Blue & Gold Illustrated: America's Foremost Authority on Notre Dame Football
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www.BLUEANDGOLD.com SEPT. 11, 2021 35 GAME PREVIEW: TOLEDO Toledo is tasked with maintaining the same sort of improvement without start- ing linebacker Daniel Bolden, who was lost for the season after an injury he sus- tained in fall camp. "But guys have filled in," Candle said. "It's a next man up mentality. You feel awful for Dan. You feel awful for the situ- ation, but this is part of football. It's the game we play. It's the game we all know and love. You anticipate some of these things are going to pop up and weather the storm and go." Candle listed a handful of players who have filled Bolden's shoes admirably. The Toledo defense is an 11-man unit. Bolden was just one of them. The Rockets are also looking to junior linebacker Dyontae Johnson, who led the team in tackles last season, and senior cornerback Samuel Womack, who led the team in passes defended, to lead a unit trying to build on a solid shortened sea- son. Sophomore safety Nate Bauer, who led the team in interceptions with a pair, also is back in the mix. Toledo has playmakers at all three lev- els of the defense. Coupled with an of- fensive side of the ball that has weapons in the quarterbacks, Mitchell at receiver and running back in junior Bryant Koback who has run for 2,626 yards in 31 career games, and Candle could have one of the best rosters he has ever fielded at Toledo. Of course, Notre Dame has quite a ros- ter of its own — possibly one that is Col- lege Football Playoff worthy. The Rock- ets are 0-3 against ranked teams in the Candle era. They haven't beaten a ranked opponent since a 16-12 win over No. 18 Arkansas in 2015. Toledo has a tough proposition in trying to beat a ranked Notre Dame team looking to win its 25th straight home game. All Candle wants his team to do is play within itself and up to its potential. "If you take care of the things you're supposed to do and handle the things you're supposed to handle, let the best team win," Candle said. ✦ Three Things To Know About Toledo 1. Super Seniors The 2021 season contains a never-before-seen quirk. All 2020 fall sport athletes were awarded an extra year of eligibility when the NCAA approved the COVID-19 blanket waiver. That meant any college football senior with previously expiring eligibility could come back for one more season and not count against the 85-scholarship limit. These "super seniors" are found on most Football Bowl Subdivision teams. Toledo is one of the big- gest beneficiaries. The Rockets have 16 of them on their 2021 roster, trailing only Utah State (19), Florida Atlantic (18) and Illinois (17). Four of them were 2020 captains. Starting center Bryce Harris and wide receiver Dan- zel McKinley-Harris (20 catches, 289 yards in six games last season) returned for a seventh year. Cornerback Samuel Womack, a four-year contribu- tor who came back for a fifth season, led the Mid- American Conference with eight pass breakups in 2020. All told, the Rockets are unsurprisingly heavy on experience. They rank 20th in ESPN's returning production metric (89 percent). They return 97 percent of their 2020 defensive production, sixth- most of any team. 2. Producing Pros, Sustained Success Toledo has produced some of the MAC's pre- mier skill position players in recent seasons. Since 2017, the Rockets have had five NFL Draft picks that played quarterback, running back, receiver, tight end or cornerback. Quarterback Logan Woodside, a seventh-rounder in 2018 who's now the Tennessee Titans' backup, tossed 45 touchdowns for the Rockets in 2016. Pittsburgh Steelers starting receiver Diontae Johnson (third round, 2019) had 1,278 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2017. Cleveland Browns Pro Bowl running back Kareem Hunt (third round, 2017) ran for 4,945 yards in four college seasons. That amount of skill talent in a Group of Five conference usually translates to success. Sure enough, Toledo has not had a losing season since 2009 and has produced two 10-win campaigns since 2015. The first two coaches who maintained that rise to consistency accepted Power Five jobs after their fourth seasons – Tim Beckman at Illinois in 2011 and Matt Campbell at Iowa State in 2015. Current head coach Jason Candle, though, enters his sixth season and owns a 38-21 record. This year's team may not have a Day 2 pick, but it has some offensive firepower. Starting quarterback Carter Bradley averaged 9.5 yards per attempt on 89 passes in part-time duty last year. Running back Bryant Koback, who began his career at Kentucky, ran for 1,187 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2019 and posted 522 rushing yards in the abbreviated 2020 season. 3. A Relative Bargain The price tag for "buy games" is becoming hefty for major college football programs. Power Five teams normally like to play seven home games per season to maximize revenue. Hitting that number almost always requires a one-off game against a Group of Five or FCS team, which agrees to play the contest for a paycheck. The rate for a Group of Five opponent is usually seven figures. Some contracts for buy games have approached $2 million. Notre Dame hasn't come near that, but it is still dishing out $1 million or more in guarantees to non-Power Five conference home opponents. This year's meeting with Toledo, though, is the least expensive of any Group of Five home game for the Irish from 2017 through 2024. The Irish are paying the Rockets just $1 million. That's $200,000 less than Cincinnati will get when it comes to South Bend Oct. 2. Notre Dame's most expensive contract for a guarantee game in that span is a 2024 meeting with Northern Illinois. That one will cost the Irish $1.4 million. — Patrick Engel "WHEN YOU HAVE PLAYER- DRIVEN ACCOUNTABILITY AND PLAYER-DRIVEN AUTHENTICITY AND PLAYER-DRIVEN GOALS AND DREAMS, GOOD THINGS HAPPEN." TOLEDO HEAD COACH JASON CANDLE Center Bryce Harris is one of 16 "super seniors" on Toledo's roster. PHOTO COURTESY TOLEDO ATHLETICS