Offensive Strengths
The Rockets will feature one of the conference?s finest offensive lines in the MAC this year. Nick Kaczur (6?4?? 305) was a freshmen All-American last year, will be joined by Chris Tuminello (6?3?? 286), Noah Swartz (6?5?? 302), Erik Faasen (6?8?? 330) and Darric Randolph. Also, Tim Dirksen (6?4??, 285) is expected to make a full recovery from his knee injury during the Western Michigan game last year that ended his season. Several talented back-ups give the Rockets quality depth. These players include Wael Jarbou (6?5?? 285), Mike Sacco (6?7?? 280), Chad Diggs (6?4?? 285), and true-freshman Hassan Adebesin (6?2?? 280), who are expected to play this fall as a back up center. Nate Jones (6?5??, 275) has bulked up and moved from TE to OT, and will in unbalanced sets. Toledo has some terrific talent at TE in Chris Holmes (6?6??, 259), Andrew Clarke (6?4??, 245) and Greg Grothous (6?7??, 250). Look for Toledo to use these guys a lot this year with a new QB playing. Although there is no one all-conference player in Toledo?s receiving arsenal, UT does have good unit collectively. Carl Ford (6?1?? 170), Terrance Hudson (6?0?? 180), Manny Johnson (5?6?? 160), Donta? Greene (5?7?? 175), Lance Moore (5?10?? 175), & Chad Mickelson (6?2?? 185 - JUCO transfer) formed a good unit that averaged 237-yards per game through the air. Two true freshmen, Perry Ivory (6?1?? 185) and Frederick Wilson (6?3?? 190) are expected to play this fall according to Coach Amstutz.
Offensive Concerns
It?s difficult enough to replace a guy like Chester Taylor who was the school?s all-time leading rusher and 2nd in MAC history, but to replace his back-up also make the task even more difficult. Antwon McCray was arguably the second-best running back in the MAC last fall, also graduated. Also gone is QB Tavares Bolden who was 24-5 as a starter, dating back to the middle of the 1999 season. What made Bolden so valuable was that he made smart, conservative decisions and rarely threw an INT. Southpaw Brian Jones and Redshirt-frosh Bruce Gradkowski are vying for the open QB slot. Jones is a senior who knows the offense better, but Gradkowski is the better athlete who posses a stronger arm. Look for both to play this year with JUCO transfer Cedric Stevens pushing for time. At tailback, William Bratton received a medical Redshirt "hardship" case to go for a rare sixth year of eligibility. The 5-8 221-pounder does have good speed and strength, but cannot be an every down back given his medical history. Webster Jackson (5?11?? 205) is a talent, but has not been used much and Trinity Dawson (5?10?? 185) may see some time as well. Two highly recruited true-freshmen, Quinton Broussard (5?10?? 190) and Astin Martin (5?8?? 180) look to play also. There is raw talent at the RB position, but it is not as good as the Taylor/McCray tandem of the last three years. Finally, there is no true "go-to? WR in a pivotal situation.
Defensive Strengths
Toledo has the best set of LBs in the MAC this year. The middle LBs, Tom Ward (6?1?? 237) & David Gardner (6?2?? 235) would start at most Big Ten schools. Ward was the second leading tackler in the MAC last fall while Gardner was 14th. There is high quality depth in the middle with Indiana transfer, Scott Genord (6?2?? 232), Brock Dodrill, Ray Turner and Melvin Butler. The outside LBs are also strong, led by Paul Dye (6?2?? 212) and Patrick Body (6?2?? 190). Body was running sub 4.4-40s in the spring and has a lot of big-play potential. The defensive line features some talented players returning in DT Chaz Williams (6?3?? 293), DT R.J. Cameron (6?4?? 296), DE Frank Ofili (6?4?? 245) and DE Phil Alexander (6?3?? 240). The two corners return, Jehu Anderson and Brandon Hefflin.
Defensive Concerns
There are major concerns when your entire staring lineup from the defensive line graduates. DE David Bockmore was a special player, and Toledo will also miss Leo Frierson, Phil Gibson & Jake McLean. Toledo had the #2 rush defense and #1 total defense in 2001. It was the guys up front that led to such success for the LBs to make plays. Two JUCOs are expected to play right away in Zach Keisch (6?5?? 250) and Jantz Jeudy (6?2?? 285). Anthony Abron has been moved from ILB to DE to get some more speed to that position and Didier Ormejuste has moved from DE to DT, but is only 255#. It is unknown if the talented true freshmen defensive linemen will be playing this fall. If not, depth will be a major concern. Andy Boyd will be missed at safety, but true freshman Jamar Landrum (6?2?? 200) should step in right away in this area. Although the two corners do return, at times last year Hefflin and Anderson looked awful. Look for two more freshmen, Raquan Pride (6?1?? 190) and Antonio Malone (6?0?? 185) to be in the two-deep lineup this fall.
