LinksSo when he was let go by the University of Nebraska — after an illustrious 24-year run that included three national titles as an assistant coach and a 58-19 record in six seasons as the head coach — Solich looked for a place where he could get back to his program-building roots.
He found it in Athens, Ohio, where the Bobcats had not been to a bowl game nor won a MAC title since 1968. Now in his seventh season, the 67-year-old Solich has remade the Bobcats into a perennial bowl team. With his 49 victories, Solich is already the third-winningest coach in school history.
Ohio will make its third consecutive bowl appearance and fourth in five years under Solich when it meets Utah State on Saturday in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl in Boise.
“He has built it. We’ve gone from the bottom of the MAC to a powerhouse, I feel, in the MAC,” quarterback Tyler Tettleton said. “It’s been amazing to see how this program has taken off to another level.”
Since 2006, Ohio has won a MAC-high 45 games and three MAC East titles.
And unlike many coaches,including several up-and-comers in the MAC who are quick to turn success into a more lucrative contract, Solich sounds content to make Ohio the final stop in his career.
The man who succeeded legendary Tom Osborne as the Cornhuskers’ coach has high hopes for where he wants to take the Bobcats.
He wants to win a MAC Championship. Ohio is 0-3 in title games under Solich, including a disappointing 23-20 loss to Northern Illinois in this year’s game.
He wants to win a bowl game. Ohio is 0-3 in bowl games under Solich.
He wants to get the Bobcats into the top 25, a place Ohio hasn’t been since that magical 1968 season.
“I’m a big dreamer,” Solich said. “And I set pretty high goals and I want to get Ohio where it’s recognized around the country to being an excellent football program.”
With increased success has come increased support, something Solich was looking for when he took the position. He said presidential support was one of the keys he looked for before agreeing to take the rebuilding job, a not-so-subtle hint at the support he got (or didn’t get) at Nebraska.
The Bobcats are building an indoor-practice facility. The three largest crowds in Ohio history have been since Solich took over, including more than 24,244 — the third-highest in school history — for a September game against Marshall.
“I’m going to feel pretty good with my career, where I’m at right now, if I get this built to where I want to get this built,” Solich said. “At some point in time, I’ll step aside and look at my career and feel pretty good about what I’ve accomplished.”
He should.
A victory Saturday in Boise will make him feel pretty good, too.
