Nov. 21
Toledo 31 ... Bowling Green 21
Toledo jumped out to an early 21-0 lead on short touchdown
runs from Jalen Parmele and Aaron Opelt along with a 31-yard Barry
Church interception return for a touchdown, and then held on as Bowling
Green got three Anthony Turner touchdown passes with two to Ken
Brantley. The Falcons only had the ball once more after a nine-yard
Brantley scoring catch and turned it over on downs. The Rockets started
off the scoring in the second half on a one-yard Opelt run.
Player of the game ... Toledo RB Jalen Parmele ran 20
times for 124 yards and a touchdown
Stat Leaders: Bowling Green - Passing:
Anthony Turner, 21-35, 213 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Dan Macon, 6-31. Receiving:
Corey Partridge, 14-161 ,1 TD
Toledo - Passing: Clint Cochran, 5-6, 63
yds
Rushing: Jalen Parmele, 20-124, 1 TD. Receiving:
Nick Moore, 2-42
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The
off-season will be all about the quarterback situation. The Rockets were
able to jump all over Bowling Green early and play around with the
quarterbacks with both Clint Cochran and Aaron Opelt playing well. Opelt
appears to be the main man, but there should be some fierce competition
over spring and summer ball. The win this week is more important than it
might seem. Yeah, it was a disappointing season, but 5-7 is tolerable.
4-8 looks a whole bunch worse.
|
2006
Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
8-4
2006 Results:
5-7
Preview
2006 predicted wins
|
|
8/31 |
at Iowa St L 45-43 3OT |
| 9/9 |
at Western Mich
L 31-10 |
| 9/15 |
Kansas W 37-31 2OT |
| 9/23 |
McNeese State
W 41-7 |
|
9/30 |
at Pitt L 45-3 |
| 10/7 |
Central Michigan
L 42-20 |
| 10/14 |
at Kent State
L 40-14 |
| 10/21 |
at Eastern Mich
L 17-13 |
| 10/28 |
Akron
W 35-20 |
| 11/7 |
at No Illinois W 17-13 |
| 11/14 |
Ball State
L 20-17 |
| 11/21 |
Bowling Green
W 31-21 |
|
|
2005
Schedule
CFN
Prediction:
9-2
2005 Results: 9-3
Preview
2005 predicted wins |
| 9/1 |
Western Illinois
W 62-14 |
| 9/10 |
Western Mich
W 56-23 |
| 9/17 |
at Temple
W 42-17 |
|
9/27 |
at Fresno State L 44-14 |
| 10/8 |
Eastern Mich
W 30-3 |
| 10/15 |
at Ball State
W 34-14 |
| 10/22 |
Buffalo
W 38-15 |
| 10/29 |
at Central Mich
L 21-17 |
| 11/4 |
at Ohio
W 30-21 |
| 11/16 |
Northern Illinois
L 35-17 |
| 11/22 |
at B Green W 44-41 2OT |
| 12/21 |
GMAC Bowl
UTEP W 45-13 |
|
Nov. 14
Ball State 20 ... Toledo 17
Ball State overcame an early 92-yard Jalen Parmele touchdown
run and a three-yard touchdown pass to Chris Hopkins with Nate Davis
touchdown passes to Terry Moss and Dante Love to finish the first half
tied at 14-14. Brian Jackson's two field goals from Brian Jackson,
including a 27-yard shot with 6:27 to play, gave the Cardinals the lead
for good. Toledo had one final shot, but Hopkins dropped a fourth and
two pass allowing the Cardinals to run out the clock.
Player of the game ... Ball State RB Larry Bostic ran
31 times for 143 yards
Stat Leaders: Ball State - Passing: Nate
Davis, 15-30, 212 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Larry Bostic, 31-143. Receiving:
Terry Moss, 6-127, 1 TD
Toledo - Passing: Clint Cochran, 12-23,
136 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jalen Parmele, 20-173, 1 TD. Receiving:
Chris Hopkins, 3-35, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
Little things like dropped passes and
misfired on third downs proved to be a killer for the Rockets against
Ball State. They should've been able to capitalize and build on the
early 92-yard home run from Jalen Parmele, but couldn't. Ball State's
running game was solid, while the Toledo offense couldn't get moving in
the second half. Now that the disappointing season is all but over and a
.500 season is gone, beating Bowling Green will be vital next week is
still important to show things haven't slopped completely off the map.
