Toledo in the way of Ohio’s first MAC football title since 1968

Ohio University will try to win its first conference championship since 1968 when the Bobcats face Toledo in the Mid-American Conference Championship on Saturday.

Ohio will have to do it without the MAC’s best quarterback, Kurtis Rourke, who is out with a torn ACL. The Bobcats’ passing game won’t be the same without him, but backup CJ Harris rushed for three touchdowns and threw for another score in his start, the 38-14 division-clinching win over Bowling Green.

Toledo quarterback Dequan Finn is also injured and his status is unclear. Toledo last won a conference championship in 2017.

Kickoff from Ford Field in Detroit is scheduled for noon. The game can be watched on ESPN.

Key matchup

Ohio QB Harris vs. Toledo’s defense. Harris had four pass attempts this season before he was pushed into service when Rourke was injured against Ball State on Nov. 15. Harris looked confident in his first start but now has to face the best defense in the conference.

Players to watch

Toledo: The Rockets will be a different team if Finn is able to play. He has battled injuries but still passed for 1,973 yards, rushed for 522 and accounted for 29 touchdowns. The other option is freshman Tucker Gleason, who saw action in five games and has been playing with a broken right thumb since Week 5.

Ohio: RB Sieh Bangura, who picked up MAC freshman of the year honors this week, will continue to have an expanded role in the Bobcats’ attack with Rourke sidelined. He averaged 5 yards per carry in rushing for 884 yards and 11 touchdowns, despite a lingering turf toe injury.

Facts & figures

Toledo lost its last two games but had already clinched the MAC West title. ... The Rockets are 3-3 in MAC championship games since the game was first played in 1997. ... Every MAC team has won a conference title since Ohio last won one in 1968. ... Former coach Frank Solich led Ohio to four MAC East titles, the last one in 2016 when the Bobcats lost to Western Michigan in the championship. ... Toledo beat Akron 45-28 for the conference title in coach Jason Candle’s second season in 2017 but didn’t win the West division again until this season. ... The Bobcats, led by Rourke, rebounded from a 3-9 overall finish in 2021, coach Tim Albin’s first season in charge after Solich’s retirement. ... Ohio’s defense is statistically the worst in the MAC, allowing an average of 441.3 yards and just over 29 points per game. ... Ohio’s top receiver, Sam Wiglusz is an Ohio State transfer. So is Toledo’s top defensive player, LB Dallas Gant.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Toledo in the way of Ohio’s first MAC football title since 1968