Toledo football: 3 storylines for the 2023 season

The Blade
krowland@theblade.com
JUL 18, 2023 4:38 PM
On Thursday, University of Toledo football coach Jason Candle, quarterback Dequan Finn, and cornerback Quinyon Mitchell will represent the Rockets at Mid-American Conference media day in Detroit.
UT will almost certainly be tabbed to repeat as MAC champions, with questions about complacency and playing with a target on their back sure to follow. But there are other areas of interest that inquiring minds will probe the Toledo triumvirate about.
A college football season is akin to putting together a giant puzzle. All the pieces, combined with a dose of luck, must fit together just right for the year to produce the desired results. Everything — or at least most everything — went according to plan in 2022. Repeating is another animal.
It’s been more than a decade since Northern Illinois won back-to-back MAC titles in 2011 and 2012. Here are three critical elements Toledo will need if it follows in the footsteps of NIU.
In recent seasons, the offensive line has been a mystery. This year, with the loss of Desjuan Johnson and Jamal Hines (and Nate Givhan), it’s the defensive line that could lack firepower.
Johnson had 16.5 tackles for loss and 5.5 sacks last season, grading out among the top defensive players in the country, according to Pro Football Focus. Hines had 10.5 TFLs and a team-high 6.5 sacks. If you include Givhan’s numbers, those three combined had 151 tackles, 33 tackles for loss, 17 sacks, and two forced fumbles.
Toledo ranked 18th nationally in total defense, ninth in TFLs, and 32nd in sacks. Who will replace those guys or elevate their own game? Working in Toledo’s favor is the amount of bodies it has on the defensive line.
Judge Culpepper, Terrance Taylor, Darius Alexander, and Cavon Butler are All-MAC-caliber players who can give the UT defense the teeth it had the past few seasons. There’s a chance that Missouri transfer Travion Ford, who suffered an injury during winter workouts, could be back in the fall.
Finn’s rise in 2022 was marked by the number of game-breaking plays and the lack of miscues, as he threw 18 touchdown passes versus just two interceptions. Tack on nine rushing touchdowns, and it’s easy to see why the Rockets steered away from former starter Carter Bradley.
While Finn helped orchestrate a MAC title and bowl victory last season, not to mention an eyebrow-raising performance at Ohio State, he turned the ball over far too often. He threw 12 interceptions and had multiple fumbles. Injuries also piled up for the second-year starter.
Still, it’s hard not to be anything but optimistic about Finn’s third season as UT’s starter. His continued emergence and dynamism are a huge part of the expectations. Finn completed nearly 60 percent of his passes last season for 2,260 yards and 23 touchdowns, with an additional 631 rushing yards and nine touchdowns.
And he finished strong. In the MAC championship game and the Boca Raton Bowl, Finn accounted for three touchdowns and didn’t have a single interception. An improved backfield and emerging receiving corps, led by Jerjuan Newton and Junior Vandeross, will only bolster Finn and the offense.
Improved special teams
Fans love offensive pizzazz and the numbers that accompany the glitz. And they’re equally interested in what defensive coordinator Vince Kehres has accomplished over the past three seasons.
Under the radar is Toledo’s special teams. In 2022, it wasn’t a pretty picture. The Rockets ranked second-to-last nationally in Pro Football Focus’ special teams rankings.
UT was No. 130 (out of 131) in punting, 127th in kickoff returns, 83rd in kickoff coverage, 56th in field goals and punt returns, and 54th in punt coverage. Only nine teams allowed more kick returns of 30-plus yards.
The Rockets lost four games by a combined 23 points. In losses to San Diego State (17-14), Buffalo (34-27), Bowling Green (42-35), and Western Michigan (20-14), Toledo missed two field goals; forced three touchbacks on 17 kickoffs; averaged just 37.3 yards on 19 punts, with two finishing inside the 20; and allowed 21.4 yards per kick return.
Enter special teams coach Stanton Weber, who comes to Toledo from South Carolina, where he learned under special teams maestros Shane Beamer and Pete Lembo.