Bahamas Bowl Preview: Q&A with Toledo Beat Writer Kyle Rowland

MURFREESBORO, Tenn. — Middle Tennessee defensive coordinator Scott Shafer still has friends all over the Mid-American conference. Prior to joining the Blue Raiders, and his stint as head coach at Syracuse, Shafer cut his teeth in the coaching profession as an assistant in the MAC, first as a secondary coach, then defensive coordinator at Northern Illinois, and then later at Western Michigan.

So when Shafer first heard MT would be taking on Toledo in the Bahamas Bowl, he made a few calls to some friends that still coached around the MAC. The consensus from them on the Rockets?

"They said that they're the most talented team in the MAC, by far," Shafer said. "And they have been for years. It was always them and us when I was at NIU."

It's not hard to see why the conference coaches thought highly of the Rockets. Toledo lost four games, three in-conference, by a field goal or less this season. Essentially, they were four drives across four games away from finishing the regular season 11-1, playing for a MAC title, and potentially being in the major bowl conversation, had a few more kicks elsewhere gone their way.

Instead, however, Toledo finished the year 7-5, but with three straight wins to close out the season and four wins in their final five games. Eleven players earned All-MAC honors from the conference's coaches, including five first-team selections.

Even beyond the individual honors and team results, the statistics back up the perception. The Rockets were both the number one scoring offense and the number one scoring defense in the MAC this season. And while MT leads the nation in takeaways on defense, Toledo has turned the ball over the fewest amounts of time as any team in the FBS.

"We're a resilient group," Toledo head coach Jason Candle said. "We're a group of guys, a group of seniors that really understands the importance of playing well and representing this program in the right manner. Our staff did a good job making sure we stayed the course, our senior leaders (did a good job) of handing and doing what they said they were going to do, leading this football team through some tough moments."

That talent and resiliency made the scout a challenging one for the Blue Raiders, as Brent Dearmon pointed out on this week's bowl preview show on the Blue Raider Radio Network.

"They're probably going to play the most sound defense that we've seen all year," Dearmon said. "They stay in their gap, they play man coverage in a lot of different areas. They show different looks to the quarterbacks to get to those coverages, their defensive line is real active. So it's going to give us some challenges."

Of course, the Blue Raiders will also be coming off a high of their own, a comeback win over FAU that saw MT score 24 unanswered points to become bowl eligible, all while significant contributors across the roster battled flu-like symptoms in Boca Raton. That illness bug appears to have dissipated within the team's ranks, if the sights and sounds from their time on the beach this week is any indication.

To get a closer look at the Toledo Rockets, GoBlueRaiders.com chatted with Toledo Blade reporter Kyle Rowland about the team's journey this season, and who he says Blue Raiders fans should keep an eye on when the Bahamas Bowl kicks off at 11:30 central time tomorrow on ESPN.

1) Jason Candle was very complimentary in the pre-Bahamas Bowl press conference of the spark Dequan Finn brought to the Rocket offense once he was named the full-time starter at quarterback midseason. What have you seen from the redshirt freshman on the field this season, and how have his teammates reacted to the midseason QB change?

There's been a steady progression. Finn entered the season with tremendous upside and plenty of intrigue. In high school, he was mostly a running quarterback, and that's about all anyone knew of him at Toledo. He had almost exclusively been a runner in his limited appearances. But he worked diligently last offseason on his throwing mechanics, even traveling to Southern California to work with Tom House (Tom Brady's QB coach). Whatever they did worked. Finn has become a solid passer, and he's impressed incrementally during each start. By November, he and the rest of the offense found their groove. He's one of the most well-liked players in the locker room, so his teammates definitely embraced the change.

2) Bryant Koback of course gets a lot of headlines for his rushing stats this season, but Rick Stockstill really centered in on Toledo's offensive line as being an area of strength on that side of the ball due to their size, which of course affects the rushing game. How would you describe Koback's running style, and how much of his impact do you think is due to his own skill as a runner vs. his offensive line giving him space to operate?

Toledo's offensive line has been an area of frustration for coaches and fans much of the season. It should have been a strength, but really wasn't until the last few weeks. But Koback is such an elusive, creative runner. Plus, he can be a productive pass-catcher. He has an uncanny ability for finding a hole out of nothing or simply running around the end if the interior is closed. I would describe his speed as underrated. He's not a burner, but he's fast enough. He's also not necessarily a bruiser, but he's physical enough.

3) Defensively, the Rockets' edge rushers in Desjuan Johnson and Jamal Hines really jump off the page in a scout report, with both ending the season with double digit tackles for loss. How key is their presence to the success of Toledo's 2-4-5 base scheme? Who are some of the other standouts Blue Raider fans should know on the Rocket defense?

The defensive line has been terrific all season, and Johnson and Hines are obviously a big part of that success. It helps that UT has solid cornerbacks, and the linebacking corps is tenacious. They're a very active group that flies to the football. Defensive coordinator Vince Kehres and co-defensive coordinator Craig Kuligowski have remade the Rocket defense the past two seasons and done an unbelievable job. Safety Tycen Anderson is the best NFL prospect on the team. Cornerback Samuel Womack, safety Maxen Hook, and linebackers Jonathan Jones and Dyontae Johnson are players to watch.

4) An underrated battle I'm looking forward to is seeing both team's punt return units, each of which features an all-conference punt returner. How effective has Devin Maddox been as a special teams weapon this year and what traits does he possess that makes him a threat when the ball's kicked his way?

I think the No. 1 thing for Maddox is he's a hard worker. He's a former walk-on who earned a scholarship and puts in the time. He sought out punt returning duties, spending extra time before and after practice during the summer catching punts and learning the art of being a returner. He has good speed and a quick burst, which always helps, but his patience is another asset. Instead of running out of bounds, he'll always try to get the extra yard.

5) MT enters Friday's game with the number one defense in takeaways in all of the country. Toledo enters the game with the best offense in the country in preventing turnovers. To me, for the Blue Raiders to have a shot, they have to get some turnovers and limit the Rockets' possessions. What do you see as the keys for Toledo to pull out the win?

If I were Toledo, Jordan Ferguson and some of the defensive playmakers would make me nervous. Toledo's defense has played at a high enough level all season that I assume they'll be dependable on Friday, but you never know how a quarterback is going to react to pressure. Will the Toledo offensive line be able to keep Middle Tennessee out of the backfield? Will there be running lanes for Koback? Will Finn get rattled if he doesn't have much time? Those are the types of things that I think will decide the game. If Toledo can operate its offense with relative comfortability, I think they will win. If MTSU creates some turnovers and gets the Rockets out of their rhythm, the Blue Raiders will have a great chance.

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Players Mentioned

Jordan Ferguson

Middle Tennesee State University Athletics