Toledo Football

When Utah State takes on Toledo in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, there will be a number of talented players to keep an eye on.

The great thing about the bowl season is that there are 35 different games to watch. Most of these 70 teams spend little time in the national spotlight, so these players are getting their first chance to make an impression on the average fan.

That is the case in this Boise bowl, and some of these men deserve your attention.

Here are the players to watch in Saturday's bowl game.

Chuckie Keeton, QB, Utah State

While there is a big difference between Johnny Manziel and everyone else in the country after his Heisman-winning campaign, Chuckie Keeton is in the same type of mold.

The sophomore quarterback was a very efficient passer this season, completing 67.6 percent of his passes while throwing for 3,144 yards and 27 touchdowns.

His passer rating of 156.7 was 16th-best in the country, above players like Manziel, Collin Klein and Tyler Wilson.

In addition, he has an ability to move the chains with his legs, as he rushed for 527 yards this season. His 121 yards on the ground helped his team defeat Louisiana Tech in overtime to clinch the WAC. 

He still has room to improve, but it is scary to think about how good he can become over the next two years.

Will Davis, CB, Utah State

With only six games in conference, there is not a lot of time for players to make an impact. Well, few players made as much of a difference in their team's league play than Will Davis.

The cornerback had an interception in each of the last five games of the season, all of which were against WAC opponents.

He also deflected five passes in that stretch while he tipped the ball 11 times in the first six games of the year.

If Toledo wants to win this game, it would be a smart game plan to throw to the half of the field that Davis is not on. 

Bernard Reedy, WR, Toledo

As an offensive player, Bernard Reedy is one of the best in the nation. The receiver caught 82 passes for 1,051 yards, both of which rank in the top 25 in FBS.

As a special teams player, Reedy might be the best. He is one of only six players to return both a kickoff and a punt for a touchdown this season, and he is the only one of that group to take two kickoffs to the house.

To put it simply, Reedy is a playmaker. He is a constant threat to score, and the coaching staff makes a constant effort to get him the ball as often as possible.

The Utah State defense has to make sure it knows where the receiver is at all times.

Dan Molls, LB, Toledo

This seemed like it was the year for linebackers in the NCAA. Manti Te'o of Notre Dame was a Heisman finalist, while others like Alabama's C.J. Mosley and Rutgers' Khaseem Greene made their own impact.

However, Dan Molls had one of the best seasons of anyone in the nation. He totaled 166 tackles, leading the country with 13.83 tackles per game. 

He has great speed that allows him to travel from sideline to sideline to catch a ball-carrier. In addition, his solid fundamentals prevent players from getting away once he wraps up.

Molls gets himself involved in almost every play on defense, and that will not change in the bowl game against Utah State. The announcer better learn his name, because he will be saying it quite a bit throughout the game.

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Wednesday night's game is critical for Northern Illinois and Toledo. Both teams need a win in order to either stay or climb atop the division.

And for both teams, a win could mean a missed opportunity at the MAC title. No pressure, though.

Ever since losing its season opener to Iowa, Northern Illinois hasn't looked back. The Huskies have reeled off nine consecutive wins and are undefeated in conference play, and the division title is theirs as long as they keep winning.

Toledo, meanwhile, has everything to gain from this week's matchup. A loss to Ball State a couple of weeks ago was their first in conference play, and at 5-1 in the WAC, they need a win over Northern Illinois this week and another one over Akron on Nov. 20 to claim the West title.

Both of these teams, to some extent, control their own fate. With a win, Toledo can overtake the division lead; with a loss, its season is essentially over.

Even if Northern Illinois loses on Wednesday and wins next Friday, however, it still has a shot at the title: If Toledo loses its season finale and finishes with two conference losses, its win over the Huskies won't matter.

But both are better off trying to get through Wednesday alive. Here's what each team needs to do to win.

Toledo Keys to the Game

In last week's 34-27 loss to Ball State, the Rockets started the game weak and ended the game weak. That can't happen if they have any inclination of overtaking the Huskies.

