Preview 2019: Previewing and looking ahead to the Toledo Rockets season with what you need to know.
– Contact/Follow @ColFootballNews & @PeteFiutak
– What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– What Will Happen, Win Total Prediction
– Schedule Analysis
– Toledo Previews 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015
2018 Record: 7-6 overall, 5-3 in MAC
Head Coach: Jason Candle, 3rd year, 28-13
– CFN Preview 2019: All The Team Previews
5. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE TOLEDO OFFENSE
– The offense that finished second in the MAC in yards and led the conference in scoring – averaging over 40 points per game – gets back seven starters, not including getting back its best quarterback.
– Eli Peters did a nice job. The junior hit 55% of his passes for 1,837 yards and 18 scores, but that was after Mitchell Guadagni suffered a season-ending broken collarbone. The 6-2, 200-pounder only hit 58% of his throws, but he connected on 13 touchdowns with three picks and ran for 428 yards and three scores. Either way, the passing game that was among the MAC’s most efficient should be okay, but …
– The top three starting receivers are gone, with 27 of the team’s 32 touchdown catches done. 27-catch Desmond Phillips can move, and then it’s a hope and a prayer that seniors like Andrew Davis and Danzel McKinley-Lewis can rise up and produce – they combined for two catches.
On the plus side, the tight end combination of 6-0, 235-pound senior Reggie Gilliam and 6-4, 245-pound junior Drew Rosi is good enough to do a whole lot more.
– If the running backs aren’t the best in the MAC, they’re not far off. Byant Koback is a nice, quick runner who averaged six yards per pop with a team-high 917 yards and 14 touchdowns, and 5-11, 218-pound junior Shakif Seymour is a veteran who pointed away for 12 touchdowns as a freshman and 565 yards with five scores last season. However, speedy Art Thompkins transferred to UConn.
– The line did a great job for the running game, but there were issues in pass protection and at keeping defenses out of the backfield. Bryce Harris is a terrific veteran center to work around, and 6-8, 345-pound senior Cameron Bell is a good left tackle. Even with the loss of three starters, there shouldn’t be too much of a loss in the transition, but it’ll take fall camp to find the cohesion.
NEXT: What You Need To Know About the Defense, Top Players, Keys to the Season, What Will Happen
4. WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT THE TOLEDO DEFENSE
– Six starters and five of the top seven tacklers are gone from a defense that struggled overall and was disastrous against anyone who could throw.
Two starters are gone in the secondary in the 4-2-5 alignment, but senior safety Khalil Robinson is back after finishing second on the team with 69 tackles, and top corner Justin Clark returns.
Senior DeDarallo Blue is back in the hybrid star role after coming up with 41 tackles, and the other parts filling in should be okay. Again, it’s not like the pass defense was anything special before.
– The linebacker combination of Richard Olekanma and Tyler Taafe are done after combining for 139 tackles. 6-2, 210-pound senior Erik Davis is the first option to take over for Taafe in the middle, but he’ll be in a fight in fall camp for the job. 238-pound Jordan Fisher is the new star after finishing fourth on the team with 59 tackles – he should be the team’s leading tackler.
– Two starters might be done on the line, but it’s one of the team’s deepest areas with plenty of options and experienced producers to fit into the mix. Top pass rusher Tuzar Skipper is done along with dangerous interior pass rusher Reggie Howard, but 6-2, 216-pound sophomore Jamal Hines is a good veteran who should start to work more in the backfield. There will be a rotation in the interior around 292-pound senior Nate Childress and 290-pound sophomore Devonte Dunn.
NEXT: Top Players, Keys To the Season, What Will Happen
3. TOP TOLEDO PLAYERS
Best Toledo Offensive Player
QB Mitchell Guadagni, Sr.
Can the 6-2, 200-pounder bounce back from his knee injury to be back to form? A great deep passer who can run, he averaged 8.8 yards per throw with 13 touchdowns and just three picks – and ran for 428 yards and three touchdowns – before getting hurt, but now he’s back to run the attack. If he can stay in one piece, he’ll be a statistical superstar.
2. C Bryce Harris, Sr.
3. RB Bryant Koback, Soph.
4. RB Shakif Seymour, Jr.
5. TE Reggie Gilliam, Sr.
Best Toledo Defensive Player
S Kahlil Robinson, Sr.
