In its first game under new head coach Jason Candle, Toledo capped off a very successful season.
The Rockets also gave us a glimpse of what appears to be a very bright future for the program.
Make no mistake about it: the 2015-’16 campaign was Toledo’s best in over 15 years. Sure, the Rockets failed to win the MAC West or play in the conference title game. However, the fact remains that Toledo won 10 games for the first time since 2001 (Tom Amstutz’s first season), beat Bowling Green for the fifth consecutive season, and posted impressive non-conference victories over Arkansas, Iowa State, and Temple.
The victory over the Owls in the Boca Raton Bowl was arguably the most impressive of them all. Remember, Temple’s defense is one of the toughest in the nation. The Owl D came into Tuesday night’s action ranked 18th nationally in total yards per game, allowing just 329.5 yards per contest. Those numbers include games against Memphis, Houston, and Notre Dame, which all averaged more than 471 yards per game.
None of those stats meant anything against Toledo.
The Rocket offense found its stride in the second quarter and never looked back. Quarterback Phillip Ely – playing his final game for the midnight blue and gold – turned in an outstanding performance, completing 20 of 28 passes for 285 yards and two touchdowns. He was especially effective throwing deep, with both of his TD strikes coming outside the red zone.
As well as Ely played, the Rocket offense line also deserves a huge “shout out” for its performance. The big uglies did a great job opening up the running game, paving the way for 4.5 yards per carry against the an Owl front seven that ranked 21st nationally against the run. More impressively, the Toledo offensive line did an excellent job protecting Ely from the Temple pass rush (32 sacks), preventing the Owls from recording a sack on Tuesday night.
That last number is noteworthy for two reasons. First, it was the ninth time this season that the Rocket offensive line – which entered the year with a grand total of two career starts – did not allow a sack. Second, it’s quite an accomplishment to do that against a Temple pass rush that recorded 10 sacks against Penn State. In that season opener, the Owls allowed just 52 yards over the final three quarters.
It’s hard to argue with the results the Rockets produced in Boca Raton.
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So, what does this victory mean for Toledo going forward?
To be honest: the “W” has to have the Rockets energized for the 2016-’17 campaign. It’s evident from this victory over a nationally-ranked opponent that Jason Candle is the right person for the job. With an experienced offensive line coming back next fall, along with one of the deepest running back corps in the conference, there’s no reason to think Candle won’t guide the Rockets to a MAC championship next season.