Last week, Ball State scored 14 points before Toledo even put a single point on the board. The Rockets clearly needed some time to warm up and get into a rhythm, and once they did, they were effective: They scored 17 points in the final 17-ish minutes of the first half to head into the break deadlocked with Ball State.

The Rockets' defense held Ball State to just seven points throughout much of the second half, until there were about 10 minutes left and everything unraveled. Toledo couldn't defend its tenuous 27-24 lead and allowed 10 unanswered points to end the game.

Offense is obviously important, but defense is the name of the game—and that will be especially true against a Northern Illinois team that is capable of putting up 60-plus points in a contest. Everyone can score, but it doesn't matter if you can't stop anybody, especially in the critical waning moments of the fourth quarter. This week, the Rockets need to start strong, put the Huskies in a hole and make a solid fourth-quarter stand to hold on to their lead.

Northern Illinois Key to the Game

At points this season, Northern Illinois' defense has been stellar, and fortunately for them, their best performances have come in the latter half of the season. Exhibit A: Last week's 63-0 shutout of UMass. Not only did that performance prove to Toledo—and to the rest of the conference—that this team isn't giving up any points easily, it also served as a big confidence booster for the Huskies.

In three other instances this season, the Huskies have allowed seven points or fewer to opponents—but inconsistency has been somewhat of a problem. One week, this unit will allow seven points to Akron, the worst team in the East, and the next week, it will allow 34 to Western Michigan, the second-worst team in the West. It doesn't necessarily have to do with the level of competition; the Huskies just need to come into Wednesday's game with the same level of focus they brought to last week's win.

Pressure—namely, avoiding it—is going to play a big factor in this game as well. The Huskies haven't lost in a long time, and facing the team breathing down their necks in the division is going to be an enormous challenge. These players know that one slip-up on Wednesday could eradicate everything they've accomplished over the last nine weeks, but they need to just plain ignore that fact. They need to do exactly the same thing they've been doing for the past nine weeks: winning games.

Toledo's eight-game winning streak came to a bitter end Tuesday night, falling to Ball State 34-27 in heartbreaking fashion.

The game was tied at 27-27 with less than two minutes remaining, but Ball State changed that with a Jahwan Edwards touchdown from 15-yards out. Toledo received the ball one final time, failing to earn a first down on four tries and effectively ending the game.

Ball State jumped out to an early lead in the first quarter with Keith Wenning throwing two touchdowns, one to Jamill Smith and one to Connor Ryan, to give the Cardinals a 14-0 lead. Rockets quarterback Terrance Owens was able to hit Bernard Reedy for a 24-yard touchdown with 1:30 left in the first quarter though, keeping his team in the game.

Toledo rebounded well in the second quarter. Jeremiah Detmer kicked a field goal to cut the lead to 14-10 less than three minutes into the second frame, giving his team more confidence. After Steven Schott answered with a field goal of his own for Ball State, Cassius McDowell was able to find the end zone for the Rockets, putting the halftime score at 17-17.

The second half was really similar to the first half in that Ball State somehow maintained control. It wasn't full-out dominance, but a few big plays here and there gave the Cardinals the slight advantage over their MAC opponents.

Wenning started the third quarter by hitting Smith for a second score, giving the Cardinals a 24-17 lead. Detmer answered with a field goal, but Toledo was on the rocks as soon as the fourth quarter started. Ball State did an excellent job of keeping momentum away from the ranked Rockets from start to finish.

David Fluellen's 16-yard touchdown gave Toledo the lead for the first time just four seconds into the fourth quarter, finally breathing life into the Rockets crowd. The ball-carriers' 12th touchdown of the year came at the perfect time, but Ball State didn't stop coming.

Schott's second field goal of the night tied the game at 27, all with less than 10 minutes left. Toledo had its chances to break that tie, but turned the ball over on downs with just over five minutes remaining in the game.

Tuesday night's loss is tough to take for a team that was just beginning to enjoy its ranked status. The Rockets received 200 yards from star running back Fluellen, but it still wasn't enough to claim the crucial victory.

