So far this season, Rockets has been a fitting nickname for the Toledo football team. Like the spacecraft itself, Toledo's offensive attack has been fast, air-oriented and seemingly explosive.
Toledo enters Saturday's game against Ohio at the Glass Bowl having lit up the scoreboard for 42, 45, 52 and 59 points, respectively, in its last four games -all wins. During that span, the Rockets have scored 28 touchdowns and accumulated 2,241 total yards.
Obviously
they've got a tremendous offense that's very very efficient Ohio defensive coordinator Tim DeRuyter said. They had everyone coming back from last year's offense that was number No. 10 or 11 in the country. When you have all those guys back
they're going to be good.
Saturday's game pits the Mid-American Conference's No. 1 offense (Toledo, 490.8 yards per game) against its No. 1 defense (Ohio, 285.2 ypg), as well as the nation's second-ranked passing efficiency and sixth-ranked passing offense (Toledo) versus the top-ranked forced turnovers and seventh-ranked turnover margin team nationally (Ohio).
Something has to give, right?
One of us has to buckle
Ohio free safety Chip Cox said. They play great offense
but our defense knows what it's capable of
so I guess we'll see.
Junior quarterback Bruce Gradkowski spearheads the Toledo attack, having thrown 17 touchdown passes to just two interceptions. His six touchdown passes in a win against Ball State two weeks ago tied his own team record.
Their quarterback is the trigger who makes the package go
DeRuyter said. If we could somehow get him to have a bad cold on Saturday morning
I wouldn't be too upset.
Gradkowski's favorite targets include wide receivers Lance Moore, Kenny Higgins and Steve Odom, who collectively have accounted for almost 70 percent of the team's receiving yards. Moore, who led the nation with 103 receptions for 1,194 yards a year ago, is a candidate for the Biletnikoff Award, given to the nation's best wide out.
In front of Gradkowski, left tackle Nick Kaczur, a returning first-team all-MAC selection, will line up opposite Ohio defensive end Kevin Carberry as he attempts to anchor Toledo's offensive line.
Running backs Trinity Dawson and Quinton Broussard share the bulk of the Rocket rushing offense, having both scored three touchdowns thus far in 2004.
Gradkowski and company will face an Ohio defense that has allowed an opponent to reach the end zone only three times in its last 13 quarters. Despite having had several key players miss time with injury, Ohio's defense has shown consistency, minimizing the effects of every offense it has faced other than that of Miami, which scored 40 points.
It's going to be a challenge
OU has a really good defense
Gradkowski said. Their linebackers and safeties are really tough.
Defensively, Toledo does not appear as strong as many of the teams Ohio has faced this season. The Rockets have surrendered an average of 37 points to opponents in 2004.
Minnesota and Kansas both put up 63 points in wins against Toledo earlier this season.
I don't think we're really focusing on that
