Yardbarker: Toledo Rockets

Could a MAC team finally knock off OSU?

Fri, 18 Sep 2009 20:19:21 -0500

Carlos Osorio, Associated PressToledo offensive lineman Jared DeWalt, right, and Michigan linebacker Obi Ezeh watch as Toledo kicker Alex Steigerwald makes a fourth-quarter field goal in the Rockets' 13-10 upset last October. Related content Ohio State football: Advice to Jim...

Aaron Opelt Likes the Spread Very Much, Thank You

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 17:00:15 -0500

Opeltulant to opposing defenses What better way for the Buckeyes to get the bad taste out of their mouths than to get up for a matchup with the nation’s leader in total offense. Yes, that would be Toledo senior quarterback Aaron Opelt and his 437 yards of offense per game. It didn’t always come easy for [...]

No 11 Ohio State Buckeyes vs Toledo Rockets

Thu, 17 Sep 2009 09:30:33 -0500

#11 Ohio State v Toledo

Browns Stadium, Cleveland, Ohio

Kickoff: 12noon

TV: ESPN Plus

It felt like you were standing there minding your own business and someone turned around and punched you in the stomach without warning. The Bucks had that game won but the defense failed to stop the Trojans fourth quarter ending drive (see 2009 Fiesta Bowl versus Texas). The defense isn’t all to blame; Terrell Pryor and that soft pasty junior varsity offensive line left plenty of points off the board due to poor drives and lousy execution. The coaching staff is also under the microscope for not making any adjustments at half-time and not getting the team motivated to rise to the occasion. Overall, what could have been a tremendous victory just turned into the old song and dance. For as long as Jim Tressel is in charge, the Buckeyes will play not to make a mistake, which means a lot of close games and few big game wins.

Ohio State meets up with a high scoring Toledo Rocket team in Cleveland Brown Stadium this Saturday for their first “road trip” of the season. This will be a nice recruiting trip…um…game for the Buckeyes since an unbelievably high percentage of OSU football players come out of North East Ohio. It was also a nice payout for the Rockets as they are trying to raise funds for a new stadium and facilities. Now after the first two games, I’m not so sure this will be the cakewalk it was once viewed as. With the Western Michigan victory over the Michigan State Spartans and the poor offensive showing from Ohio State in the last two games, you know the Rockets are thinking that an upset isn’t such a ridiculous notion.

OSU “O”

I’m going to ride the offensive line and its coach Jim Bollman until something changes for the better. OSU consistently is blessed with much ballyhooed blue chip offensive line recruits that have performed well UNDER expectation since the Troy Smith era. They are soft. They look weak. They are not explosive. They don’t show a killer instinct that good offensive line units typically have. Until the Buckeyes can either get some talent on that line or get a new coach that can develop the young men to their full potential, we as Ohio State fans will continue to see a below average rushing attack and a quarterback who has to run for his life. Toledo isn’t a juggernaut when it comes to defense as they have allowed 493 total yards and 45 points per game. However, I believe the offense’s ineptitude will keep Toledo in the game. Prove me wrong boys.

OSU “D”

The Buckeyes have their hands full with a high powered passing attack lead by Toledo quarterback Aaron Opelt. The Rocket offense is averaging a whopping 42.5 points and 558.5 yards per game. If you missed it last Friday the Rockets just destroyed Colorado 54-38 and the Buckeye defense is next on the menu. Opelt is a duel threat quarterback with 742 yards, 7 touchdowns through the air AND 133 rushing yards with 2 touchdowns on the ground. His top two targets are wide receivers Eric Page and Stephen Williams who combine for 451 receiving yards and 4 touchdowns. In two games so far this season, Opelt has dished the ball off to 10 different receivers and all but three have double digit yards. The Rocket running game is effective also as running back DaJuane Collins averages 93.5 yards per game. Just add cherry on top of the Toledo sundae, the Rocket’s leading rusher from 2008, Morgan Williams, is back after a two game suspension. The Buckeye defense will have to play smart on Saturday to hold the Rockets under 30 points.

