Across The Web: Toledo Rockets

For the third straight year, we here at tBBC are excited to bring you a little give and take with other bloggers across the Ohio State schedule. In addition to guarding the border against invading scum, the guys at LetsGoRockets do an amazing job at covering both Toledo and MAC sports… huge thanks to JPH and L8N for representing the Midnight Blue and Gold with us this week, and you can check out our responses to them here.

Through one game, what has been the progression made at the wide receiver position. Bernard Reedy and Cordale Scott are highly touted. Have they made an impression yet to Toledo fans?

Development at WR has been a priority to take some pressure off All-American Eric Page. Reedy was impressive in week 1 and it’s obvious he will be a major contributor this season. Scott left the game early so we haven’t been able to see him in full force and judge his progress and ability to make plays. These receivers should be able to threaten the big play at any time which takes some pressure off Eric Page to carry the receiver corp which should allow for better overall production in the passing game.

Does having a dual quarterback system with one lefty and one righty make it difficult for play makers in the passing game? How does the coaching staff mix in both quarterbacks without giving away the fact that Dantin is for screens and his legs and Owens is for the deep pass?

It’s really too early yet to tell whether a two-QB system will work well in the Toledo offense. In week 1, UT utilized three QBs: Dantin, Owens and Macon. Each QB passed and scrambled a bit, with a slight emphasis on their strengths (naturally) so it’s difficult to tell how the personnel and play calling will vary depending on the game situation. From the limited view of week 1, there appears to be no production drop-off with either QB and the ball was evenly distributed through-out the offense.

Toledo’s defense last year did a great job at handling Purdue’s high powered offense. Who’s the best player on the 2011 version of the defense? Who’s a standout that Buckeye fans may be all too familiar with by Saturday evening?

TJ Fatinikun  has been very solid on the DL. He could be the Rockets leading tackler this season. Dan Molls always seems to find the ball and is involved in every play. He is a hard hitting LB. Update- Molls is out for the game with a lower body injury. He will be missed- heck of a player.

How much longer do you think Tim Beckman will remain with the Rockets?  Is he possibly a career guy?

It’s tough to make a guess about Coach Beckman’s future at Toledo. He quickly helped the program to change direction and return to dominance in our conference again and in his short tenure at UT, has instilled a sense of competition and responsibility which had started to slip in our program. As Beckman continues to turn heads at Toledo, his stock will continue to rise. We can’t speculate on when or under what circumstances he might leave Toledo, but we hope he can not only help our team reach the goals he helped set for it, but also his personal goals before he chooses to move on.

With a ton of upperclassmen and returning starters, most experts are picking Toledo to win the MAC- Who do you see as the top challenger in conference this year? Who will be in the championship game alongside the Rockets?

Expectation for Toledo are high this year. There are several other strong teams in the conference including NIU (also in the MAC West) and Ohio, Miami (OH) and Temple (from the MAC East). Our guess is that Toledo and Ohio will be battling for the MAC Championship in December.