 TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
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By Brian Nowicki 
Only one more full practice remains before the Rockets take the field for the first time in 2006. Toledo opens the season Thursday night at Iowa State of the Big 12 conference. The Rockets will practice tomorrow afternoon, before heading to Ames, IA on Wednesday to prepare for the Thursday night game.Sophomore quarterback Clint Cochran has been named the starter for the opener and he is ready to go out and play the game. "We've been switching over from camp mentality and getting the offense ready to go against Iowa State on Thursday," said quarterback Clint Cochran. One key player on offense will be missing for the Rockets. Sophomore wide receiver Nick Moore will not play. He is recovering from an injury suffered a few weeks ago. However, he is expected to play next week at Western Michigan. Junior Jalen Parmele will get the start at running back for the Rockets, and he will share time in the backfield with sophomore Richard Davis and redshirt freshman DaJuane Collins. "Right now we got three running backs in Jalen Parmele, Richard Davis, and DaJuane Collins," said running backs coach Doug Downing. He added, "all three running backs are very good. Jalen's going to start the first game, then Richard, and then DaJuane. That is the order right now going into the first game." A hot topic on defense this August has been inside linebacker. Replacing starters Anthony Jordan and David Thomas is no small task, but inside linebackers coach and defensive coordinator Tim Rose has five players that will step in. Junior Steven Morrison and sophomore Keith Forestal are expected to start, while redshirt freshman Eric Heller and true freshmen Archie Donald and Derrick Summers are expected to play a lot too. "We're gonna play five guys," said Coach Rose. "I'm not afraid to play any of them. All five are gonna play and then their snaps are gonna rise of fall number wise depending on their play against Iowa State to be honest. I'm excited about those five guys. That position is not gonna be a weakness."  True freshman safety Barry Church has impressed coaches so much that he will be the starting strong safety Thursday night. Coaches are very high on Church's athletic ability and his ability to mentally grasp the game. "Barry Church is a really outstanding freshman," said Coach Tom Amstutz. He added, "I am really excited for him to be on our team. It's very rare for a true freshman to go out there and start the first game as a freshman player, but he's very deserving. He's gonna be a special player in our league, and probably a special player in the next league too."Barry Church has the respect of his fellow players and he's got one of the best looking out for him in junior free safety Tyrrell Herbert. "Barry's coming along and getting the defense down," said Herbert. He added, "We're from the same high school and I've played with him a long time. I'm just trying to help him out as much as I can, both on and off the field. I'm sort of playing the big brother role to him to make sure he stays on the right track," Herbert concluded. As a 2nd year starter and defensive captain despite just being a junior, Tyrrell Herbert is the perfect player to be playing big brother to Barry Church. The other new starter on defense will be senior cornerback Bo Martin. Martin will be taking over the spot opposite of junior Nigel Morris, the spot vacated by the graduation of Antonio Malone who is now with the Green Bay Packers. Overall, expect a lot of true freshman to play on the defensive side of the ball. "We're gonna play three defensive lineman, two inside linebackers, and four to five DB's," said Defensive Coordinator Tim Rose. He added, "I think it will make us better down the road. You can play a lot of players and still be successful on defense and we're excited about these guys." Iowa State's offense will be a huge test for the Rocket defense. They can throw the short pass and they can burn you deep. They can also run the ball with a couple of impressive running backs. But the Rocket defense is focused and has some strong expectations. "We want to be an attacking defense," said free safety Tyrrell Herbert. He added, "Run to the ball and make as many big plays as we can. We're just gonna try to make it happen out there on the field." In just a couple of days we will find out just how good this Rocket offense and defense is going to be this year. Have a question or comment for Brian? Email |