Robert Hearons: Toledo’s offense an advantage during MAC play

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RJ Hearons

When the team you root for loses in a route, it proves very difficult to identify positive signs or takeaways ­­— if any even exist — and apply them to next week.

With a 41-14 score at the half and a blowout looming, I assumed the University of Toledo’s eventual 58-34 Friday night loss to Cincinnati would be no different for Rockets’ fans.

But that shouldn’t be the case, at least not entirely.

A second half comeback endeavor that saw the Bearcats’ staggering lead cut to seven points late in the third quarter put the Rockets right back in contention, subsequently highlighting a crucial positive note going forward if you’re a Toledo fan.

UT’s offense can and will score in bunches during conference competition this season.

I wouldn’t have blamed anyone wearing blue and gold inside Paul Brown stadium that night for being tempted to look for the exits by the time the first half had expired.

It got ugly quick, and that’s putting it lightly. The score was 27-0 at the end of the first quarter.

But then the second half opened.

The Rockets’ offense jumped out of the gate with a 54-yard touchdown pass from sophomore quarterback Logan Woodside to junior wideout Alonzo Russell.

On Cincinnati’s next possession, the Rocket defense, which was nonexistent during the first half, forced the Bearcats to punt without garnering a single first down. Sophomore wideout and punt returner Corey Jones took advantage with a 21-yard return, and an eventual 13-yard touchdown reception from Woodside to trim UC’s lead down to 14.

Stepping up once again, the Rockets’ defense kicked Cincinnati’s offense off the field with another three-and-out, allowing Toledo’s offense to eat away at that Bearcat lead with a 23-yard field goal, courtesy of senior Jeremiah Detmer.

In the end, Toledo simply didn’t have enough to make up for the early deficit. But that is no longer the point.

What matters moving forward is how effortlessly the offense moved the ball against superior talent during the third quarter Friday night. It is something Toledo’s players can hang their hats on so far this season.

Moving the football against UC and putting it in the end zone didn’t prove to be much of an issue for the Rockets once they began to roll. The 408 offensive yards put up against Missouri during week two show that this last game wasn’t a fluke performance.

Woodside played more than solid during his first full game of 2014, tossing three touchdown passes and not throwing a single interception. He ended the game with 322 yards and, had it not been for multiple dropped passes, his stats could have looked even better.

The points look like they will come in bunches against the coming Mid-American Conference competition, teams that haven’t managed anywhere close to the offensive production of Missouri or Cincinnati this season.

Ball State, the Rockets’ opponent this Saturday, failed to put away FCS member Indiana State last week, giving up over 300 yards through the air alone.

Central Michigan, which Toledo will take on the following week, didn’t appear much more intimidating after giving up 464 total yards in a loss to Syracuse.

Toledo can’t take these teams lightly, but the Rockets’ offensive production against the giants of the last two weeks should at least give them and their fans some hope moving forward.

The lightning flashes of offensive momentum may have been brief, but they do highlight the silver lining surrounding the storm clouds of an ugly loss.