Notre Dame Not Looking Past Toledo
Any Notre Dame fans hoping for an easy Week 2 win following a too-close-for-comfort victory at Florida State on Sunday night should probably temper those expectations, according to Irish head coach Brian Kelly.
“We’re playing a really good football team in Toledo,” Kelly said during Monday’s news conference.
“In my estimation, after watching some of their film, this is probably the finest MAC team we’ve brought into this stadium since I’ve been here at Notre Dame.”
The Rockets opened up the 2021 slate with a dominant 49-10 win over Norfolk State on Saturday. Toledo only played six games last fall because of the pandemic, going 4-2 with wins over Bowling Green, Eastern Michigan, Northern Illinois and Central Michigan along with a pair of three-point losses to Western Michigan and Ball State.
Toledo comes into the 2021 season again as one of the favorites to win the MAC regardless of Saturday’s outcome in South Bend, so the Rockets should be able to play as loose as a team can be expected to play on a stage like Notre Dame.
“We’re going to have to be prepared,” Kelly said. “We’re on a short week, it was a physical game. We’re really going to have to rely on getting the right preparation and rest to play our best this weekend.”
The Irish will be putting their 24-game home win streak on the line.
Toledo is breaking in some new quarterbacks after veteran Eli Peters was forced to retire from the game because of injuries. He’s now serving as a grad assistant.
Fourth-year sophomore quarterback Carter Bradley started the opener and completed eight of his 12 pass attempts for 183 yards and a touchdown. Bradley did provide some experience as Saturday was his fourth start of his career and he lit up Central Michigan for 432 yards last season.
But prior to the game, Toledo head coach Jason Candle said Dequan Finn would play as well. The third-year freshman connected on four of his five pass attempts for just 38 yards, but led the Rockets with 82 yards rushing and a score on nine carries.
Toledo returns its lead running back in Bryant Koback, who finished with 52 yards and two scores on nine carries against the Spartans.
Kelly pointed to the Rockets’ offensive line as a strength.
“I think they’re well-coached, excellent scheme,” he said.
Defensively, Kelly has been impressed with how the Rockets mix it up.
“I’ve seen every look imaginable from three-safety deep to three-down, four-down,” he said. “They just give you a myriad of looks on defense.
“I think this is a mature team, a lot of veterans on it. They’ve got guys that can make big plays. This is a good football team and it’s well-coached.”