Nov. 20, 2006
CLEVELAND, Ohio - Junior Kalvin McRae (Decatur, Ga.) has been named the Mid-American Conference East Division Offensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Bobcats' division-championship clinching win against Akron on Nov. 16.
McRae led the Bobcat offense with 136 rushing yards and a touchdown on 31 carries. He scored the first touchdown of the game and later ran the ball the ball nine times on Ohio's third-quarter scoring drive that chewed up nearly 10 minutes and gave Ohio a 17-0 lead. It was McRae's school-record sixth consecutive 100-yard rushing game.
McRae's performance against Akron moved him into fifth place on the Ohio career rushing chart at 2,671 yards. He ranks 18th in the nation among active players in career rushing yardage. The junior has run for 959 yards so far this season and is on the brink of becoming only the second Bobcat to ever record consecutive 1,000-yard seasons. Arnold Welcher was the first to do it in 1975 and 1976.
McRae has run for a career-best 12 touchdowns this season, the second-most in the MAC. His 12 rushing scores ranks tied for fourth on the Ohio single-season ledger. It is the most rushing scores by a Bobcat since Kareem Wilson had 13 and Steveland Hookfin had 11 in 1998.
The Bobcats have now won 13 MAC weekly awards in 11 weeks. McRae is the only East Division player to win the Offensive Player of the Week award three times this season.
Ohio (8-3, 6-1 MAC) clinched its first-ever MAC East Division championship, and first MAC title of any kind since 1968, with a 17-7 win against Akron. The Bobcats have won six straight games, matching their longest winning streak since 1997. Ohio's eight wins are the most since the 1997 team went 8-3, while the Bobcats' six MAC wins ties a school record.
The Bobcats have one regular-season game remaining before beginning postseason play. Ohio will play at Miami on Friday, Nov. 24 at 12 p.m. The Bobcats will face Central Michigan in the Marathon MAC Championship Game on Thursday, Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m. at Ford Field in Detroit. For ticket information, call the Ohio Athletics Ticket Office at 1-800-575-CATS.
