Each week, The Blade will recap the most interesting Toledo football grades released by Pro Football Focus, the scouting website that evaluates players’ performance on every play of every game. For context, grades are based on a 0-100 scale.
Have you ever taken a quiz and known that you aced it?
That’s the sentiment among the Toledo Rockets after thrashing Kent State in the final three quarters on Saturday, completing a 21-point turnaround to beat the Golden Flashes 52-31.
The offense rolled along to 400-plus yards and six touchdowns during that span, while the defense played the best 45 minutes of the season.
“I was really proud of our football team to handle a really good start by Kent State,” Toledo coach Jason Candle said. “We’ve talked a lot about the response to the problem, not the reaction to the problem. Our guys had a really good response.”
Nick Rosi (90.1): The Toledo right tackle played all 73 offensive snaps and had the highest grade on the team at any position. His run-blocking grade was 88.3 and his pass-blocking grade was 77.9. The Rockets had 227 rushing yards and averaged 4.6 yards per carry. Meanwhile, Kent State only had one sack and three tackles for loss. Vinny Sciury and Mitch Berg, who returned to the starting lineup for the first time this season, graded out in the top six on offense.
Mikel Barkley (76.1): The TCU transfer had one catch against Ohio State, San Diego State, and Northern Illinois. When he transferred to Toledo in February, there was a buzz around the program about his potential. It finally showed up on Saturday, similar to how it took time for Matt Landers to get acclimated last season. Barkley had three receptions, including two touchdowns, for 61 yards. He had the highest grade among wide receivers.
Nate Bauer (72.6): The UT safety had an all-around banner day, receiving high marks for run defense (69.1), tackling (69.7), and coverage (72.6). Bauer played all 74 defensive snaps, recording nine tackles, including one tackle for loss, one interception, and one pass breakup. Bauer graded out highest among all UT defensive starters.
Collin Schlee (61.1): On the season, the Kent State quarterback has a grade of 88.0, No. 16 among all quarterbacks. He has a passing grade of 79.6 and a running grade of 83.4. And he looked like that Grade A player in the first half, as he threw for 105 yards and ran 57 yards and two touchdowns. In the second half, Schlee was 6 of 13 for 57 yards with an interception, and he ran for minus-1 yard. Schlee had a grade of 91.5 against Oklahoma and 61.4 against Georgia.
First Published October 17, 2022, 1:47 p.m.