Special Teams
Talented Todd France has graduated, leaving a huge void in the placekicking duties for Toledo. It could of been me, but fawking Calculous stopped that however, Jason Robbins has the job, but does not have the same leg strength of France or Me. Brandon Hannum returns as the punter and did a good job near the end of the season, but needs to be more consistent. Although the Rockets were decent in punt returns, they were dead last in kickoff returns. This must improve dramatically so that a young QB does not have more pressure with poor field position to deal with this year. Poor special teams play cost Toledo a game at Ball State last year and the Rockets were the most penalized team in the MAC in 2001.
Schedule
Although Toledo does have a difficult schedule, it is set up nicely and UT does not have any suicide games. The non-conference games are Cal-Poly and UNLV at home, and UT visits Minnesota and Pitt. All of these are winnable games. Within the MAC, Toledo received no favors from the MAC front office with crossover games at UCF and hosting Miami. Within the West, UT hosts archrival BG and Ball State but must travel to Western Michigan and Northern Illinois.
Omar's View = 7-5; wins against Cal-Poly, EMU, UNLV, Ball State, Miami, CMU, and BG; losses @Minnesota, @Pitt, @UCF, @WMU & @NIU.
Overview
Toledo has a lot going from them as an established program with talent and good fan support. Where Toledo has major concerns is with a defense that must replace a very effective defensive line and to have the defensive backs play to a much higher level than they did last year. Couple that with the losses of two extremely talented RBs and a quality QB and there are a lot of question marks with this team this fall. To quote Eastern Michigan coach Jeff Woodruff, "I am glad we are playing Toledo early (week #2) than later this year. They will be a much better team at the end of the year than at the beginning." I agree with his statement whole-heartedly. I see the Rockets looking really good at times and really bad at other times. Considering that UT got such a difficult draw in the crossover games doesn?t help much either. If the Rockets move up higher in the standings this year, the offense will need to have long sustained drives and the entire team must cut down on the penalties. Considering that the special teams play may not be as good as most conference schools, UT will need to force a lot of turnovers for any advantages in field position. A big question mark at PK is a concern as well.
BOLD PREDICTION Toledo will beat either Minnesota or Pitt. Neither team is ?that? talented and both are very overrated programs.
Pivotal Game:
Eastern Michigan (9/7/02): The Rockets have had their troubles with Eastern through the years, losing heartbreaking games to the Eagles in 1994, 1998 & 1999. A divisional MAC loss could be devastating for a young team trying to find their identity so early into the season.
The Rockets will feature one of the conference?s finest offensive lines in the MAC this year. Nick Kaczur (6?4?? 305) was a freshmen All-American last year, will be joined by Chris Tuminello (6?3?? 286), Noah Swartz (6?5?? 302), Erik Faasen (6?8?? 330) and Darric Randolph. Also, Tim Dirksen (6?4??, 285) is expected to make a full recovery from his knee injury during the Western Michigan game last year that ended his season. Several talented back-ups give the Rockets quality depth. These players include Wael Jarbou (6?5?? 285), Mike Sacco (6?7?? 280), Chad Diggs (6?4?? 285), and true-freshman Hassan Adebesin (6?2?? 280), who are expected to play this fall as a back up center. Nate Jones (6?5??, 275) has bulked up and moved from TE to OT, and will in unbalanced sets. Toledo has some terrific talent at TE in Chris Holmes (6?6??, 259), Andrew Clarke (6?4??, 245) and Greg Grothous (6?7??, 250). Look for Toledo to use these guys a lot this year with a new QB playing. Although there is no one all-conference player in Toledo?s receiving arsenal, UT does have good unit collectively. Carl Ford (6?1?? 170), Terrance Hudson (6?0?? 180), Manny Johnson (5?6?? 160), Donta? Greene (5?7?? 175), Lance Moore (5?10?? 175), & Chad Mickelson (6?2?? 185 - JUCO transfer) formed a good unit that averaged 237-yards per game through the air. Two true freshmen, Perry Ivory (6?1?? 185) and Frederick Wilson (6?3?? 190) are expected to play this fall according to Coach Amstutz.
Offensive Concerns
It?s difficult enough to replace a guy like Chester Taylor who was the school?s all-time leading rusher and 2nd in MAC history, but to replace his back-up also make the task even more difficult. Antwon McCray was arguably the second-best running back in the MAC last fall, also graduated. Also gone is QB Tavares Bolden who was 24-5 as a starter, dating back to the middle of the 1999 season. What made Bolden so valuable was that he made smart, conservative decisions and rarely threw an INT. Southpaw Brian Jones and Redshirt-frosh Bruce Gradkowski are vying for the open QB slot. Jones is a senior who knows the offense better, but Gradkowski is the better athlete who posses a stronger arm. Look for both to play this year with JUCO transfer Cedric Stevens pushing for time. At tailback, William Bratton received a medical Redshirt "hardship" case to go for a rare sixth year of eligibility. The 5-8 221-pounder does have good speed and strength, but cannot be an every down back given his medical history. Webster Jackson (5?11?? 205) is a talent, but has not been used much and Trinity Dawson (5?10?? 185) may see some time as well. Two highly recruited true-freshmen, Quinton Broussard (5?10?? 190) and Astin Martin (5?8?? 180) look to play also. There is raw talent at the RB position, but it is not as good as the Taylor/McCray tandem of the last three years. Finally, there is no true "go-to? WR in a pivotal situation.
