 TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
|
By Karl Rofkar The Rockets put on a scoring clinic Saturday night at the Glass Bowl, scoring 10 touchdowns. The University of Toledo started the game off with a 5 play, 80 yard drive and 7 points, then held the Northern Illinois Huskies to 3 and out to set the tone en route to a 70-21 pounding on Saturday night. Aaron Opelt was 22-28 for 387 yards and 4 TDs, throwing 3tds to Nick Moore (7-145) and another to Stephen Williams (5-83). Williams had what looked like another score early in the game, but the ball fell incomplete at the one yard line. Running backs Jalen Parmele (16-107, 1 td), DaJuane Collins (15-135, 1 td) and Gordon Warner (16-60, 3 tds) combined to crush the injury-riddled Huskies in front of an announced crowd of 18,545, many of whom came in their Empty Seat Halloween costumes. Those that were actually there saw an offensive outburst unlike anything the MAC has seen before as UT scored 70 points and posted a whopping 812 yards of total offense. The game appeared all but over by halftime as the Rockets held a 42-7 edge going into the locker room. The route began with an 80 yard UT drive on the opening series, continued on their 2nd series after the Rockets dropped back to punt after being stopped by the NIU defense. The snap to punter Brett Kern was high, however, and he had to climb a ladder to bring it down. When he did, he looked up-field and saw daylight to the left. 50 yards of running and a personal foul at the end put the Rockets back in business at the NIU 9 yard line. They scored 2 plays later, and went on to score on each of their first 4 possession to take a 28-0 lead. The Rockets were knocking on the door again at the NIU 6 yard line when Opelt fumbled and the Huskies recovered. It turned out to be the only stop the Huskies would get in the first half. NIU put together 3 scoring drives of their own, one late in the 2nd, a solid drive to open the 2nd half, and a 3rd with the game out of reach late in the 4th quarter. Injuries have definitely put a hurt on the Huskies this season, and it showed in all facets of the game. Dropped passes, a porous defense, untimely penalties all combined to make the Rockets’ task that much easier. By the end of the game, there were Rockets on the field who were seeing the first playing time of their careers, including redshirt freshman running back Jason Washington out of Toledo St. Johns. The decisiveness of this win is indeed impressive, but with the number of injuries to the Huskies on both sides of the football, it’s hard to get a handle on the quality of the win. NIU dropped to 1-8 with the loss and is still looking for its first MAC win. The win by Toledo gives the Rockets their first divisional game of the year. Certainly the Rockets can’t expect future opponents to be as generous as the Huskies. It should also be noted, however, that the Rockets do seem to be improving all in phases of the game as the season goes on. The next test comes this Saturday as the Rockets take on the Eastern Michigan Eagles in the Glass Bowl for Senior Night. EMU just upended the Western Michigan Broncos Saturday night, holding the Broncos to 2 points in a 19-2 win. Western defeated the Rockets in the Glass Bowl September 29 by a score of 42-28. So can we assume the Eagles will be cake-walking? I don’t think so. This Rocket team, while perhaps not a powerhouse yet, is not the same team it was a few short weeks ago. The confidence gained by the offense the last 2 weeks, along with improved special teams and defensive play, should make this a great game to watch. I like the Rockets’ chances. Have a question or comment for Karl? Email |