 TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
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By Karl Rofkar The message forums are ablaze with talk of how bad Toledo is this year. Well, perhaps “ablaze” is too strong. There’s not enough chatter to be ablaze. The posts have fallen as much as the Glass Bowl attendance and the mood is dark. Meanwhile, back at the Glass Bowl, the football Rockets get ready to take on the Buffalo Bulls next Saturday at Buffalo. The Bulls are coming off a serious whipping of MAC East defending champ Ohio, and they did it with a strong running game, a so-so passing game, and solid defense. The Bulls boast 4 MAC East Player-of-the-week winners so far this year in RB James Starks, QB Drew Willy, LB Larry Hutchinson, and special teams player Simon Manka. So if the folks on the forums are right, the Rockets are in deep trouble. Certainly their record to date would support that, and the Bulls decisive win would as well. The Rockets aren’t thinking that way. Coach Tom Amstutz says he doesn’t read the internet, and that’s certainly a good thing this year. The players, however, are aware that there’s some criticism, and they are determined to prove themselves. They’ll be helped along by the return of Keith Forrestal along with the solid play of freshman QB D.J. Lenehan and the one-two combination of Parmele and Collins at running back. To be sure, there is a lot for Toledo to work on this week in practice. Opposing runners have been having their way with the Rockets, and Liberty’s Rashad Jennings was no exception, rushing for 160 yds on 24 carries, including a 63 yd scamper for a touchdown. Liberty is primarily a running team and their passing game reflected that, only throwing the ball 19 times. Buffalo will be more balanced in their attack. The Rockets will need to slow the running game and a decent passing offense, and it all starts up front, where Toledo has been hard hit by injuries. Sophomore LB Maurice Hill says “we’ve been a little susceptible to the run, and defensive coordinators know that too, so they’ve made a couple of adjustments to make sure we’re in the right position to stop the run, so that’s our main focus now”. Penalties have been an issue, and Saturday’s game was no exception with the Good Guys being flagged 10 times for 88 yards. Fortunately, most of those came early in the game and the players seemed to settle down. Hill commented that the locker room was pretty fired up before the start of the game and that may have had guys a little too excited, made a “few stupid plays”. But is it all doom and gloom? I think not. While it’s an adventure every time the opposing teams snaps the ball, there are bright spots. Special teams coverage was better this past week, giving Toledo’s defense more room at their backs. The offense was excellent on 3rd down, converting 12 of 15, and that was helped by better 1st and 2nd downs. The Rockets controlled the clock, mixing pass and run well throughout the game and not “trying to get it all back in one play”, patiently chewing up yardage and clock. Toledo had six possessions that covered 70 yards or more, one leading to a field goal and 5 to touchdowns. Toledo punted once all night. The Rockets were perfect in the red zone. Gordon Warner’s return from injury for his first playing time of his career gives the team another fresh pair of legs in the backfield. There was a drop or two, but overall the receiving corps did a nice job of holding on to the ball. Lenehan’s two INTs haven’t gotten into his head. He knows what to do differently, having already seen the one play in review. The other was simply tipped in the air for a defender to pull in. This past Thursday, Coach Amstutz had former Rocket QB Chuck Ealey talk with the team. In talking with both of them and a few players today, it’s apparent to me that he had a good message for them. He talked about tradition, about focusing on what you CAN do now rather than what already happened, about playing for each other, for family. One of the players admitted that he’d never heard of Chuck Ealey before he came to Toledo, but he certainly knows about him now. Each of the players said they thought his talk helped them, brought them closer together. They’ve been learning to fight through adversity, and there seems to be a chemistry building. The offense knew they had a freshman quarterback they needed to protect and support and played one of their best games of the year. They gave the defense the down time they needed to stay fresh. The defense stepped up in the 4th quarter and gave the offense another chance to win. In the end, that’s the sort of thing D. J. Lenehan was talking about when he said after Saturday’s game “I knew they had my back”. Have a question or comment for Karl? Email |