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By Mike Sopher Who should start Saturday against the Zips? Last week’s game at Eastern Michigan had an eerie feeling to it. For three quarters the Rocket offense sputtered and slowly became nonexistent. I had seen a similar performance on the offensive side before. Being a Cleveland Browns fan, one gets used to an offense that brings little excitement to the game. But this is new territory for Toledo— a team expected to put up thirty plus points each game. For three quarters of the game the Rockets had squeezed out a mere 133 yards on 41 plays, or a little over 3 yards a play. My co-ed intramural team at Toledo put up better numbers than that. Up until the fourth quarter the Rockets had little spark, emotion, and appeared to be going through the motions. One has to credit the Eastern Michigan defense, but it’s EASTERN MICHIGAN for crying out loud! Toledo should not be stopped by the Eagles in this fashion. It’s unacceptable and downright embarrassing in some aspects. But the game was not over. Somewhere in the back of Coach Amstutz’s mind was a little voice saying “Play Clint. Give Clint a shot. Maybe he can lead us to a few touchdowns.” Perhaps this is an imagination, but Amstutz knew he needed a change at quarterback because Aaron Opelt was not getting the job done. Now, I must profess that I like Aaron Opelt. I think he has the talent to be successful at this level. His mobility, arm strength, and poise in the pocket are good attributes, but the true freshman has some things to improve on, as do all freshmen who start in college in their first year. His decision making is questionable, especially when he misses open receivers downfield. He often tucks the ball and run too quickly before a play can really develop. His accuracy is not so great at times and has trouble hitting the open receiver. But those aside, this kid has tremendous potential, and can be one of the best starting quarterbacks in Toledo football history. It just can’t be this year or perhaps next season. Opelt needs to redshirt next season to work on his timing and accuracy. I just don’t think he is ready yet to start in the Division 1 ranks. Going back to the Eastern game, it seemed as though Clint Cochran was needed to bring the Rockets back into the game. Perhaps his presence would be enough to fire up the offense and finally get some production. It almost worked. Granted, Cochran had better field position, in fact great field position for Toledo’s next two drives which resulted in touchdowns. But something felt different. It appeared that this team all of a sudden gained some confidence. Perhaps they finally believed in themselves. Regardless, they looked similar to the Rocket teams of old. They ran the ball more and had success. Cochran was finding open targets. The offense was moving the ball. Toledo was actually scoring touchdowns. And they had the lead—for a brief period. Then Eastern hits Cochran from behind on a two point try and takes the ball all the way back for a two point conversion and the momentum shifts a complete 180 and the Eagles go on to win on a 18 yard run. Toledo loses another game. This season is over from the standpoint that the Rockets have no shot of winning the MAC West and no chance of going bowling. With that said, it’s time to finish out the season with Cochran at the helm. He’s 2-2 as a starter but has shown flashes of greatness, especially at Iowa State. More importantly, it appears that the offense responds better to his leadership. Call it confidence or respect, but the team looks more comfortable out there with Cochran under center. Now, this offense will still struggle the rest of the season mostly because the personnel execute poorly and penalties continually kill any momentum. Add in the fact that we have a offensive coordinator who doesn’t play into the strengths of this team and who calls plays that literally have me smacking my head repeatedly, and I don’t see a significant improvement if Cochran is given the opportunity to start the rest of the season. With Marques Council expected to be eligible next season, Toledo will have enough depth at quarterback to allow Opelt to redshirt. I think Aaron needs a year to learn the system, especially if John Shannon is replaced after this season. So, with the disappointing Akron Zips coming to the Glass Bowl Saturday night, I see Toledo struggling offensively but at least sustaining drives at times and giving the defense an opportunity to rest. Toledo may not win, which is a shocker on their home field, but with a healthy Cochran, the Rockets will get into the endzone a little more often. Have a question or comment for Mike? Email |