Summary

First year head coach and former Ohio State quarterbacks coach Tim Beckman wants to win this game badly and will pull out all the tricks in the book to try for the upset. This is Toledo biggest game of year and they are no strangers to beating Big Ten teams (see UT v Michigan 2008). This game is not the gimme it seemed to be at the start of the season and the Buckeyes have had their difficulties with the MAC in recent memory. This one will be closer than Buckeye Nation wants it to be.

Prediction: OSU 24 – UT 14

Why OSU will win:

Sustain long offensive drives and keep the high scoring Rocket offense off the field.

Don’t get hung up on last week.

Pryor will loosen up and stop thinking about making a mistake. Just be yourself.

Defensive secondary locks down the wide receivers.

The Rocket defense gives up a LOT of points.

Why OSU will lose:

Offense line doesn’t attack the smaller UT defense.

No holes for the running backs.

Pryor runs for his life because of poor pass protection.

The Rocket offense scores a LOT of points.

Bold prediction for the game:

Brandon Saine will get more touches than Boom Herron and we will see a lot of Jamal Berry.

Crazy stat of the game:

Ohio State hasn’t lost to a MAC team since 1894. Back then there wasn’t a “MAC” (the MAC was founded in 1946) but the Buckeyes lost to Akron 12-6 on September 15, 1894.

Last time they met…

Joe Germaine and an OSU coached John Cooper trounced the Rockets 49-0 in 1998.

Rocket players to watch:

Sophomore WR #7 Kenny Stafford

Senior QB #11 Aaron Opelt

Senior RB #22 DaJuane Collins

Freshman WR #12 Eric Page

Senior WR #88 Stephen Williams

#8 Barry Church

#42 Archie Donald

#48 Brudzinski

#5 Daxton Swanson

Toledo kicker gets into 'SI' but not for kicking

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:46:33 -0500

Toledo kicker Andrew Weber is in 'Sports Illustrated' this week -- but not for his kicking. Weber, a walk-on for the Rockets, shot a two-page photo spread that ended up in the 'Up Front' section of the latest issue of the weekly magazine, which hit news stands Wednesday.

Ohio State football morning news roundup

Wed, 16 Sep 2009 10:38:40 -0500

APAaron Opelt Toledo quarterback Aaron Opelt is the biggest challenge for the Ohio State Buckeyes on Saturday. Opelt, named MAC player of the week two weeks in a row, has thrown for 742 yards in two games. Opelt has completed...

Off Campus with Aaron Opelt, Toledo quarterback

Tue, 15 Sep 2009 22:23:17 -0500

Toledo photoRockets QB Aaron Opelt.The lowdown: Aaron Opelt is in his senior season as quarterback of the Toledo Rockets. While he does not own a winning record as a starter (13-20), he has led the Rockets to wins over Iowa...

Opelt racks up 6 TDs as Toledo stuns Colorado

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:28:34 -0500

Toledo's Aaron Opelt threw four touchdown passes and ran for two more in the Rockets' 54-38 victory over Colorado on Friday night.

Opelt fires four TDs in Toledo's rout of Colorado

Sat, 12 Sep 2009 00:16:14 -0500

TOLEDO, Ohio (AP) -- Toledo's Aaron Opelt threw four touchdown passes and ran for two more in the Rockets' 54-38 victory over Colorado on Friday night.

Three Reasons To Watch: Colorado at Toledo actually exists

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 17:53:53 -0500

Navigating the schedule outside the safe confines of football Saturdays. Because it's there. It's Friday night and there is but one single, solitary game being broadcast; unless you're attending a high school game, this is your best option to get properly riled up for tomorrow. But there are storylines afoot here that aren't without merit: • Colorado and Toledo are both coming off very interesting weekends, in their own ways. Toledo's is more of a "What unexpe...

GSOM Night is Coming!