Wenning was a big reason for that. The signal-caller threw for 281 yards and three touchdowns, persevering through three interceptions. He received 105 yards of support for Edwards, including the running back's massive contributions on the game's decisive drive.

Toledo will attempt to rebound against 9-1 Northern Illinois next week, while Ball State tries to continue this momentum against Ohio.

They'd better have the scoreboard warmed up and the chain gangs in shape Tuesday night in Toledo in preparation for the 8-1 Rockets and the 6-3 Ball State Cardinals (8 pm ET, ESPN2).

Both teams are averaging almost five touchdowns per game, and giving up almost as much. That's why the total on this game sits at 68 and is attracting almost as much wagering attention as the point spread (which was 6.5 points favoring Toledo at most shops tracked by OddsShark.com).

Both teams have been good to their financial backers this season. Ball State is 7-2 against-the-spread, while Toledo is 6-3 ATS.

Ball State was picked by some alleged experts to finish last in the MAC's West Division this season. Instead, the Cardinals sit in third place at 3-2, and are already bowl-eligible. BSU opened the season with a win over Eastern Michigan, then lost at Clemson, then beat Indiana and South Florida.

The Cardinals then lost back-to-back conference games to Kent State and Northern Illinois, but have since won three in a row, beating Western Michigan in overtime, Central Michigan, and two weeks ago, Army.

For the season Ball State has averaged a healthy 473 YPG on offense, and 202 YPG rushing, but has allowed 465 YPG on defense, and 203 YPG on the ground.

Toledo, meanwhile, began this season with an overtime loss at Arizona, but has won eight in a row since. Three weeks ago the Rockets won at Eastern Michigan 52-47; they then stepped out of conference and pulled a minor upset, beating Cincinnati 29-23; and two weeks ago they won at Buffalo 25-20.

So Toledo, at 5-0 in MAC play, is a half-game back of first-place Northern Illinois in the West Division.

If the Rockets can get past Ball State Tuesday night, it would set up a showdown with the Huskies next Wednesday.

By the numbers Toledo is averaging 455 YPG on offense, 199 YPG rushing, but allowing 465 YPG on defense, and 177 YPG on the ground.

Toledo has won the last three games in this series. Last year in Muncie, the Rockets outrushed the Cardinals 240-78 on their way to a 45-28 victory, covering the spread as 14-point favorites.

Free Pick: This should be a shootout, and while points might be easy to come by, we'll take the 6.5 points with the Cardinals. (courtesy of PickShark.com)

All odds, stats and trends mentioned courtesy of OddsShark.com. Mike Pickett is a Contributor to Bleacher Report and contributes to the Twitter feed.

In the Military Bowl presented by Northrop Grumman, the matchup between the Toledo Rockets and Air Force Falcons will truly be a battle of air and ground. 

Air Force and its triple option offense will look run the ball down the Rockets’ throats with its second-ranked rushing attack.  Toledo will field a balanced offense as opposed to the one-dimensional Falcons.  Matt Campbell’s unit will look to continue putting up big numbers, as they averaged 42.0 points a game throughout the regular season, good for eighth in the nation.

Where: RFK Memorial Stadium, Washington, D.C.

When: Wednesday, Dec. 28, 4:30 p.m. EST

Watch: ESPN/ESPN3

Betting Line: Toledo -3, according to ESPN.com.

Who Might Not Play

According to Fox Sports, Toledo quarterback Austin Dantin, who started 10 games and missed the final two with a concussion, is expected to return for the Rockets.

Also on Toledo, tight end Danny Noble also may or may not make a comeback after breaking his leg in October.

What They’re Saying

Air Force quarterback Tim Jennings sounds like he’d love to abandon the running game and air it out for once vs. Toledo, telling ESPN: “The first thing that pops out to me is that they can put up a lot of points. If it turns into a shootout, then, hey, this is going to be a fun ball game to play in.”

That offense is run by Campbell who will take over for Tim Beckman at head coach who left for Illinois.  Toledo’s athletic director had nothing but praise for the former OC, saying:

“We are very pleased that Matt Campbell has agreed to become the head football coach at the University of Toledo.  There is no doubt that Matt has done a terrific job in his three years as our offensive coordinator.  The performance of our offense speaks for itself.”

