Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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34 SEPT. 11, 2021 BLUE & GOLD ILLUSTRATED GAME PREVIEW: TOLEDO back in a press conference ahead of the season opener. In his first start of the 2020 season, Bradley threw for a career-high 432 yards and three touchdowns against Northern Illinois Dec. 5. No MAC quar- terback threw for more yards in a single game last season. Bradley is going to have the opportu- nity to start every game in a season for the first time in his career, but third- year freshman DeQuan Finn is going to have his chances to move the ball for the Rockets as well. Finn is a dual-threat quarterback who ran for 51 yards on 10 carries in 2020 and 90 yards on 15 car- ries in 2019. Candle said there is not a throw Brad- ley can't make. He said Finn is more than just a runner at this stage in his career. Candle is comfortable in Finn's ability to move the offense as effectively as Bradley. Candle said both quarter- backs will play early in the season. "Both guys deserve to play, and that's how we will approach it," Candle said. "But I don't think in Carter's case, and I don't think in DQ's case, either way, that it's a situation where it's an ongoing competition. "I don't think this is something where if you make a bad play you need to be looking over your shoulder like you're going to come out of the football game on the next snap. Both bring something a little different to the table." DEFENSIVE IMPROVEMENT There is plenty to be encouraged by from Toledo offensively, but the jump the Rockets made defensively from 2019 to 2020 cannot be overstated. Two years ago the Rockets ranked No. 123 out of 130 FBS teams in total de- fense, allowing 475.7 yards per game. Toledo moved up to No. 36 nationally in the same statistic last year with over 100 yards per game of improvement. The Rockets gave up 362.2 yards per game in 2020. 2021 NOTRE DAME SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 5 at Florida State W, 41-38 (OT) Sept. 11 Toledo (Peacock) 2:30 p.m. Sept. 18 Purdue (NBC) 2:30 p.m. Sept. 25 vs. Wisconsin* (FOX) 12 p.m. Oct. 2 Cincinnati (NBC) 2:30 p.m. Oct. 9 at Virginia Tech TBA Oct. 23 USC (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Oct. 30 North Carolina (NBC) 7:30 p.m. Nov. 6 Navy (NBC) 3:30 p.m. Nov. 13 at Virginia TBA Nov. 20 Georgia Tech (NBC) 2:30 p.m. Nov. 27 at Stanford TBA * at Soldier Field in Chicago 2021 TOLEDO SCHEDULE Date Opponent (TV) Result/Time (ET) Sept. 4 Norfolk State W, 49-10 Sept. 11 at Notre Dame (Peacock) 2:30 p.m. Sept. 18 Colorado State (ESPNU) 4 p.m. Sept. 25 at Ball State TBA Oct. 2 at UMass (FloSports) 12 p.m. Oct. 9 Northern Illinois (CBSSN) 12 p.m. Oct. 16 at Central Michigan 3:30 p.m. Oct. 23 Western Michigan TBA Nov. 2 Eastern Michigan TBA Nov. 10 at Bowling Green TBA Nov. 16 at Ohio TBA Nov. 27 Akron TBA Head coach Jason Candle entered his sixth season at Toledo with a 38-21 overall record, including a 4-2 mark last year. PHOTO COURTESY TOLEDO ATHLETICS