Friday, September 18, 2015

Rockets Attempt to Make History Against Iowa State

IOWA STATE AT TOLEDO PREVIEW

After last week's triumphant upset win over then eighteenth ranked Arkansas, Toledo will attempt to make it back-to-back wins over "Power Five" programs as Iowa State comes in on Saturday. With a win, the Rockets would make program history by being the first team to defeat two "Power Five" conference teams in the same season. A year ago, Toledo traveled to Ames, Iowa to take on the Cyclones but would fall, 37-30, in a close one.
The crowd shown here, against Missouri last season, should
be of similar size Saturday against Iowa State.

This season should be different. Toledo is currently a nine-and-a-half point favorite against the Cyclones due to the national attention from the upset win over Arkansas along with the return of junior runningback, Kareem Hunt. A season ago, the Rockets had a graveyard for a secondary with the illness of Cheatham Norrils, Chris Dukes out for the year, and freshmen being pressed into action. Now, the Rockets are deep at all positions. UAB transfer, Rolan Milligan, has added tremendous depth to the defensive secondary while DeJuan Rogers is coming off of a game at Arkansas in which he tallied eleven tackles and an interception while Jaylen Coleman led the Rockets with thirteen total tackles. Last year, Iowa State threw all over the Rockets with quarterback Sam Richardson, who threw for 351 yards in the win a year ago. This year, the Toledo secondary should improve on that number.


TOLEDO KEYS TO THE GAME:

1) Slow Down the Iowa State Passing Game
Iowa State trusts quarterback Sam Richardson to throw the
ball frequently.
(Photo Courtesy: Brownsville Herald)
It's no secret, Iowa State destroyed Toledo a season ago through the air. This season, expect senior cornerback, Cheatham Norrils to play tremendously, as he has the past two (well, actually one) game(s). Expect Toledo defensive coordinator, John Heacock to bring pressure from all angles and attempt to rattle quarterback Sam Richardson. When Richardson has time to throw, he could destroy the Rocket secondary. If Toledo can get pressure on Richardson, it'll be far more difficult for him to deliver the ball to his wide outs.



2) No Post-Upset Hangovers
Toledo is beginning to receive national attention after last week's win over Arkansas. In fact, the Rockets received 29 votes for the Associated Press Top 25, which is enough to unofficially rank them No. 30 in the country. Now, the key for the Rockets is to not get too cocky, not celebrate too much, and focus on the task at hand. Sure, Iowa State wasn't good last year, but this is a Big 12 opponent, a team that plays a brutal schedule, so Toledo cannot come out flat to begin the game.


3) Find The Running Game Early
I know it should be easy with the stable of runningbacks that Toledo has to run the ball. However, against Arkansas, Toledo came out passing on eleven of their first thirteen plays from scrimmage, which obviously worked. This week, especially with the return of Kareem Hunt, expect Jason Candle's offense to put the ball on the ground, utilizing Damion Jones-Moore, who had a stellar performance against the Hogs last week as well as potentially Terry Swanson, who has "yet to play this season" except for in the cancelled game against Stony Brook. With Kareem Hunt, Jones-Moore, and Swanson, look for the rushing attack early and often to set up the play action with Phillip Ely.


IOWA STATE KEYS TO THE GAME:
1) Contain Kareem Hunt in his Return
Toledo runningback Kareem Hunt will need to be stopped if
Iowa State wants a chance on Saturday.
Kareem Hunt is unbelievable. In fact, the Toledo back rushed for nearly 150 yards against Missouri a season ago, so he can run against extremely capable defenses, not just cupcakes. With that said, Iowa State needs to focus on stopping the run against the Rockets. Toledo will use three (and even four) runningbacks throughout the ballgame, all who are extremely capable. Although Phillip Ely played tremendously in the "season opener" against Arkansas last week, the passing game depends frequently on the running attack of the Rockets. It will be a major assistance to the Cyclones if they can shut Hunt down.



2) Find A Running Game
Through their first two games, Iowa State has not been able to find their running attack. Sophomore runningback Tyler Brown rushed for just nineteen yards last week against Iowa, so running the football will need to become a priority. Toledo will have confidence in their defensive secondary if Iowa State is one-dimensional. However, if Iowa State is unable to establish the run game, expect Toledo's defense to play tremendously.



3) Score Early
Toledo should be playing in front of one of the biggest crowds that the Glass Bowl has seen in the past decade or two. The Rocket faculty and students enjoyed a pep rally on Thursday to get the excitement pumping for Saturday's game. Along with that, national television coverage will certainly get the Glass Bowl rocking. If Iowa State can score early and get the crowd out of the game, they have a chance to sustain that. The Cyclone offense will need to be clicking early against Toledo.



X-FACTORS -- TWO PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Toledo - WR Alonzo Russell
Iowa State defensive end Dale Pierson
is leading the country in sacks.
(Photo Courtesy: Iowa State Daily)
I know, I know. It'd be easy to give the X-Factor to Kareem Hunt because all eyes will be on his 2015 debut. However, I really think Alonzo Russell will play a major role in this exact game due to the size of the Iowa State secondary. The Cyclones have cornerbacks Sam Richardson (5'8", 180 pounds) and Nigel Tribune (5'11", 185 pounds) starting against the Rockets. Alonzo Russell stands at 6'4" and should be able to use his stature for deep balls, especially against man-to-man coverage. Watch for Alonzo Russell to play a major role, Toledo needs to target him often.

Iowa State - DE Dale Pierson 
America's sacks leader through two weeks is Dale Pierson of Iowa State. The senior out of Bakersfield, California has a tremendous spin move and tremendous strength and has five sacks in just two contests thus far in 2015. Listed at 6'2", 250 pounds, Pierson is going to be someone to watch out for. If he's able to get to Phillip Ely and the Rockets, it could be a long day. Remember, Toledo's offensive line is still unproven. Although they had a great week last week, Pierson will be a true test against the front five.


Toledo wide receiver, Alonzo Russell,
has a chance to have a big game Saturday.
HOW TO WATCH/LISTEN:
You can watch Iowa State at Toledo beginning at 8 pm on Saturday night on ESPNEWS. If you're on the road or want radio, tune into 88.3 FM WXUT -- The University of Toledo's student radio station beginning at 7:30 pm with the pregame show.



BOLD PREDICTIONS:
- Toledo will hold Iowa State quarterback, Sam Richardson to under 225 passing yards.
- Toledo wide receiver Alonzo Russell will catch two touchdowns.
- Iowa State defensive end Dale Piersen does not record a sack after five in his first two games.


SCORE PREDICTION:
Iowa State 24 -- Toledo 41

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