Nov. 7
Toledo 17 ... Northern Illinois 13
Toledo went on a 17-point first half run with Aaron Opelt
running for a six-yard score and threw a three-yard scoring pass to
Steve Odom, and then had to hang on for dear life as the Huskies, who
opened up the scoring with a five-yard Marcus Perez touchdown catch, got
two Chris Nendick field goals, and had a chance at the win on the final
drive. Helped by two pass interference calls, NIU got to the Rocket two.
After two incomplete passes and a run by Garrett Wolfe that went nowhere
thanks to a stop from Greg Hay, a Horvath pass to Britt Davis in the end
zone was broken up by Hay to preserve the win.
Player of the game ... Toledo RB Jalen Parmele ran 31 times for 131
yards
Stat Leaders: Toledo - Passing: Aaron
Opelt, 8-21, 49 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jalen Parmele, 31-131. Receiving:
Steve Odom, 3-14, 1 TD
Northern Illinois - Passing: Phil
Horvath, 13-27, 199 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Garrett Wolfe, 16-54. Receiving: Britt
Davis, 9-163
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... In a
dead, disappointing season, Toledo, with one Greg Hay broken up pass to
save the day against Northern Illinois, is now on a two-game winning
streak with extremely winnable final two dates against Ball State and
Bowling Green to potentially
finish at .500. Considering the
problems in the middle of the year, and the lack of a passing game with
Aaron Opelt struggling week-in-and-week-out, a six-win season would be a
rousing success. Even so, it'd be nice if Opelt showed signs of being
better after only completing eight of 21 passes for a mere 49 yards.
Oct. 28
Toledo 35 ... Akron 20
Toledo jumped out to a 21-0 first half lead on two short
touchdown runs from Aaron Opelt and DaJuan Collins and got a 36-yard
interception return for a score from Tyrrell Herbert. Akron's D came
though with a score of its own with a 26-yard fumble recovery from a
score from Dough Williams, and a two-yard scoring run from Dennis
Kennedy and a 22-yard Jon McClain field goal got the Zips within eight
late, but UT's Alex Steigerwald took a fake 19 yards to a touchdown to
ice it with 1:42 to play.
Player of
the game ...
Toledo RB Jalen
Parmele carried 27 times for 145 yards and a touchdown.
Stat Leaders: Akron - Passing: Luke Getsy, 13-29,
191 yds, 2 INTs
Rushing: Dennis Kennedy, 24-119, 1 TD Receiving: Jermaine
Lindsay, 4-51
Toledo - Passing: Aaron Opelt, 8-16, 97 yds
Rushing: Jalen Parmele, 27-145, 1 TD Receiving: Josh
Powell, 2-20
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... After the
ugliness of the last few weeks, Toledo got some good offensive balance
and a little bit of help with a few timely plays from the defense to get
by Akron providing hope for a big finishing kick. The D is still giving
up too many yards, and penalties continue to be a problem, but the
running game saved the day taking the pressure off Aaron Opelt to
produce. The offense has to take advantage of every opportunity like it
did this week.
Oct. 21
Eastern Michigan 17 ... Toledo 13
Andrew Wellock hit three field goals for a 9-0 lead, and
Pierre Walker ran for an 18-yard touchdown with 36 seconds to play to
give Eastern Michigan its first win of the season. Toledo's offense
finally got on the board in the fourth quarter on a 14-yard Jalen
Parmele touchdown and a four-yard Josh Powell touchdown, but EMU's
Darran Matthews picked off the two-point conversion attempt and took it
the distance for two points to pull to 13-11. The Eagles got a big
kickoff return from Trumaine Riley, and then went 54 yards in five plays
for the final score.
