2012-13 Football Previews – (MAC) – Toledo
Toledo has had a very nice little run of late in the MAC. The Rockets saw their head coach leave for Illinois at the end of last season. The 32-year-old Matt Campbell takes over the Rockets program this season. Campbell has lots of talent at the skill positions on this roster, but there are plenty of holes to fill as well.
MAC 2012-2013 College Football Previews: Toledo
Head Coach: Matt Campbell
2011 Record: 9-4
Toledo Gambling Odds from JustBet to win BCS Championship: (Part of Field) +1,800
Toledo Gambling Odds from 5Dimes to win MAC: +700
Toledo Gambling Odds from 5Dimes to win MAC West: +315
Toledo Team Page – Players Stats – Roster – 2012 Schedule –>
Toledo came up with a big 42-41 win over Air Force in the Military Bowl to give the team some major momentum heading into this season. Toledo averaged 42.23 points per contest, so they were definitely among the best offenses in the nation. The team hopes to improve on the defensive end of the field. The defense allowed 31.69 points per game in 2011. Let’s take a look at the 2012 roster.
Team Strengths
Toledo has found a unique situation with Austin Dantin and Terrance Owens at the quarterback spot. Rarely do you see a two-quarterback system work, but the Rockets have two guys who are extremely talented and complement each other very well. Owens completed 72% of his passes last year, and Dantin had 15 touchdowns compared to only four interceptions. The Rockets are perfectly set at this position.
Zac Kerin is a star at the center spot for the Rockets, and he leads a very good offensive line. The Rockets line allowed just nine sacks in 2011, which was ninth fewest in the nation. Kerin was a first-team All-MAC player last year. Toledo has lots of size and athleticism on the offensive front.
Team Weaknesses:
Toledo’s secondary was torched on a weekly basis last year. It wasn’t entire their fault though, since the defensive front almost never pressured the opposing quarterback. In fact, Toledo picked up just 1.77 sacks per game in 2011. Toledo has two inexperienced cornerbacks, and they can expect to be picked on early and often by the opposition this season. The pass defense will struggle again this year.
Toledo’s offense still has two great quarterbacks, but they definitely lost some terrific play makers from the offense. The Rockets lost star Eric Page from the outside. Page had 125 receptions last year for 1,182 yards. It will be hard to replace his athleticism on the outside. In addition, star running back Adonis Thomas graduated at the end of 2011. Toledo will need to find some new play makers.
2012-2013 Toledo Football Prediction: 9-4
Toledo will have to improve on the defensive side of the ball if they are going to contend for a MAC Championship this year. The offense is likely to be extremely good again, but I don’t think they are going to average 42.23 points again in 2012. The schedule starts off with a test in Arizona, but this team could definitely beat a mediocre Wildcats team in week one. Inside the MAC, the road games at Western Michigan and Northern Illinois will be crucial.
Look for Toledo to finish with a record similar to last year, but I think they’ll struggle to keep up with the top couple teams in the MAC.
2012 Miami (OH) Schedule
9/1/12 10:30 PM ET @ARZ
9/8/12 4:00 PM ET @WYOM
9/15/12 7:00 PM ET BGREN
9/22/12 7:00 PM ET CSCAR
9/29/12 TBD @WMICH
10/6/12 3:00 PM ET CMICH
10/13/12 TBD @EMICH
10/20/12 TBD CIN
10/27/12 3:30 PM ET @BUFF
11/6/12 8:00 PM ET BALST
11/14/12 9:00 PM ET @NOILL
11/20/12 7:00 PM ET AKR