The best returning part of a secondary that struggled and sputtered last year, the 6-0, 175-pounder is able to hit a little finishing second on the team with 69 tackles after coming up with 67 stops as a sophomore. Not bad when the ball is in the air, he’s at his best when he gets to hold up against the run – but then the corners have to get the job done.
2. LB Jordan Fisher, Sr.
3. DE Jamal Hines, Soph.
4. P Bailey Flint, Jr.
5. CB Justin Clark, Jr.
NEXT: Keys to the Season, Prediction & What Will Happen
2. KEYS TO THE SEASON
Biggest Key To The Toledo Offense
The pass protection needs to be stronger. The line wasn’t up to its normal snuff last year, allowing 30 sacks after giving away just 22 the year before and 14 in 2016.
The 80 tackles for loss allowed weren’t much better after not hitting the 70 mark for a few years and allowing just 40 in 2015.
Just two starters are back, but they’re good ones in left tackle Cameron Bell and center Bryce Harris. More production is needed, though. from the young group of former backups pushing for time.
Biggest Key To The Toledo Defense
The run defense can’t get shredded. It’s sort of part of the deal with Toledo that the pass defense will struggle and sputter a bit – teams throw to try keeping up the pace – but the problems tend to rise up when the run D isn’t doing its job.
The Rockets allowed an okay 177 yards per game, but they gave up 31 scores and 4.65 yards per carry. Holding teams to fewer than 200 rushing yards wasn’t a sure thing – Fresno State was able to win with 186 – but the team was 1-4 – and 1-6 over the last seven games – when allowing that many or more.
Key Player To A Successful Season
WR Desmond Phillips, Sr.
Toledo always seems to find good, talented receivers who put up massive numbers, but it’s not going to be a breeze to replace Diontae Johnson, Jon’Vea Johnson and Cody Thompson after they scored almost every touchdown and dominated for the passing attack.
5-10, 185-pound Desmond Phillips is a quick pass catcher who finished fourth on the team with 27 catches for just 220 yards and no scores. Now he has to turn into a No. 1 guy considering his seniority in the corps, and the untested parts have to rise up around him.
Key Game To The Toledo Season
Northern Illinois, Nov. 13
Once again the MAC West is tougher than the East, but the Rockets get the toughest games at home. Western Michigan is the league opener in early October, and Eastern Michigan is a home date, too.
The division title, though, should come down to whether or not they can beat the defending MAC champs when NIU has to make the trip to Ohio. The Huskies won 38-15 last season, and Toledo is 2-7 going back to 2009.
– Toledo Schedule Breakdown & Analysis
2018 Toledo Fun Stats
– Field Goals: Toledo 15-of-20 – Opponents 7-of-13
– Red Zone TDs: Opponents 29-of-39 (74%) – Toledo 39-of-61 (64%)
– Onside Kicks: Opponents 0-for-5 – Toledo 0-for-3
NEXT: What Will Happen
1. TOLEDO WIN TOTAL PREDICTION: WHAT’S GOING TO HAPPEN
This might not be the MAC Champion powerhouse of 2017, but it should be stronger than the pedestrian 7-6 version of last season.
The lines have to be a bit better, with stronger pass protection and tougher run defense a must.
The secondary could stand to be a whole lot better, the receiving corps is undergoing an overhaul, and losing PK Jameson Vest stings. Even so, the team should be deep in the conference title chase.
In a year without a sure-thing conference star, there’s an opening for the Rockets. The running game should be terrific, the defense should be a bit better, and as long as Mitchell Guadagni is healthy, the quarterback situation is great.
Best of all, the schedule works.
Set The Regular Season Win Total At … 8
With a trip to Kentucky to start the season, and with a date at Colorado State and home date with BYU, getting off to anything better than 1-2 will be great.
All of the key MAC games are at home, hosting Western Michigan, Eastern Michigan and Northern Illinois in the Glass Bowl.
Going to Buffalo won’t be easy, but the other three conference road games are at Bowling Green, Ball State and Central Michigan.
The Rockets aren’t winning fewer than eight games, and they could get to ten if everything plays out well at home.
What You Need To Know: Offense | Defense
– Top Players | Key Players, Games, Stats
– Schedule Analysis