Player of the game
... Eastern
Michigan's Michael Richardson made 15 tackles and one tackle for loss.
Stat Leaders: Eastern Michigan - Passing: Tyler
Jones, 17-27, 196 yds, 1 INT
Rushing: Pierre Walker, 14-70, 1 TD Receiving:
Trumaine Riley, 5-73
Toledo - Passing: Aaron Opelt, 12-21, 100 yds
Rushing: Jalen Parmele, 17-99, 1 TD Receiving: Steve
Odom, 6-57
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... It's
amazing how far Toledo has fallen in the last month. The team that was
good enough to bomb away and hang around with Iowa State and Kansas is
nowhere to be found. Aaron Opelt hasn't progressed fast enough at
quarterback, and the receivers aren't making enough things happen, to
overcome the average running game, while the defense isn't forcing
enough turnovers to help out the struggling O.
Oct. 14
Kent State 40 ... Toledo 14
Kent State rolled out to a 33-0 lad helped by a Jack Williams
interception, his first of two on the day, for a 44-yard score and two
of Eugene Jarvis's three short touchdown runs. Julian Edelman threw a
touchdown pass and ran for a 26-yard score, while the KSU defense held
Toledo to just 234 yards of total offense. The Rockets turned it over
four times and didn't score until late in the game on two Aaron Opelt
touchdown passes.
Player of
the game ...
Kent State RB Eugene
Jarvis had 179 yards and three touchdowns on 31 carries and a catch for
four yards.
Stat Leaders: Toledo - Passing: Aaron Opelt, 16-27,
135 yds, 2 TDs, 1 INT
Rushing: DaJuane Collins, 7-45 Receiving: Chris Hopkins,
4-36
Kent State - Passing: Julian Edelman, 8-15, 78 yds,
1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Eugene Jarvis, 31-179, 3 TDs Receiving: Najah
Pruden, 4-44, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The
Toledo has now sunk into the abyss after not getting off to a decent
start against Kent State and having major problems stopping the run.
With three straight losses, the team has to find something it can count
on on offense other than hoping for Aaron Opelt to provide a spark. The
team isn't good enough to win when it's turning the ball over four
times. If the Rockets lose to Eastern Michigan next week, then the
season really will be over.
Oct. 7
Central Michigan 42 ... Toledo 20
Central Michigan got three touchdown passes from Dan LeFevour
and a 31-yard interception return for a score from Doug Kress to
overcome a 14-0 deficit. Toledo got up early on two Aaron Opelt
touchdown passes, but couldn't get back on the board until 38 seconds
left on a four-yard Opelt pass to Chris Hopkins. Toledo lost two fumbles
with Dan Bazuin taking one 32 yards for a score with 20 second left in
the first half.
Player of the game ... Central Michigan QB Dan LeFevour
completed 21 of 29 passes for 295 yards and three touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Toledo - Passing: Aaron
Opelt, 21-52, 288 yds, 3 TD, 2 INT
Rushing: Jalen Parmele, 10-79. Receiving:
Chris Hopkins, 11-84, 2 TD
Central Michigan - Passing: Dan LeFevour,
21-29, 295 yds, 3 TD
Rushing: Ontario Sneed, 14-68. Receiving: Bryan
Anderson, 6-109, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... The
offense simply isn't being consistent enough for sixty minutes, and it's
because of the lack of a running game. The Rockets had to start throwing
the ball once the Central Michigan game started to slip away with Aaron
Opelt having little success after starting out well. Opelt did a nice
job on third downs
and he ran well, but he needs the
running backs to start doing more to hang with Kent State next week and
Akron and Northern Illinois down the road.
Sept. 30
Pitt 45 ... Toledo 3
Pitt dominated from the start with 17 first quarter points on
the way to a surprisingly easy win. Tyler Palko threw two touchdown
passes including a nine-yard pass to Derek Kinder to start the scoring,
and the defense kept the momentum going with an eight-yard interception
return for a touchdown from Gus Mustakas on Toledo's next drive.
