The Toledo Rockets were one of the preseason favourites to bring down the MAC last season, but a sad home collapse to Northern Illinois late in the campaign nixed those chances. The Rockets and Huskies had identical 7-1 MAC records, but Northern Illinois won the tiebreaker, and finally went on to victory in the conference championship game. Toledo ended the year with a 9-4 record squeaking a win from Air Force 42-41 in the Military Bowl.
Head coach Tim Beckman left to take the Illinois job which authorized offensive coordinator Matt Campbell to take over the team. He will surely have his hands full in his first campaign, as the Rockets bring back just 8 starters from their talented 2011 squad.
Offense
The Rockets featured the top offense in the MAC last year, racking up a particularly galvanizing 42.2 points and 481 total yards/game. They were ,of course, one of the more exciting teams to observe in the entire nation last season, but with only 4 starters coming back, Toledo will almost certainly take a step back offensively in 2012.
Incredibly enough, the Rockets welcome back their best 2 quarterbacks from last year in junior Terrance Owens and senior Austin Dantin. These two continually alternated possessions last year, but Owens will likely get more time than Dantin simply because he is more productive.
Toledo suffers a huge blow in the running game as it loses its top 2 running backs from 2011 in Adonis Thomas and Morgan Williams. The number one back now is junior RB David Fluellen who will possibly get the bulk of the totes this campaign.
The receiving bunch loses star wideout Eric Page, who left early to join the NFL. This unit returns just one starter in junior Bernard Reedy, who will be the new go-to option. Junior James Green and sophomore WE Cassius McDowell will step into starting spots, as will senior Illinois transfer TE Cordale Scott.
The offensive line loses 3 starters and 124 career starts, including first-team All-MAC LT Mike VanDerMuelen. With only two guys returning and 24 career starts returning, the offensive line will not have a shot at matching last year's squad. The 2 linemen returning are second-team All-MAC C Zac Kerin and freshman All-American RG Greg Mancz.
Head coach Tim Beckman left to take the Illinois job which authorized offensive coordinator Matt Campbell to take over the team. He will surely have his hands full in his first campaign, as the Rockets bring back just 8 starters from their talented 2011 squad.
Offense
The Rockets featured the top offense in the MAC last year, racking up a particularly galvanizing 42.2 points and 481 total yards/game. They were ,of course, one of the more exciting teams to observe in the entire nation last season, but with only 4 starters coming back, Toledo will almost certainly take a step back offensively in 2012.
Incredibly enough, the Rockets welcome back their best 2 quarterbacks from last year in junior Terrance Owens and senior Austin Dantin. These two continually alternated possessions last year, but Owens will likely get more time than Dantin simply because he is more productive.
Toledo suffers a huge blow in the running game as it loses its top 2 running backs from 2011 in Adonis Thomas and Morgan Williams. The number one back now is junior RB David Fluellen who will possibly get the bulk of the totes this campaign.
The receiving bunch loses star wideout Eric Page, who left early to join the NFL. This unit returns just one starter in junior Bernard Reedy, who will be the new go-to option. Junior James Green and sophomore WE Cassius McDowell will step into starting spots, as will senior Illinois transfer TE Cordale Scott.
The offensive line loses 3 starters and 124 career starts, including first-team All-MAC LT Mike VanDerMuelen. With only two guys returning and 24 career starts returning, the offensive line will not have a shot at matching last year's squad. The 2 linemen returning are second-team All-MAC C Zac Kerin and freshman All-American RG Greg Mancz.
Defense
Toledo desires to boost defensively after allowing 31.7 points and 402 total yards/game. The below average defense forced Toledo to play in a large amount of shootouts and things may deterioriate before they get better as they bring back only 4 starters on this side of the ball in 2012.
The defensive line lost 3 productive starters, but returns five of its top eight up front, including 7 who have made 15 or more career stops. The projected starting line-up will include senior DE TJ Fatinikun, junior DE Christian Smith, junior DT Elijah Jones and senior DT Danny Farr.
The linebacker group will be the best section of the defense. They have their top two returning in senior WLB Robert Bell and senior MLB Dan Mills. They have also gained Michigan transfer Vladimir Emilien to man the STAR LB position.
The secondary must replace 3 solid defensive backs, including first-team All-MAC CB Desmond Morrow. They do have three players with starting experience returning in the defensive backfield and after a deplorable showing last season, should only improve in 2012. Senior CB Byron Best transfers from LB to add depth, and senior SS Jermaine Robinson is their top player coming back. Proficient Florida transfer sophomore CB Jordan Harden will start right away.
MAC West Prediction - 4th Place
This squad has more skill than the eight returning starters would lead you to believe. The offense at the very least has proved playmakers at QB in Owens and Dantin. Their holes on the offensive end are at running back, receiver and along the offensive line. Despite the defense only having four starters back, this squad should be more gifted than its 2011 version. Toledo should be competitive in the MAC West, but sadly they must play both Western Michigan and Northern Illinois on the road. Both these schools are projected to finish in front of the Rockets in the division.
Toledo desires to boost defensively after allowing 31.7 points and 402 total yards/game. The below average defense forced Toledo to play in a large amount of shootouts and things may deterioriate before they get better as they bring back only 4 starters on this side of the ball in 2012.
The defensive line lost 3 productive starters, but returns five of its top eight up front, including 7 who have made 15 or more career stops. The projected starting line-up will include senior DE TJ Fatinikun, junior DE Christian Smith, junior DT Elijah Jones and senior DT Danny Farr.
The linebacker group will be the best section of the defense. They have their top two returning in senior WLB Robert Bell and senior MLB Dan Mills. They have also gained Michigan transfer Vladimir Emilien to man the STAR LB position.
The secondary must replace 3 solid defensive backs, including first-team All-MAC CB Desmond Morrow. They do have three players with starting experience returning in the defensive backfield and after a deplorable showing last season, should only improve in 2012. Senior CB Byron Best transfers from LB to add depth, and senior SS Jermaine Robinson is their top player coming back. Proficient Florida transfer sophomore CB Jordan Harden will start right away.
MAC West Prediction - 4th Place
This squad has more skill than the eight returning starters would lead you to believe. The offense at the very least has proved playmakers at QB in Owens and Dantin. Their holes on the offensive end are at running back, receiver and along the offensive line. Despite the defense only having four starters back, this squad should be more gifted than its 2011 version. Toledo should be competitive in the MAC West, but sadly they must play both Western Michigan and Northern Illinois on the road. Both these schools are projected to finish in front of the Rockets in the division.