Defense
Offense was definitely the catalyst for Toledo’s 2017 success, though the defense held its own for the most part. The Rockets held opponents to an average of 26 points and 385 total yards of offense per game, putting them right around middle of the road in the FBS. Thanks to an offense that put up 10 more points than the average opponent, the defense didn’t have to shoulder the bulk of the burden.
Two-thirds of that defense returns to the Glass Bowl for another season of #MACtion, including six of the 11 starters. The front seven was hit especially hard, with edge rusher Olasunkanmi Adeniyi the biggest loss of the bunch. He was not the only departure, though, as the team also needs to find a new defensive tackle as well as a replacement for linebacker Ja’Wuan Woodley.
The secondary wasn’t spared entirely by the attrition of graduations. Cornerback Trevon Mathis is also gone after snagging a couple of interceptions last season. Finding the right talent to plug into the vacancies is going to be critical for the coaching staff.
Focusing on the defensive line
Adeniyi’s loss strips Toledo of a lot of productive experience along the defensive line. The defensive end/linebacker hybrid ranked 11th in the country in tackles for loss last year, averaging 0.6 sacks and 1.4 tackles for loss per game. Finding a player or a group of players to replace Adeniyi’s production is going to be difficult for Toledo in 2018.
Only the nose tackle spot is truly solidified at this point. Nate Childress locked down the starting position midway through his redshirt sophomore season last year, and he is back to anchor the heart of the line. Junior college transfer Reggie Howard will also get playing time at the nose tackle spot in his second year with Toledo.
The defensive end and defensive tackle positions featured a senior-laden two-deep in 2017, meaning that a lot of the snaps will feature untested players this year. The linebackers should be fine, as the team was able to develop more depth at those spots. But the defensive line’s development will be a major factor in how well Toledo performs in 2018.