Toledo's only points came on a 35-yard Alex Steigerwald field goal with
two seconds to play in the first half. The Panthers kept rolling in the
second half with 21 points on touchdown runs from Conredge Collins,
Kevin Collier, and Dorin Dickerson.
Player of the game ... Pitt QB Tyler Palko completed 12
of 15 passes for 172 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Toledo - Passing: Aaron
Opelt, 15-30, 92 yds
Rushing: Aaron Opelt, 11-57,. Receiving:
Chris Hopkins, 5-27
Pitt - Passing: Tyler Palko, 12-15, 172
yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Shane Brooks, 9-66. Receiving:
Derrick Strong, 4-52, 1 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ...
It's not quite right to blame the blowout
loss to Pitt just on the absence of QB Clint Cochran, but there was
nothing happening down field and there wasn't nearly enough running help
early on slow down the bad momentum. To get back on track in MAC play
against suddenly strong teams like Central Michigan and Kent State,
there can't be the mistakes committed against the Panthers. UT isn't
going to beat anyone averaging 2.9 yards per pass.
Sept. 23
Toledo 41 ... McNeese State 7
Toledo had no problems getting out to a quick 17-0 lead with
short touchdown runs from Brandon Summers and Jalen Parmele before MSU
appeared to take the momentum at the end of the first half on a
31-yard Quinton Lawrence touchdown catch. But Toledo was able to get
into field goal range allowing Alex Steigerwald to hit his second field
goal in the first half to put the game away. DaJane Collins ran for two
fourth quarter scores.
Player of the game ... Toledo QB Brandon Summers
completed 11 of 17 passes for 121 yards and a touchdown and ran for a
score
Stat Leaders: McNeese State - Passing:
Derrick Fourroux, 9-17, 108 yds, 1 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jamie Leonard, 13-93. Receiving:
Quinton Lawrence, 4-58, 1 TD
Toledo - Passing: Brandon Summers, 11-17,
121 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: DaJuane Collins, 8-91, 2 TD. Receiving:
Steve Odom, 5-47
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... With
Clint Cochran out, the McNeese State game was an easy chance for Brandon
Summers and Aaron Opelt to get in a little work. Summers was fine even
though he took a few too many sacks. While it was good to develop depth,
it would've been nice to have used this game to tune things up a little
bit for road date with Pitt coming up. The ground game got on track for
the first time this year with 219 yards and four scores, but Pitt will
be far stronger than MSU.
Sept. 15
Toledo 37 ... Kansas 31 2OT
KU QB Kerry Meier, who ran for two touchdown and threw
another, threw his fourth interception of the game on a pass in the end
zone in the second overtime. Toledo capitalized on the next play with a
25-yard touchdown run from Jalen Parmele to close out the strange game.
The Rockets forced five turnovers including an 84-yard interception
return from Barry Church midway through the fourth quarter, but KU was
able to come back on a 20yard touchdown catch from Dexton Fields. KU
outgained UT 391 yards to 237, but the turnovers proved too costly.
Player of the game ... Toledo RB Jalen Parmele ran 14
times for 60 yards and two touchdowns
Stat Leaders: Kansas - Passing: Kerry
Meier, 23-41, 243 yds, 2 TD, 4 INT
Rushing: Jon Cornish, 20-89. Receiving:
Derek Fine, 5-49
Toledo - Passing: Clint Cochran, 15-47,
136 yds, 1 TD
Rushing: Jalen Parmele, 14-60, 2 TD. Receiving:
Chris Hopkins, 5-32
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Thank you
turnovers. QB Clint Cochran was awful against Kansas, the running game
went nowhere, and the team committed 11 penalties, but the D took it
away five times and came though clutch in overtime. After the way the
first two games have gone, the Rockets will take a win any way they can
get, but consistency is obviously going to be a problem for a little
while. Fortunately, McNeese State is up next before dealing with a road
trip to Pitt.
