Blog Swap: Let's go Rockets

1) Has the MAC taken a huge step towards divisional parity this season? And what does it mean for the prospect of getting ranked to have a 7-0 and 6-1 team in the East along with two 6-1 teams in the West?

It appears that the MAC has evened up a bit this season and that’s good for the overall conference. We feel that strength of schedule, especially non-conference opponents, gives more incentive to rank a team than the records of fellow conference opponents. Having 4 teams better than 6-1 means that a chunk of those victories have come against conference opponents which does not necessarily count as quality wins. Defeating solid teams from BCS qualifying conferences and defeating ranked opponents is the best way to align your team for being ranked.

2) You failed to score an offensive touchdown against the Bearcats. Does this worry you *at all* going forward?

While we didn’t suspect this would be the case in this game, we’re not worried about this going forward. Toledo scored 29 points against a ranked (#18/#21) opponent and that’s no small feat. Scoring on defense and special teams is a necessary part of winning some games and our team adapted to this situation to allow us to win the game. Against a Cincinnati team that held Pitt to 10 points and Virginia Tech to 24, we didn’t expect to score as often as our last few contests and that was the case. The offense is still one of the greatest strengths of this squad.

3) What one player from UB would you take if you had the chance not based on their prowess but how they would enhance Toledo's shot at a MAC Championship.

WR Alex Neutz would be a nice addition to an already solid receiving corps of Reedy and Russell, but we’ll go with LB Khalil Mack to help sure up another injury laden Toledo defense. We think Mack would help provide some depth and would give us another head’s up style defender which would match our style of play well.

4) What one weakness does Toledo have that UB can exploit to upset the Rockets? What one strength do the rockets have that will prevent UB from taking advantage of the weakness?

Buffalo will need to score quickly and often in order to keep up with Toledo. To their credit, the “next guy up” on defense has helped improve a Toledo defense that gave up 60+ points twice last season so if Buffalo can keep pace while keeping the turnovers to a minimum, they have a shot at keeping this one close. Zordich’s scrambling ability will be troublesome for Toledo but we’ve seen them handle rushes/scrambles better this season than in past seasons.