Toledo Rockets Preview 2022: Season Prediction, Breakdown, Key Games, Players
Toledo Rockets Preview 2022: Previewing, predicting, and looking ahead to the Toledo season with what you need to know and keys to the season.
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Toledo Rockets Preview
Head Coach: Jason Candle, 8th year at Toledo, 45-27
2021 Preview: Overall: 7-6, Conference: 5-3
Offense, Defense Breakdown | Keys To The Season
Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Toledo Top 10 Players | Toledo Schedule
Toledo Rockets Preview 2022
This program is so freaking frustrating.
Toledo should be working on the third or fourth MAC title under Jason Candle, and yet year after year there’s something missing.
Candled the Rockets got the job done in 2017 with a MAC Championship, but he’s had the best overall team for six years – seven if you include this season – and he has just the one appearance in the title game and the only bowl win came when he stepped in for Iowa State-bound Matt Campbell when first taking over the gig in 2015.
So let’s try this again. Toledo – who lost five games last year by a touchdown or less – has the best team in the MAC. The schedule isn’t easy, and there are things that need fixing – penalties, a more accurate passing game, penalties, and more penalties – but it’s all there.
The coaching is strong, the all-star veterans are in place, and a winning season and bowl appearance should be a mortal lock.
Now win the MAC Championship again, Toledo.
Toledo Rockets Preview 2022: Offense
The offense led the MAC in scoring averaging 33 points per game, rolled for 435 yards per game, and was the best in the nation at limiting the turnovers with just seven on the year. So of the key all-stars are gone, but …
Dequan Finn is a quarterback to build around. The young, efficient playmaker threw 18 touchdown passes with just two picks and ran for 505 yards and nine scores. He needs to be a bit more accurate, but he’s a dynamic winner to build around. It’s his team with Carter Bradley transferring to South Alabama.
The receiving corps loses leading yardage receiver Isaiah Winstead to East Carolina and leading touchdown catcher Matt Landers to Arkansas. Even so, Devin Maddox is a quick veteran who led the way with 41 catches for 521 yards and four scores. Finn spreads the ball around, but the O needs several young parts to step up fast.
The pass protection needs to be stronger, and there were too many tackles for loss allowed, but it’s going to be another great group for the running game even with two starters gone, helped by getting an all-star caliber blocker in Nick Rosi somewhere up front after missing last year hurt.
Losing 1,400-yard, 15 touchdown back Bryant Koback early to the NFL – he’s with the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent – hurts, but Finn was the second-leading rusher, and smallish-speedy backs Jacquez Stuart and Micah Kelly are back after combining to average 5.4 yards per carry on their 564 yards.
Toledo Rockets Preview 2022: Defense
The defense had a few tough meltdowns, had a problem with penalties, and it didn’t come up with enough takeaways, but it managed to lead the MAC in scoring defense and was second overall allowing 350 yards and 22 points per game.
With eight returning starters and a slew of all-stars, expect more of the same, especially out of the pass rush.
The Rockets get back veteran Jamal Hines on the outside coming off his best season in his four years. He led the way with ten sacks, Desjuan Johnson was second on the team with 4.5 sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss on the other side, and Dyontae Johnson was a force on the weakside.
As long as Jackson Barrow can handle the work in the middle after his 42-tackle season, this will be the best linebacking corps in the MAC by a mile.
The outside linebackers take care of the pass rush, but DT Judge Culpepper is a good interior presence in a next to 310-pound anchor Cavon Butler.
The secondary loses a few good pieces, but the safety combination of Maxen Hook and Nate Bauer will combine for close to 150 tackles again, and Quinyon Mitchell and Chris McDonald are two aggressive corners who can handle themselves.
Toledo Rockets: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats NEXT
Toledo Rockets: Keys To The Season, Top Game, Top Transfer, Fun Stats
Toledo Rockets: Key To The 2022 Offense
Convert more third down chances.
For all of the good things the offense did, and for all the scoring, and the explosion and the balance, the thing struggled to do enough on third downs.
That starts with QB Dequan Finn being more accurate – he needs to get to around 65% for the offense to be even stronger – but being able to maintain more control in every way possible is a must considering how much it mattered.
The Rockets converted just 36% of their chances last year. They were under 30% five times and went 1-4 in those, In 2020 they connected on 48% of their tries and were at 41% or over in every game but one.
Toledo Rockets: Key To The 2022 Defense
Enough with the penalties.
This goes for both sides of the ball, but the defensive side was hit particularly hard by flags.
As a team Toledo was dead last in college football getting hit 130 times for 1,172 yards and a whopping 90 yards per game. Out of all of that, 32 of the defensive penalties ended up leading to a first down – only ten team gave up more first downs that way.
Toledo Rockets: Key Player To The 2022 Season
RB Micah Kelly, Soph.
And throw in Jacquez Stuart in that mix, too.
Bryant Koback took the pressure off everyone else on the offense. He ran for 1,400 yards and 15 touchdowns last year to close out his career with over 4,000 rushing yards with 45 touchdowns to go along with 654 receiving yards and seven scores.
Toledo always gets production out of its running backs, but Kelly and Stuart have to raise up their games several notches to give the offense a steady force like Koback was.
Toledo Rockets: Key Transfer
LB Deshawn Holt, Soph.
Toledo didn’t do a whole much with the transfer portal, and it’s already set at linebacker, but it’s getting a good one for the next few years with the 6-5, 240-pound Holt.
The Maryland transfer has next-level speed for the position and the exact right frame to be pass rusher who fits right into what the Rockets do. Last year he came up 15 tackles with two sacks but missed half the year hurt.
Toledo Key Game To The 2022 Season
at Northern Illinois, October 8
Toledo needs to push past Western Michigan on the road in the regular season finale, and it might have to get by Central Michigan at home. But to get out of the West and have an honest shot at the MAC title it needs to get past the defending MAC champs.
Northern Illinois was able to pull off the 22-20 win early in October of last year and that set the tone for the rest of the MAC season. Toledo lost a week later to Central Michigan, and that was it.
Toledo Rockets: 2021 Fun Stats
– Toledo 1st Quarter Scoring 72 – 2nd Quarter Scoring 165
– Penalties: Toledo 130 for 1,172 yards – Opponents 82 for 727 yards
– Average Yards Per Carry: Toledo 5.4 – Opponents 3.8
Toledo Rockets Season Prediction, What Will Happen NEXT
Toledo Rockets Season Prediction, What Will Happen
Okay, Toledo, are you going to win the close games this time around?
Throwing in the fight with Notre Dame, four of the six losses were by three points or fewer and one of the others was a 31-24 loss to Middle Tennessee in the bowl defeat.
Talent-wise this is the best team in the MAC. The depth at some spots is a tad bit lacking, but overall the starting 22 should be good enough to rip though chunks of this schedule.
But it was good enough to do that last year, too, and it didn’t work.
Set The Toledo Rockets Regular Season Win Total At … 8
Forget about beating Ohio State, and it will take something big to get by San Diego State on the other side of the country a week later. Those are the two almost certain losses, but can the Rockets avoid the brain cramp?
They should win at Eastern Michigan and at Buffalo, but those are the types of gams that trip up this program.
Start with eight wins. Assume that, and anything less in the regular season will be a big disappointment, and anything more will almost certainly mean a trip to the MAC Championship.