Sept. 9
Western Michigan 31 ... Toledo 10
Western Michigan scored the final 24 points of the game, all
in the second half, to stun Toledo. The Broncos got on the board first
with a Mark Bonds 19-yard touchdown run, but Toledo came back with ten
points in the second quarter finishing with a five-yard Richard Davis
touchdown run. And the the WMU defense turned it loose keeping UT off
the board in the second half and getting a 92-yard interception return
for a score from Londen Fryar. For the game, WMU came up with five sacks
and forced four turnovers.
Player of the game ... Western Michigan LB Ameer Ismail
made 10.5 tackles, three tackles for loss, recovered a fumble and made
two sacks
Stat Leaders: Western Michigan - Passing:
Thomas Peregrin, 11-15, 98 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Mark Bonds, 22-134, 1 TD. Receiving:
Mark Bonds, 3-32
Toledo - Passing: Clint Cochran, 18-30,
218 yds, 2 INT
Rushing: Jalen Parmele, 17-111. Receiving: Steve
Odom, 5-53
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... How could
an offense as explosive and balanced (at least potentially) not get any
points on the board in the second half against Western Michigan? It was
a puzzling loss that leaves no margin for error in MAC play, and now
makes the home game next week against Kansas vital or else it'll be an
ugly 0-3 start. Clint Cochran needs to be protected better, but he also
has to learn how to get rid of the ball faster to avoid a sack. The
running game has the talent, and now it has to start producing.
Aug. 31
Iowa State 45 ... Toledo 43 3OT
Todd Blythe caught two touchdown passes in overtime and the
Iowa State defense held on stopping a Toledo two-point conversion
attempt to win a wild opener. The two teams traded touchdowns over each
of the overtimes highlighted by Blythe's 25-yard scoring grab in the
third. Jalen Parmele ran for a two-yard touchdown to get the Rockets
within two, but Chris Hopkins couldn't hang on to the conversion and
Iowa State escaped. Hopkins, who made three scoring grabs, caught a
21-yard touchdown catch in the third quarter to help spark a Rocket
comeback completed with a Richard Davis three-yard scoring run and a
two-point conversion to force overtime. ISU QB Bret Meyer ran for three
scores. Toledo's new starting quarterback Clint Cochran threw for 367
yards and three touchdowns.
Player of the game ... Iowa State QB Bret Meyer
completed 17 of 24 passes for 238 yards and two touchdowns and ran 198
times for 68 yards and three touchdowns.
Stat Leaders: Toledo - Passing: Clint
Cochran, 39-49, 370 yds, 3 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Jalen Parmele, 18-64, 1 TD. Receiving:
Chris Hopkins, 13-148, 3 TD
Iowa State - Passing: Bret Meyer, 17-24,
238 yds, 2 TD
Rushing: Stevie Hicks, 23-92, 1 TD. Receiving: Todd
Blythe, 5-94, 2 TD
Whoopty doo. What does it all mean Basil? ... Toledo
might have lost a heartbreaker to Iowa State, but this might be the type
of game that propels the team to huge things as the season goes on. All
questions about whether or not the offense could replace QB Bruce
Gradkowski are now gone after Clint Cochran looked fantastic in the
second half. When the team needed the passing game to carry the attack,
Cochran more than came through. TE Chris Hopkins made himself a whole
bunch of money looking like a prototype NFL prospect as the go-to
receiver.
2006
Toledo Preview
Toledo Preview |
Offense |
Defense |
Depth Chart |
Further Analysis
It's saying something when a nine-win season has become routine.
Granted, the Rockets didn't win the MAC title last
season, they didn't even win their own division, but while Northern
Illinois might have played Akron for the conference championship,
Tom Amstutz's team had the last laugh blowing out UTEP 45-13 in the
GMAC Bowl in a bigger win than it might appear.
Toledo had been to plenty of bowl games, but it got annihilated by a
combined score of 90 to 35 over the previous two and gave the MAC a
bit of a black eye. Now the Rockets will try to shoot for even more with the
team to make the type of national noise Miami University got in 2003
with Ben Roethlisberger.
