Toledo @ Boise State preview
Albertsons Stadium
Boise State won by 59 points on the road last Saturday and dropped a spot in the national rankings. Makes you wonder how large a margin of victory the Broncos need to produce at home to avoid another drop.
No. 4 Boise State (4-0) plays its second consecutive seemingly overmatched opponent this Saturday when it hosts Toledo in a non-conference game on the blue turf at Bronco Stadium.
The Rockets are 3-2 with a road win at Purdue on the resume but they absorbed a 20-15 home loss last Saturday to a Wyoming squad that Boise State obliterated by 45 points (51-6).
The Broncos fell behind Oregon in the polls after putting a 59-0 shellacking on New Mexico State, and there is concern another dip will occur at some point in October as Boise State plays a string of games that figure to end in lopsided scores.
Toledo is first on the list as Boise State looks for its 58th consecutive regular-season home victory. Western Athletic Conference foes San Jose State and Louisiana Tech are the Broncos’ other October opponents.
Boise State is the highest-ranked team Toledo has faced since playing top-ranked Ohio State in 1998. The Buckeyes won 49-0.
Toledo is 3-0 on the road this season but will be hard-pressed to slow down the Boise State passing game led by quarterback Kellen Moore and receivers Titus Young and Austin Pettis.
Moore is completing 66.4 percent of his passes and has 11 touchdowns against just one interception. The junior became the fifth Boise State quarterback to surpass 8,000 career passing yards in the win over New Mexico State.
Young has caught 20 passes for 379 yards while Pettis has 18 receptions for 253 yards. Toledo’s pass defense ranks 102nd nationally, allowing 255.2 yards per game.
The Rockets are better at defending the run – they are 13th at 95.4 yards per game – and will attempt to slow down Boise State’s Doug Martin (420 yards).
Toledo’s defense has been opportunistic with 16 takeaways, including 10 interceptions. Linebacker Dan Molls has a team-high three interceptions. The Rockets also have registered 14 sacks.
But Boise State plays much better defense than the Rockets and Toledo’s offense figures to struggle against the Broncos, who rank first nationally in total defense (223.5) and fifth against the run (75.8).
Toledo has a solid playmaker in receiver Eric Page (29 receptions), but who will be throwing him the ball had yet to be determined at midweek.
Sophomore Austin Dantin (663 yards, 5 TDs, 4 INTs) was pulled in the Wyoming game and could find himself backing up redshirt freshman Terrance Owens (6 of 15 for 108 yards against the Cowboys) on Saturday.
Adonis Thomas leads Toledo with 282 rushing yards. He had a season-high 94 yards against Wyoming.