They say close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. Make no mistake, last week the Buckeyes had the horseshoes, and the Toledo Rockets couldn't stop throwing the pin. Still, through the numerous penalties, the Midnight Blue and Gold still had the opportunity to beat the boys of the Olentangy in the 4th quarter. The Rockets are for real.
But if last week's opponent was Goliath, then this week's opponent is freaking Colossus. The #4 Boise State Broncos will be the highest ranked opponent to walk into the Glass Bowl. Shouldn't be a problem, right? Toledo once beat 9th ranked Pitt at home, so anything's possible. Except these two guys played last year, a 57-14 beatdown on the Smurf Turf where the Rockets coughed the ball up 5 times. And, unlike Ohio State, the Broncos aren't missing many pieces at all.
It's hard to stay positive when your opponent not only just beat up on a ranked SEC team, but then had 2 weeks to rest up and watch your every move. Still, seeing this Rockets team in action, it's very, very difficult to think anything is out of the realm of possibility. After all, as long as Austin Dantin and/or Terrance Owens can get the ball into the hands of Eric Page (or even screen it to Adonis Thomas), the sticks will move.
What Looks Right: If you're a Rockets fan and aren't planning a #12 tattoo, allow me to recommend a few good parlors for you to get that taken care of. The two touchdown passes. The huge 4th down grab that kept the team alive. The man didn't get MAC West Offensive Player of the Week for his good looks. And the defense held up really, really well last week as well. It's a pity they'll be missing more pieces on Friday night.
What Looks Wrong:
And, as I mentioned above, the linebackers are painin'. Dan Molls is still out, Robert Bell is inactive with a rib injury, and Taikwon Paige is going to attempt to play through a hip injury.
What The Other Guys Did: The Broncos opened the season by walking into the Georgia Dome and punching the Bulldogs in the mouth, 35-21. Kellen Moore threw 3 touchdowns in his march to finally secure that Heisman. And about that D? They got to UGA QB Aaron Murray 6 times for sacks, and came down with a pick as well.
What The Other Guys Are Saying: Broncos coach Chris Petersen says that even after last year, he knew the Rockets would be something special this year:
I was impressed with the whole [Ohio State] game, because, even when we played Toledo last year... I remember walking off the field thinking "These guys are gonna be good, sooner than later." I think how they finished last season, and then the first two games have certainly proved that out.
What I'm Saying: The Vegas line last week was Buckeyes by 18, and the Rockets fell by 5. The line for this week is Boise by 20. Dusting off the algebra skills, 5/18 = x/20 means that the Rockets lose by 5.5555555555555555555555555555...