Toledo Player to Watch

Eric Page is the Rockets passing game.  The 5’10”, 185-pound junior wide out caught 112 balls for 1,123 yards and 10 touchdowns this season.  Toledo’s second leading receiver only has 36 receptions.

Air Force Player to Watch

If the Falcons pull the upset, it’ll be on the back of Asher Clark.  The senior running back has compiled 1,096 yards and six touchdowns on the ground this year on an impressive 7.3 yards a pop.  He literally is Air Force’s only hope as no other offensive weapon has even gained 600 yards in 2011.

Key Matchup

Zack Kauth vs. Desmond Marrow

Kauth is the Falcons leading receiver and most dangerous big-play threat.  The wide out may only have 27 receptions this year, but the 6’4”, 210-pound Kauth averaged 20.1 yards a catch.

Morrow is a team captain for the Rockets and arguably their best defensive player.  The 6’3”, 210-pound senior cornerback leads Toledo in tackles, interceptions and passes deflected.

On the Hotseat

His job may not be in danger, but if Toledo were to lose under Campbell in his first game at head coach, it would be a huge letdown.  The Rockets don’t want to be in this game.  The team believes they deserve better.

Not to think of Air Force as an inferior opponent, but a hotseat could be created with a loss to the Falcons.

Prediction

Despite the layoff, points will be put up in this game.  Toledo and Air Force each boast top 25 offenses while neither defense is ranked in the top 50.

Again, the Rockets feel disrespected to be in the Military Bowl and they’ll take their frustration out on the Falcons.  With Dantin likely to return, Toledo’s offense will be even more powerful than the one that averaged over 44 points the last two games of the season.  They averaged 63 in Dantin’s last two games.

The lower the score and the slower the game, the more likely Air Force will be able to come away with a "W".  Against hungry Toledo, though, the Falcons won’t be able to keep up with the Rockets’ explosive offensive attack.

Toledo, 37-27

David Daniels is a featured columnist at Bleacher Report and a syndicated writer. Follow him on Twitter.

Even after reviewing the missed PAT, the replay official still got it wrong in a botched call that ended up deciding the Toledo vs. Syracuse game. The blown call wrongfully awarded victory to Syracuse and warrants harsh punishment for those involved.

The game went into overtime and should have been won by Toledo, but a boneheaded error robbed Toledo of what was rightfully theirs and handed Syracuse a victory.

When coaches lose, they get fired. Here we have a replay official who wrongfully altered the course of the game. The Big East admits that he blew the call and yet he's unlikely to see the well-deserved repercussions.

Being a referee is not an easy gig. Too often people are too quick to criticize officials. It's not as easy as it looks and even the best in the business are subject to boneheaded calls.

Instant replay is supposed to take away the human error element of the game. It's supposed to make it to where the right call is made every time. As we hear time and time again, it has to be indisputable to be overturned, but when indisputable video evidence is present and the official fails to correct the call, suspensions need to be levied.

Is that too harsh? Suspension is an ugly word. It's probably one that many of you are familiar with, as if you made a terrible and uncorrectable error at your work, there is a chance you may face suspension. Why do referees get a free pass?

This should have been an easy call. The announcers got it right. Everyone at home could see the obvious call, but the official's inability to look at the appropriate angle and determine that the call was wrong is unforgivable.

Toledo loses out on a chance to gain a huge victory on the road and all the Big East can do is admit their mistakes.

There is no time limit on getting a replay right. Replay officials who blatantly botch calls need to have the hammer brought down upon them. Some may argue that, "that's someone's livelihood", but what about the livelihood of the Toledo staff?

Years from now, nobody is going to look back on Toledo's record and remember that one more win should have been accredited to this season. The officials come out of this unscathed while the coaching staff and entire team has to bear an undeserved loss.

No apology or statement can reverse the error. He should have done his job and made the easy call when he had all the means in the world to do so.