Defensive Strengths
Toledo has the best set of LBs in the MAC this year. The middle LBs, Tom Ward (6?1?? 237) & David Gardner (6?2?? 235) would start at most Big Ten schools. Ward was the second leading tackler in the MAC last fall while Gardner was 14th. There is high quality depth in the middle with Indiana transfer, Scott Genord (6?2?? 232), Brock Dodrill, Ray Turner and Melvin Butler. The outside LBs are also strong, led by Paul Dye (6?2?? 212) and Patrick Body (6?2?? 190). Body was running sub 4.4-40s in the spring and has a lot of big-play potential. The defensive line features some talented players returning in DT Chaz Williams (6?3?? 293), DT R.J. Cameron (6?4?? 296), DE Frank Ofili (6?4?? 245) and DE Phil Alexander (6?3?? 240). The two corners return, Jehu Anderson and Brandon Hefflin.
Defensive Concerns
There are major concerns when your entire staring lineup from the defensive line graduates. DE David Bockmore was a special player, and Toledo will also miss Leo Frierson, Phil Gibson & Jake McLean. Toledo had the #2 rush defense and #1 total defense in 2001. It was the guys up front that led to such success for the LBs to make plays. Two JUCOs are expected to play right away in Zach Keisch (6?5?? 250) and Jantz Jeudy (6?2?? 285). Anthony Abron has been moved from ILB to DE to get some more speed to that position and Didier Ormejuste has moved from DE to DT, but is only 255#. It is unknown if the talented true freshmen defensive linemen will be playing this fall. If not, depth will be a major concern. Andy Boyd will be missed at safety, but true freshman Jamar Landrum (6?2?? 200) should step in right away in this area. Although the two corners do return, at times last year Hefflin and Anderson looked awful. Look for two more freshmen, Raquan Pride (6?1?? 190) and Antonio Malone (6?0?? 185) to be in the two-deep lineup this fall.
Special Teams
Talented Todd France has graduated, leaving a huge void in the placekicking duties for Toledo. It could of been me, but fawking Calculous stopped that however, Jason Robbins has the job, but does not have the same leg strength of France or Me. Brandon Hannum returns as the punter and did a good job near the end of the season, but needs to be more consistent. Although the Rockets were decent in punt returns, they were dead last in kickoff returns. This must improve dramatically so that a young QB does not have more pressure with poor field position to deal with this year. Poor special teams play cost Toledo a game at Ball State last year and the Rockets were the most penalized team in the MAC in 2001.
Schedule
Although Toledo does have a difficult schedule, it is set up nicely and UT does not have any suicide games. The non-conference games are Cal-Poly and UNLV at home, and UT visits Minnesota and Pitt. All of these are winnable games. Within the MAC, Toledo received no favors from the MAC front office with crossover games at UCF and hosting Miami. Within the West, UT hosts archrival BG and Ball State but must travel to Western Michigan and Northern Illinois.
Omar's View = 7-5; wins against Cal-Poly, EMU, UNLV, Ball State, Miami, CMU, and BG; losses @Minnesota, @Pitt, @UCF, @WMU & @NIU.
Overview
Toledo has a lot going from them as an established program with talent and good fan support. Where Toledo has major concerns is with a defense that must replace a very effective defensive line and to have the defensive backs play to a much higher level than they did last year. Couple that with the losses of two extremely talented RBs and a quality QB and there are a lot of question marks with this team this fall. To quote Eastern Michigan coach Jeff Woodruff, "I am glad we are playing Toledo early (week #2) than later this year. They will be a much better team at the end of the year than at the beginning." I agree with his statement whole-heartedly. I see the Rockets looking really good at times and really bad at other times. Considering that UT got such a difficult draw in the crossover games doesn?t help much either. If the Rockets move up higher in the standings this year, the offense will need to have long sustained drives and the entire team must cut down on the penalties. Considering that the special teams play may not be as good as most conference schools, UT will need to force a lot of turnovers for any advantages in field position. A big question mark at PK is a concern as well.
BOLD PREDICTION Toledo will beat either Minnesota or Pitt. Neither team is ?that? talented and both are very overrated programs.
Pivotal Game:
Eastern Michigan (9/7/02): The Rockets have had their troubles with Eastern through the years, losing heartbreaking games to the Eagles in 1994, 1998 & 1999. A divisional MAC loss could be devastating for a young team trying to find their identity so early into the season.
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