CHAMPAIGN, Ill. — Toledo started preparing for Illinois early.
Not early as in fall camp or spring practice. The Rockets began game-planning in January.
Jason Candle and the coaching staff understood the importance of Saturday’s game, not just because Illinois is a Big Ten school. The magnitude was heightened because the defending Mid-American Conference champions were a legitimate Group of Five New Year’s Six contender.
Perhaps a 12-1 Toledo team can still break through, but the dream took a devastating thrash on Saturday night in a last-second 30-28 loss to the Fighting Illini.
“We were right there,” wide receiver Jerjuan Newton said.
Not only was Toledo within literally inches of winning, the Rockets were the better team for three quarters. Almost every stat was in their favor and they aced the eye test.
The offensive line cleared the way for 186 of Toledo’s 416 yards against one of the top defensive lines in the country. The defense limited Illinois to less than 400 yards and only three third-down conversions. When the Illini scored 20 unanswered points to take an eight-point fourth-quarter lead, UT did not wilt.
Quarterback Dequan Finn made up for a back-breaking interception by engineering a stirring eight-play, 60-yard go-ahead touchdown drive. The ending, however, was spoiled.
“To stare the adversity in the face and come back and play a strong fourth quarter and give us a chance to win the game, I think our team can build off of this momentum and build the character of our team,” Candle said.
This is the seventh time since 2020 that Toledo has lost while giving up the go-ahead score in the final two minutes of regulation or overtime. The most prominent example — and the most similar to Saturday — was when the Rockets couldn’t hold on at Notre Dame in 2021. They laid an ostrich egg the following week, losing at home to a terrible Colorado State team, and never recovered.
This week Candle, his staff, and the team’s captains must navigate a path fraught with vulnerability and despair.
“It’s a long season,” linebacker Dallas Gant said. “This is Game 1 against a good Illinois team. Obviously, you want to come out with a [W], but stuff happens, adversity happens in football. You have a long season to play. There’s no time to put your head down and pout about one loss.”
It’s easy to look at the Illinois box score and declare Toledo the better team. Bizarrely, it’s possible for UT to take a positive outlook and confident swagger into next weekend and beyond. The aggressive playcalling on offense, the ability to extend drives, offensive lineman Tyler Long’s presence, and the defense’s overall structure are enough to declare Toledo a favorite in every remaining game.
During his post-game press conference, a disappointed but passionate Candle said, yeah, it’s all great. Everything that transpired on the field, however, was expected. The coaches saw it throughout fall camp, with players stepping up and identifying themselves as dependable pieces.
“Obviously, there are ups and downs in football,” Finn said. “But I saw a lot of ups and I saw a lot of good signs. We’re going to see next week.”
First, they’ll put on their practice gear and prepare for Texas Southern. Part of that process is breaking down the Illinois game and ridding themselves of the emotions associated with the final score. It will also include a hallmark of any Candle-coached team: an honest assessment.
“We’re going to watch the tape, and we’re going to find out that some players are better than we thought they were and some players are not as good as we thought they were,” he said. “We have to find out why and do a great job of fixing the mistakes and why they didn’t make those plays in those moments. We have to continue to do what we do in our program and tell each other the truth and fix the mistakes. We have a very mature group of guys. To watch the mood and attitude in our locker room, I expect us to get off the mat and fight on Saturday.”
Why, again, did Toledo start prep work on Illinois nine months ago? Because it was a winnable game. This wasn’t Ohio State and a roster of five-star recruits who are in a different stratosphere. Toledo — with one of the most talented G5 rosters in America — was taking on a rebuilding Big Ten team.
Everyone who works in the Larimer Athletic Complex put 110 percent into Saturday’s game. On 4th and 4 as Terrence Taylor was closing on Illinois quarterback Luke Altmyer, victory felt imminent. It was just as likely when Altmyer flung the ball toward wide receiver Casey Washington, who was blanketed by Chris McDonald. But an unlikely if not sensational reception was the result.
None of it changed Candle’s outlook on the season.
“I leave here the same way I woke up this morning, that I have a lot of confidence in our football team and it’s a group of guys I love to go to work with each and every day,” he said. “I love what they stand for. I love who they are as men. I love their resolve and their ability to rally around each other. It’s a fun group to be around. When you lose a game like that and people are coming up to you saying, ‘Coach, I love you. I love what we’re doing, keep it going.’ You can’t fake that. That’s real. We’ll rely on our leadership to get our locker room back together.”
First Published September 3, 2023, 2:06 p.m.