Oh sure, winning the MAC is the first goal going into every
season, but it's just as important on a national scale to be
consistent and to occasionally get the big wins in high profile
games. Averaging nine wins a season under Amstutz shows just how
good the program has been over the last five seasons and it's going to be five in six.
The
Rockets finished first in the MAC in total offense, first in scoring,
first in total defense, first in scoring defense, first in rushing
offense, and near the top of just about every other category.
With 44 lettermen returning along with 16 starters, expect more of the
same despite losing some huge pieces of last year's puzzle.
It seems like asking a lot to be the MAC favorite after losing QB Bruce Gradkowski, the top two running backs, three of the top four tacklers,
and a kicker who didn't miss a field goal, but Toledo is going to do it
and come out looking just fine thanks to plenty of strong young talents
waiting to produce.
The building blocks are in place with the MAC's best offensive line, one
of the league's best defensive lines, and a linebacking corps that will
be camped out in opposing backfields all season long. And, of course,
there's Amstutz and his coaching staff that have proven to be able to
make adjustments on the fly and be able to patch up problems in a hurry.
Yes, Toledo will be the odds on favorite to win the championship and
could even be in the mix for a ten-win season. There's nothing routine
about winning.
The
Schedule:
There will be chances for a
few big statements with road trips to Iowa State and Pitt over the first
half of the season, while the MAC schedule works out relatively well
getting three of the final four games at home. However, the Rockets have
to go on the road to face Northern Illinois and Western Michigan. The
road games at Kent State and Eastern Michigan should by layups. Facing
Akron and Bowling Green at home is a major plus.
Best
Offensive Player: Junior OT John Greco. He might not be the tackle
that New England Patriot Nick Kaczur was, but he has grown into a rock
of a tackle and was a key anchor on the line after moving from the right
side to fill in Kaczur's spot on the left. If he's not the MAC's best
offensive lineman, he'll be number two.
Best
Defensive Player: Senior LB
Mike Alston. He received First Team All-MAC honors based on his 9.5
sacks and 12.5 tackles for loss. While he was a top player for the
Rocket defense last season, he wasn't the overall linebacker Anthony
Jordan and David Thomas were. Watch for that to change this season as
Alston should finish among the team's top three tacklers.
Key player
to a successful season: Sophomore QB Clint Cochran. Cochran has the
accurate arm, the mobility, and the talent to make the offense continue
to roll, but he has to fill the shoes of Bruce Gradkowski, who completed
68% of his passes with 85 touchdown passes and only 27 interceptions.
The rest of the pieces are in place to win the MAC title as long as
Cochran does his part.
The season
will be a success if ... Toledo
wins the MAC title. The schedule works out well enough and the
experience and talent is in place. Finding a way to get by a road trip
to Northern Illinois will be key while avoiding a slip against the rest
of the MAC team's they'll be favored over.
Key game:
Nov. 7 at Northern Illinois. Toledo lost 35-17 last year at home in
one of the shockers of the MAC season. Now it'll likely take a win in
DeKalb to be the West representative in the conference title game.
2005 Fun
Stats:
- First quarter scoring: Toledo 119 - Opponents 45
- Sacks: Toledo 31 for 229 yards - Opponents 13 for 96 yards
- Punts: Opponents 63 for 2,441 yards - Toledo 37 for 1,305 yards
The Last Time Toledo…
…played in a bowl game…2005 (GMAC Bowl
vs. UTEP)
…missed a bowl game…2003
…pitched a shutout…2000 (Marshall)
…was shutout…1998 (Ohio State)
…scored 50 points…2005 (Western Michigan)
…went undefeated…1995
…won a conference title…2004 (MAC)
…had a 3,000-yard passer…2004 (Bruce Gradkowski)
…had a 1,000-yard rusher…2005 (Trinity Dawson)
…had a 1,000-yard receiver…2004 (Lance Moore)
…had a first-round draft choice…1993 (DE Dan Williams)
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