Early Football Previews and Predictions: Game Five at Toledo

[catdaddyp]

2024 Rewind:

Toledo was a bit of an enigma in 2024. The Rockets arguably had the most talent of any team in the MAC and a favorable schedule that could have positioned them for a College Football Playoff push. Instead, they stumbled to a 8-5 finish with puzzling losses to WKU, Buffalo, Bowling Green, Ohio, and Akron. They did manage to finish on a high note with a wild six-overtime bowl win over a depleted Pittsburgh squad.

 

Jason Candle returns for his 10th season and remains one of the most respected coaches in the MAC. Toledo continues to sit near the top of the conference when it comes to institutional support and resources dedicated to football.

 

Recruiting under Candle:

*IN MAC*

2016:

On3 - 3rd

247 - 2nd

 

2017:

On3 - 1st

247 - 1st

 

2018:

On3 - 1st

247 - 1st

 

2019:

On3 - 1st

247 - 1st

 

2020:

On3 - 1st

247 - 1st

 

2021:

On3 - 1st

247 - 1st

 

2022:

On3 - 6th

247 - 6th

 

2023:

On3 - 5th

247 - 5th

 

2024:

On3 - 1st

247 - 1st

 

2025:

On3 - 1st

247 - 1st

 

 

Rockets on Offense:

Tucker Gleason is expected to be the starter again after putting up 2,793 yards, 24 touchdowns, and 8 interceptions while completing 60.5% of his passes last season. While those numbers are solid, Gleason's inconsistency at times was a source of frustration for the fanbase—and, as is often the case, there was a vocal segment calling for backup John Alan Richter to get more reps. Richter may be the more polished passer, but Gleason brings added mobility to the position, which gives the offense a different dimension.

 

Running back play wasn’t up to par in 2024, due in large part to injuries and the departure of Peny Boone via the transfer portal. Unlike in 2023—when the Rockets could wear teams down with a bruising ground game led by Boone and the dual-threat ability of DeQuan Finn—Toledo lacked that same punch last fall. To address the issue, the Rockets dipped into the portal and added Kentucky transfer Chip Trayanum and NC A&T transfer Kenji Christian. Both backs bring more explosiveness than what was mostly available a year ago and should help reestablish a more dynamic rushing attack.

 

All-MAC First Team selection Jerjuan Newton is off to the NFL, and while his production will be missed, the Rockets appear to have enough firepower to fill the void collectively. Junior Vandeross, another All-MAC First Teamer, returns as the go-to option, and Toledo added a proven playmaker in NIU transfer Trayvon Rudolph. The receiving corps also gets a boost at tight end with the addition of Jacob Peterson, who posted nearly 500 receiving yards at Holy Cross last season.

 

An offensive line that was strong in pass protection, but often struggled to open holes in the run game returns three of its starters. Pittsburgh transfer Terence Moore is expected to step in at one of the vacant interior OL spots, while part-time starter Stephen Gales will look to lock down a starting role at tackle.

 

 

Rockets on Defense:

The defensive line lost all four starters, leaving the door wide open for new faces to step in and claim significant snaps. On the interior, there’s a bit more stability with the return of Martex Poynter and Essam Carter—two backups from last season who saw meaningful action and combined for 46 total tackles and 4.5 sacks. On the edges, former backup Malachi Davis is expected to take on a larger role, while UMASS transfer Louce Julian should slot in opposite him as a projected starter.

 

Linebacker took a major hit, with the Rockets losing almost all of their production from last season. Backups Damon Ollison and Chris D’Appolonia are expected to step into starting roles after combining for just 20 total tackles in 2024. There’s plenty of potential - and uncertainty - at the position, and how quickly they adjust to increased responsibilities could go a long way in determining the defense’s overall effectiveness.

 

Toledo’s secondary went from elite in 2023 to very good in 2024 after losing some standout defensive backs and their secondary coach, who left for Illinois. Even so, the Rockets still have plenty of talent on the backend and should be strong again this season with almost all of their starters returning. When it comes to recruiting defensive backs, Toledo has been second to none in the MAC, and that pipeline continues to pay dividends.

 

Zips fans are familiar with returning kicker Dylan Cunanan, who was excellent during much of the season. Starting punter Emilio Duran is also back, giving Toledo stability in the kicking game heading into 2025.

 

 

Position Advantage:

Both quarterbacks are pre-season All-MAC selections. Neither team has many running backs that have proven much at the G5 level and linebacker is still to be determined. Akron holds the advantage at tight end, whereas Toledo holds position advantages every where else.

 

QB - Even

RB - Even

WR - Toledo

TE - Akron

OL - Toledo

DL - Toledo

LB - Even

DB - Toledo

ST - Toledo

 

 

Way too Early Prediction:

Toledo’s ground game ought to be much improved, and if that proves true, the Rockets will look a lot more like the 2023 squad than the inconsistent version we saw in 2024.

 

Defensively, Toledo lost plenty of production and key contributors, but there’s still enough talent on the roster to remain one of the better units in the MAC.

 

There’s always a vocal group of Toledo fans who view every loss as the Rockets simply underperforming—rarely giving much credit to the opponent. In the case of last year’s Akron/Toledo matchup, that group would mostly be right. Akron played well enough to win, but absolutely needed some help from Toledo to pull it out. It’ll be tough for Akron to catch the Rockets off guard again, especially with the game coming earlier in the season, at Toledo, and last year’s result still lingering. I say Rockets get their revenge, 31-17.

 

 

Edited Friday at 06:47 PM by catdaddyp