What fuels the Rockets?

By Ben Gross and Sean Connor

Defensive Line D+

It’s been a rough year for Toledo. The Rockets, who have won two MAC championships in the last five years, have made their way into unknown territory — a losing season.

The problems start with their three-man defensive front. With only one returning member of the trio, the Rockets found it hard to stop teams from scoring. Toledo, which held opponents to 21.8 points per game last year, has let competitors average more than 30 points per game this season.

Returning defensive tackle Sean Williamson has led the group with 38 tackles, five for a loss. Williamson also forced pressure on opposing quarterbacks with three quarterback hurries and two sacks.

But that’s about it. Redshirt freshman Maurice Hill had four shots as a starter. With that he has one sack.

Linebackers C+

A linebacker makes or breaks the 3-4 defensive scheme. If they miss an assignment or don’t plug a hole, offenses can have a field day.

That said, junior Steven Morrison will make his second start of the season as inside linebacker. Morrison has three sacks for the season. Not bad with the amount of playing time he’s had.

But Mike Alston’s performance has been even better. The outside linebacker is second on the team with 53 tackles, 15 for a loss. The senior also sacked opposing quarterbacks eight times this season for a total loss of 55 yards.

With two broken-up passes, four quarterback hurries, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries, a safety — you get the point. Alston has made himself the leader of this defense.

But the Rockets are allowing teams to run on the field as if there weren’t 11 men in different-colored jerseys. The Rocket defense has sunk to the bottom third in rushing defense within the MAC as they allow opponents to average more than 150 yards per game.

Secondary B+

True freshman Barry Church leads the Rockets in tackles with 59. The strong safety also has three interceptions, five broken-up passes, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.

Oh, and he’s been a starter since game one. I say, that gives you a lot to look forward to.

But Church isn’t the only safety with three interceptions, as free safety and captain Tyrrell Herbert has three picks on the year. The sophomore has returned his three picks for a total of 81 yards and a touchdown.

Cornerback Nigel Morris joins the group with one interception. While he didn’t return his pick for points, the junior did prevent opponents from scoring as he blocked a kick.

Redshirt freshman Walter Atkins rounds out the group playing the other cornerback spot. He hasn’t done too much yet this year, but that hasn’t been much of a problem for the Rockets. — Ben Gross

Quarterbacks C

Toledo’s true freshman quarterback Aaron Opelt earned his first win Oct. 28 after three consecutive losses.

Then again, Opelt wasn’t even listed on Toledo’s preseason depth chart to begin the season.

Sophomore Clint Cochran began the season as Toledo’s starter. But after leading the Rockets to their first win of the season against Kansas, redshirt freshman Brandon Summers took over.

Summers beat McNeese State in his first start before losing 45-3 at Pittsburgh the following week.

Thus, Opelt arrived on the scene. The rookie has thrown for 777 yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions.

NIU’s defense will also have to be wary of Opelt’s legs as he has ran 57 times for 143 yards and a touchdown. Opelt rushed for 600 yards his senior year of high school.

Running backs B

Jalen Parmele only has 703 rushing yards over nine games. But Toledo’s pass-happy offense has limited his touches.

Parmele is averaging 5.2 yards per carry and has six touchdowns. This all comes while having to take handoffs from three different quarterbacks.

However, Parmele has not factored in to Toledo’s aerial attack, catching 12 passes for 98 yards.

As far as being Parmele’s reserve, sophomore Richard Davis has not measured up to standards in the backfield. The 6-foot backup has 206 yards on 79 carries and three touchdowns.

But Davis’ real value to the team comes on special teams as a kick returner. He’s averaging 22.9 yards per return, good for fourth in the MAC. Davis is also No. 4 on Toledo with 16 catches for 123 yards.

Meanwhile, redshirt freshman running back DaJuane Collins has 203 yards on only 34 carries with as many scores as Davis.

Receivers B+

Wideouts Chris Hopkins and Steve Odom are ranked fourth and fifth in the MAC in receiving, respectively.

Hopkins snagged six touchdowns while registering 497 receiving yards. His sidekick caught 41 passes for 403 yards, but Odom only has one score.

The story of the group is sophomore wide receiver Nick Moore, but not for good reason.

Moore was listed as Toledo’s No. 1 receiver heading into 2006. But so far, he only has 17 catches for 134 yards. Those stats are good enough for third on the team.

Things will only continue to get harder for Nick, since he’s the younger brother of former Toledo record-setting receiver Lance Moore.

Nick is 6-foot-4 and 192 pounds, making him seven inches taller and 15 pounds heavier than big brother Lance, who signed with the New Orleans Saints in January.

Offensive linemen B-

Last year, Toledo had the No. 13 rushing offense and No. 10 scoring offense in the country. Its line allowed a MAC-leading 13 sacks while blocking for current Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Bruce Gradkowski.

Despite giving up nearly three sacks a game this year, Toledo’s hogs up front are plowing the way for 133 rushing yards per outing.

Senior center Hassan Adebesin leads a very experienced line for Toledo while fellow senior Jesse Anderson holds things down at right tackle.

The left side of the line is run by juniors John Greco and David Perkins. A tackle, Greco is the heaviest of the group at 318 pounds. Perkins is the second biggest, weighing in at 308 pounds at the guard spot.

This makes right guard Jared Dewalt the baby. A freshman, Dewalt stands at 6-foot-4 and weighs 295 pounds. — Sean Connor