The University of Toledo Rockets finished 9-3 but again, an
also-ran in the MAC West and the conference overall. The good parts of the season were beating rival Bowling Green and Cincinnati. The low points were losses to Ball State and Northern Illinois. Those defeats took the Rockets out of winning the MAC West and getting a chance to win the MAC championship.
This is not how you become
an elite team anywhere, MAC included. For the third year in a row, the month of
November was a disappointment for the team and fans. The before-the-season- started analysis from
Head Coach Matt Campbell and the media was the usual stuff: the Rockets must win their
division and the MAC championship game, or else it’s a disappointment. In that
regard, it is a disappointment. Campbell has to figure out how to win games in
November. Beckman couldn’t. Amstutz did for a while, but he got fat and lazy,
watching a great program turn into a mess with lousy recruiting and poor
discipline.
The Blade and all the TV people here have raved for the past two
years about how great TU has recruited. It’s time to prove it in 2013, Rockets.
And even with Northern Illinois coming to the Glass Bowl next year, it’s no
sure bet the Rockets will win that important game. The Huskies QB Lynch is a
junior. He will be back for his senior year. Owens will be back at QB for TU,
too. Owens didn't even make third-team all-MAC at quarterback. He must be better than Lynch for the Rockets to win the MAC West title. We should not settle for LLLLoyd Carr-type seasons when the Rockets have
plenty of talent to win the MAC.
