Enemy Blogger Interview: Toledo

Matt Sussman from Hustle Belt has joined us once again as the Buckeyes prepare to face on a much tougher opponent than Akron was. That team, the Toledo Rockets, have a solid veteran class, and have high hopes of making this a competitive game. Let's get on to the interview!

1. What kind of offense should we expect from the Rockets?

It's basically a spread offense, but there are several personnel that get involved. They were the only team in the MAC with four people having 100+ plays from scrimmage. To boot, they return those four players and are mixing in others. It's a very balanced spread that can put up points quickly.

2. Who's Toledo's best playmaker on both sides of the ball?

Obviously Eric Page on the offense (and special teams, for that matter). He's a dynamic receiver who can also spearhead the Wildcat formation and has been known to toss a couple of TD passes. For the defense, there's not one player that truly stands out from the rest, but I'll pick defensive end T.J. Fatinikun who led the Rockets last year in TFL (13.0), five of them for sacks.

3. As the Toledo defense, who scares you the most at QB? Bauserman or Miller?

Neither, but both. I haven't seen (a lot) of Miller play, but understand he's a dual-threat QB, while Bauserman seems to be more of a passer. I'd say that Toledo is able to game plan for one or the other, but to plan for both will be more work for the Rocket's defense, which has already had to overcome depth issues in their back seven.

4. Where did Toledo get the nickname "The Rockets" from?

Growing up, I thought it was from the national anthem. Later on in life I learned that it was derived from a former Toledo student who said the team's performance resembled Skyrockets, despite losing to a much superior team. It does help that UT is known for it's engineering school, thereby making the mascot coincidentally convergent with their academics.

5. Will Toledo fare any better than Akron did? What's the season outlook for them? (W/L, Bowl game?)

The last time I felt that a MAC school from Ohio had a chance to take down OSU and break their in-state winning streak was Bowling Green in 2003. They came really close, (24-17), but came up short on the final drive. This 2011 Rockets team is that good. Also bear in mind that some of the seniors on this team were freshmen when they beat Michigan, and also took down Purdue last year and Colorado two years ago. This is an experienced team that can go home with the W. I have every reason to believe it can happen, although OSU is still the favorite for many other reasons.