The University of Toledo football team began the season with high expectations as the Rockets were tabbed as preseason Mid-American Conference West Division favorites.
But after a good start to the season the Rockets spiraled down the stretch, beginning with a loss at rival Bowling Green. Toledo lost its final three games to finish with a 6-6 overall record and a 3-5 mark in the MAC.
Toledo was the lone bowl-eligible team not to receive a bowl invitation, so the tumultuous Rockets season has officially come to an end.
Here is a look at what went wrong and what went right in Toledo's 2019 season:
WHAT WENT WRONG
1. Injuries
Toledo received bad injury news prior to the start of the season when all-conference caliber center Bryce Harris suffered a knee injury that caused him to miss all of 2019. Starting cornerback Justin Clark played in just a few games before missing most of 2019 with a shoulder injury. Quarterback Mitch Guadagni was in and out of the lineup, as his concussion issues continued this season. He was eventually shut down for the rest of the season. Injuries are part of life in college football, but Toledo was hit especially hard this season.
2. Bowling Green loss
Toledo was rolling right along at 4-1 when it made the trip down I-75 for the Bowling Green rivalry game. But the heavily favored Rockets were tripped up, as the Falcons ended a nine-game series losing streak with a 20-7 win. That loss was a turning point of the season. Toledo followed that game up with a blowout loss at Ball State.
3. Uncertainty at QB
With Guadagni battling injury, the Rockets first turned to redshirt freshman Carter Bradley and later to Eli Peters. Peters helped Toledo to wins over Eastern Michigan and Kent State, but battled his own injuries. Bradley looked like a young quarterback when he was given a chance. The injuries to Guadagni were tough, because he looked good when he was able to play. Rotating between the three quarterbacks did not help the continuity on offense.
4. Defense
Early in the season, Toledo made the plays it needed defensively, including key stops late in several of the Rockets wins. But as the season wore on, the defense got worse and ended up finishing dead last in the MAC in total defense at 475.7 yards allowed per game and 10th in scoring defense at 32.2 points allowed per game. Toledo gave up 49 points in each of its final two games.
5. Clock management vs. NIU
Toledo lost a key home game to Northern Illinois when the Rockets' last-ditch drive ended as time expired on a completion over the middle. Toledo had a chance to spike the ball late, but chose to line up and run another play after picking up a first down. On another short completion over the middle, the Rockets could not get to the line fast enough for a spike. Instead of potentially attempting a game-tying field goal, Toledo instead lost 31-28 to the Huskies.
WHAT WENT RIGHT
1. Duo of Koback and Seymour
Toledo's run game was a strength over the course of the season. Sophomore Bryant Koback and junior Shakif Seymour provided a good 1-2 punch in the backfield for the Rockets. Koback finished fourth in the MAC with 98.9 yards per game, while Seymour added 61.8 yards per game.
2. Fast start in non-conference schedule
Toledo was impressive in its non-conference portion of the schedule, as the Rockets finished 3-1 with wins at Colorado State and at home against BYU. Toledo also opened the season with a respectable loss at SEC foe Kentucky. The Rockets shut out Murray State at home, held off a late rally at Colorado State, and edged BYU at the Glass Bowl to enter the conference season with a lot of momentum.
3. Close wins
Of Toledo's six wins, five of them came by seven points or fewer. Two of those games — home wins over Eastern Michigan and Kent State — were by three points or fewer. Toledo won 37-34 in overtime over Eastern Michigan and hung on to beat Kent State 35-33. Wins over BYU and Western Michigan were decided with a touchdown edge for Toledo, and the Rockets won 41-35 at Colorado State.
4. BYU victory
BYU was the biggest program to play a game at the Glass Bowl since Miami (Fla.) came to Toledo in 2018. The game didn't disappoint, as the Rockets topped the Cougars 28-21 thanks to a late interception by safety Kahlil Robinson that set up a game-winning touchdown run from Shakif Seymour. It was a signature win for Toledo in front of a large Saturday crowd.
5. Emergence of Mitchell
Junior wide receiver Bryce Mitchell broke through as a big-play target for the Rockets in 2019. Mitchell averaged 19.4 yards per reception, which was second in the MAC. He caught 35 passes for 679 yards and four touchdowns. His 56.6 yards per game was seventh in the conference.
First Published December 9, 2019, 6:38 p.m.
