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Sports
2024 Friday Forecast: Predicting 10 Toledo-area games for Week 8
Each week, The Blade sports department’s Steve Junga, Mark Monroe, Kyle Rowland, Michael Burwell, and Ron Seibel predict winners for 10 intriguing high school football games in the Toledo area. Last week, Burwell went 8-2, while Monroe and Seibel went 7-3 and Junga and Rowland went 6-4. For the season, Junga is 54-16, Monroe and Rowland are 53-17, Burwell is 52-18, and Seibel is 49-21. Here are the predictions for this week.
First things first: Toledo football initial scholarship offers foreshadow success
What do Blake Corum, Erick All, Tommy Eichenberg, Ruke Orhorhoro, DeWayne Carter, and Javon Foster have in common? Answer: Their first scholarship offers were from the University of Toledo. (Another answer: All six were NFL draft picks.) Toledo’s recruiting is constantly under the microscope, and for good reason — the Rockets have displayed a keen sense of who can help their program and how to develop them into contributors, routinely ranking No. 1 in the Mid-American Conference. The evaluation skills of former recruiting guru Ricky Ciccone, current recruiting director Bryan Gasser, and head coach Jason Candle have been nearly flawless, whether it’s assessing a high school freshman who evolved into a four-star at Michigan or Ohio State or an unheralded player from Florida who became one of the best players in Toledo history.
Week 7 scouting report: Toledo football at Buffalo
The Rockets are a double-digit favorite on Saturday at Buffalo, a surprising number considering their foibles along Lake Erie and Buffalo’s win at Northern Illinois. That’s the respect level of Toledo, though, which is aiming for its 10th consecutive regular-season conference win. UT's only won twice at Buffalo, and the last trip to UB Stadium was not one of them. In 2022, the Rockets blew a 27-10 fourth-quarter lead to the Bulls, a historic collapse that nearly derailed the season. They can afford one MAC loss this season, but Toledo isn't interested. “Heading to Buffalo this week is going to continue to be difficult,” Toledo coach Jason Candle said. “We’ve got to handle the trip going out there.”
Alexander, punishing Toledo defensive line spell doom for opponents
Offense sells. It’s why most people would say Toledo is 4-1, a record that includes stress-free wins over Mississippi State and defending Mid-American Conference champion Miami. The Rockets lead the MAC in scoring and passing offense. But don’t ignore the defense, especially the defensive line, a havoc-inducing, wrecking-ball unit that should bulldoze every offensive line in the conference. “They’re very disruptive in all phases,” Toledo head coach Jason Candle said. “And not only disruptive but that pressure can be continued because they rotate and play a lot of guys. So our better players are fresh in the fourth quarter.”
Video: Breaking down Toledo coach Candle's contract extension
Rocket Rundown is a weekly video series looking ahead to the Toledo football team’s next game. ■ Week 7: Toledo will travel to face Buffalo on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. (ESPNU). ■ In this episode: The Rockets once again look like the team to beat in the Mid-American Conference following last week’s victory over Miami (Ohio). They will have chances to prove it against the MAC’s other top teams over the next few weeks, starting with Buffalo this week. But first, we’ll dive into the big news from Monday, when Toledo and head coach Jason Candle agreed to a contract extension.
Wayne grad Alexander named MAC Defensive Player of Week
TOLEDO, Ohio (WANE) – Former Highlight Zone star Darius Alexander is the Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Week after helping lead the Toledo Rockets to a 30-20 win over the Miami Redhawks. A defensive lineman, Alexander tallied a career-high seven tackles, with 3 tackles for loss and 2 sacks. Alexander is tied for fifth […]
Week 7 Winning Drive player of the week: Cody Wulf, Maumee
Here are the winners for this week’s High School Football Winning Drive voting that took place Oct. 6 to Oct. 9. Voting each week of the season starts Sunday for Player of the Week and Game of the Week, sponsored by Renewal by Andersen, at: www.toledoblade.com/HSFBDrive. Voting ends Wednesday at noon. ■ PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Cody Wulf, Maumee Rushed for 218 yards and one touchdown on 31 carries in a victory over Genoa. A Maumee player received the honor for the second straight week.
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