforts for the Assistant Coaches bonus packages now, or in a couple days? Good lord, where is that poster now?

Look, I'm not at all surprised that this happened today. I'm not discouraged, I'm not angry, I'm not even numb. We just weren't the team that everyone thought we were (Denny Green, anyone?). We are who I thought we were. Plain and simple it's a very average, middle of the road, Mid-American Conference football team with a lot of suspect wins to pad the total.

Is football really economically viable for Ohio University? I attended every home game this year, and there were at least 10,000 empty seats every game, and attendance is not likely to improve next year. There appears to be no significant demand in the region to indicate that we'll ever fill the seats. Our recent bowl games have been controversial because they've resulted in big financial liabilities. We're no longer the perennial cellar dweller, but that, in part, is because many other teams in the MAC have regressed. 

We should be 11-1, the team didn'tgiveupwhen itlostitstop players nor were they supposed to I know we have lost a lot in the past but that doesn't mean we have to settle for mediocre play.Today was a terrible performance and we are teetering with being good or ok. This was a bad year for the MAC and we did ok. We need to get better.

If you're really a teacher/coach, rather than throw flames at the poster, offer up rational reasons why his point is invalid.  Hopefully that's what you encourage your students to do in the classroom.

I am a soldier stationed overseas. I love the cats. I grew up an Ohio State fan and didn't know who Ohio U was when I was kid, but I got to the University and now I am an Ohio fan when people here I am from Ohio they bring up Ohio State and I bring up Ohio. I am a fan with the Freedom of Speach and I am telling it like it is. I won't tell anybody to shut hell up, I will just give my point of view.So what were not cellar dwellers, nobody huddles up and says lets not be celler dwellars they say lets win championships. So you get with the program.

I have supported the football program since the Grobe era, attending almost every game, including those Knorr games. I've also encouraged everyone I know to get out and support our Bobcats. I also listen to the detractors and find it difficult to not agree with some of their arguments. I certainly don't tell them it's bullsh*t.

By the way, I had an account before today, but I had problems posting with it.

I disagree that OU is a middle-of-the-road MAC team.  The Cats had one of the top four records in the MAC, which makes them upper level.  (If this were basketball, the Cats would get a first-round bye in the MAC tourney, and NOBODY would complain about that.)  I would say the "middle-of-the-road" MAC teams are Temps and WMU (both 5-3), Kent (4-4) and maybe BSU at 3-5. 

Wouldn't suprise me if Felix is telling the truth. About being at every game. I think the Love is correct, we are getting fan support, we salvaged a decent season, and we need to get some resources together to get maybe a new OC, and try to rebuild an offense that can be pistol option/pass because that seems to be our new MO.

We have a decent team. But with all that was at stake today and to lose to a mediocre Kent team, you must concede that we are average at best. Did you see what Northern did to Eastern today? 71-3! They ran the up the score, but the point is that good teams take care of business when it counts. We did not take care of business. 8-4 is a success in anyone's book, but can we beat a solid D1 team? That is debatable.

As I am one of the more - ahem - senior bobcatattackers, my perspective is long if not terribly profound.

Watching Ohio's offense commit a season's worth of mistakes in one game that counted for a lot was painful.  At least the sun was shining and we didn't have to endure sleet/lightning/suspension-of-play/downpour ala 2006.

BTW, I thought the Ohio D played well.

Before the game I had two concerns little discussed.  One grew from a distant memory.  Back in my  high school days, we had to play a Saturday morning game.  I was a LB, and for the first three and half quarters my feet felt like they were shoed in  cement.  Oh, I was trying hard but I knew I was a step slow.  Midway thru the 4th quarter we were trailing 20-6.  Mercifully, the cement finally cracked and fell away from our shoes and we pulled out two late scores and a pair of two-point conversions to win 22-20.  Fast forward to yesterday.  Before the game and later as it unfolded, I couldn't help wondering if the Cats having to play on the road the morning after Thanksgiving would have their feet feeling heavy. 

Then there were Boo's roots.  California roots.  Warm, California roots.  I couldn't help wondering if yesterday's wind-driven cold might even slightly dull his focus and slow his judgments. 

Of course, I don't know whether either of the above concerns were, in fact, factors in the Ohio performance.

Surprise.  Yes, based on what I've observed during the last 6 seasons, I was surprised that a Frank Solich-coached team didn't play with more fire and grit.  Especially when a 2nd consecutive division title was on the line.

Surprise.  I wasn't surprised that Kent came out fired up, but I was surprised that the Flashes were able to sustain their emotional high for 60 minutes.  Of course, Ohio mistakes provided plenty of emotional fuel for Kent.

I'm in the camp that is thinking how nice it is to see Ohio 8-4 with Moore, Keller and Brazil unavailable for all but  75 minutes or so.  To me it seemed as though Keller was the most sorely missed.  His fill-ins played manfuily but lacked Keller's speed and anticipation.  Back-to-back seasons of 9 and 8 wins.  That's pretty nice too.  Another bowl game would be nice and it would seem that Ohio's "cause" might be helped by the failures of other teams.  Like Texas.  Like USC.  Like maybe Notre Dame declining an invitation if it loses to USC today and goes 6-6.  Or Arizona State topping UCLA and Arizona State needing to win at Arizona next week to become bowl eligible.  Like Colorado finishing 5-7. Etc. 

Looking ahead, prospects for a third consecutive winning season and division title contention seem promising.  That's a nice thought too. 

I agree withy you Allen.  I grew up an osu fan and bled those colors until 08' when I started following the BOBCATS.  I can now say I love the BOBCATS.  I enjoy the MAC Conferance every bit as much as the big 10.  I can watch the CATS at home and on the road for the most part (went 10 of 12 games  this yr.and saw the other two on the screen).  Back  to back seasons with 9 wins and 8 wins should provide true BOBCAT fans with a lot of great enjoyment.  To be 8-4 this year with the losses of Keller (the heart & soul of our defense) as well as Moore and Brazil has been a major victory in itself.  My hat is off to those players who stepped in and filled their shoes.

The CATS laid an egg at KSU - most teams have  - even the giants so to speak.  It was a disappointing loss and I hate for the CATS to not have the MAC EAST Title and a trip to Ford"s Field but after 24 hours of anguish and heart bleeding - I can't wait til next season.  If the CATS can just replace those front four on defense, we will have another big season to forward to.  GO CATS in the off season.

I had a post here about who enjoys seeing wins and who doesn't, now I realize I shouldn't claim to have any idea what posters are thinking behind the scenes.  So never mind that.

I can say: there are five teams from the MAC who are 8-4 or better, we are one and we beat two of the other four.  So Ohio is deserving of a bowl IMO.  Good season overall.

This is plain and simply not an accurate statement...