Fri, 11 Sep 2009 14:00:35 -0500

Opening night means GSOM Night. Prepare yourselves. October 28, 2009. 7:30pm. Warriors vs Rockets. GSOM Night is a night when many of the good people of the Golden State of Mind community attend a game together at a discounted price and also receive a free giveaway (usually a t-shirt designed by Tony.psd!), watch courtside shootaround before the game, and enter a raffle for free memorabilia and tickets. For the past 2 years, we've held an event on Opening Night. This year we'l...

Dave's Free Pick ATS: Sept. 9

Thu, 10 Sep 2009 16:16:48 -0500

Colorado (0-1) at Toledo (0-1) Line: Colorado -4 Colorado comes off of a horrible showing at home against Colorado State in which they lost 23-17 in a game in which they were favored by double digits. The Colorado offense was stagnant and produced just 251 total yards including just 29 on the ground. Good luck with that come Big 12 time. With a run game like that, it is not surprising the Buffalo offense is usually heavy on the passing side. Colorado State had CU quarterback Cody Hawkins runn...

2009 Ohio State Football Pre-Preview

Fri, 19 Jun 2009 19:59:04 -0500

2009 Ohio State Football Pre-Preview

Summer practice is still weeks away but the realization of only having approximately three months until the season starts has gotten this reporters juices rolling. Last season was a disappointment of sorts as Ohio State lost two regular season games and dropped a thriller to their bowl opponent Texas. The Buckeyes were ranked in the top five by most of the preseason pollsters but the team just didn’t live up to its potential, especially the offense which didn’t seem to want to show up at all last year.

By Pete Quint

It’s been the modus operandi in the Tressel era to win the games you’re supposed to and lose consistently to higher ranked opponents. That’s not a jab at Tress, it’s the truth. The last time the Buckeyes beat a team ranked above them in the polls was Miami (FL) in the 2002 National Championship game. This is a disturbing trend in Buckeye football that needs to change or the team will continue to be ridiculed nationally as an above average team in a weak conference. This season, the Buckeyes will continue to load up on cupcakes in the preseason, play one legit out of conference and cruise through the Big Ten looking for another conference championship. Outside USC, Penn State and maybe Wisconsin, there’s not much competition for Ohio State in 2009.

While 12-0 is very realistic, albeit scarlet colored and optimistic, the Bucks are much more likely to go 11-1 than 9-3. Anything less than 10 wins and as least a share of the Big Ten title this season will be a big disappointment. Tressel will have his young troops ready to earn the Big Ten crown but how will the Bucks fare against USC and most likely an SEC bowl opponent? Here’s a quick look at Ohio State’s opponents for the 2009 season.

Cubs release yet another top draft pick

Mon, 30 Mar 2009 07:03:39 -0500

Mark Pawelek was released today by the organization. The Cubs drafted him in the 1st round in 2005 out of some high school in Utah. Never a good move, in my opinion, to draft somebody from a school where there is little or no talent. Why not select some dude from Anchorage High? Anyway, a week ago the Cubs released 2003 1st round pick Ryan Harvey. I wouldn’t be too surprised to see 2006 1st round pick Tyler Colvin dropped at the end of this season. In other news, the Cubs trimmed th...

GAME - Miami (Ohio) RedHawks @ Toledo Rockets 11-21-2008

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:48:14 -0500

GAME - Toledo Rockets @ Eastern Michigan Eagles 09-13-2008

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:48:14 -0500

GAME - Fresno State Bulldogs @ Toledo Rockets 09-20-2008

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:48:04 -0500

GAME - Toledo Rockets @ Arizona Wildcats 09-06-2008

Fri, 05 Sep 2008 16:47:45 -0500

Week 9 BlitzIndex Defense Rankings

Wed, 24 Oct 2007 00:44:40 -0500

The latest edition of Fantasy College Blitz's exclusive rankings of college football defenses. Buckeyes and Jayhawks still at the top, Toledo and North Texas Lean Green still at the bottom.. Use it for fantasy matchups, "sports investing", or really interesting conversation starters.