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PROVO — Finally, a non-Power 5 team.
After opening the 2016 season with four-straight P5 opponents, including three-straight losses, Kalani Sitake will face his first non-Power 5 opponent Friday night when BYU hosts Toledo at 8:15 p.m. MDT on ESPN2 and KSL NewsRadio.
But calling the Rockets the “weaker” of a difficult early season schedule would be a mistake. Former coach Matt Campbell made Toledo a perennial contender for a MAC West division title, and the Rockets come into Provo with a 3-0 record, more than 41 points per game on offense and routs of Arkansas State, Fresno State and FCS Maine
“They are one of the best teams in the country; in my mind, they should be ranked,” BYU assistant head coach Ed Lamb said. “They haven’t had a close game, or even a close half. They’ve destroyed all three teams they’ve played.
“They just aren’t a household name because they aren’t in a Power 5 conference. But they are as deserving as any team in the country to be in the Top 25.”
The Rockets are coming off a 10-2 schedule, and lost 19 players to graduation — as well as former head coach Campbell, who is now at Iowa State.
“Wow, how four weeks change. Four weeks ago, I was answering questions about replacing 19 starters. Now everyone is talking about how deep we are,” new Toledo head coach Jason Candle said. “It’s a testament to the hard work of these young people.
“Our team works extremely hard, and I give them credit to that. … There are mistakes and bumps in the road, but you have to handle adversity and respond.”
The Cougars (1-3) and Rockets have never faced each other, and BYU is facing an opponent from the MAC for just the ninth time in program history. The Cougars are 5-4 all-time against the conference.
Candle has never lost as Toledo’s head coach, taking over the program prior to the Rockets’ 32-17 win over then-No. 24 Temple in last season’s Boca Raton Bowl. In four games since moving up to head coach, the ex-Toledo offensive coordinator's team has given up just 30 total points.
“There’s a lot of carry-over because the coach was the offensive coordinator from before,” Sitake said of Toledo’s new top coach. “They play hard, and they are really efficient offensively. They do great defensively. It’s another tough opponent, and we definitely respect what they do as a team.”
In their first three games of the season, the Rockets haven’t been seriously challenged in 2016, either. With a defense that has allowed just 10 points and 251.7 yards of offense per game, junior quarterback Logan Woodside has completed 62.2 percent of his passes for 939 yards, 11 touchdowns and just one interception.
The Rockets are ranked third in the nation in scoring defense, and seventh in total defense.
“They can throw the ball deep,” BYU safety Matt Hadley said. “I think if we can trust our technique, our man-coverage, and communicate well then we should be able to take care of the deep ball. But that’s one thing they do very well; they can throw the ball.”
BYU, on the other hand, has had each of its first four games decided by nine points — and seven total points during the Cougars’ current three-game losing streak.
“I’m preparing for 60 minutes of football,” Candle told reporters in Toledo. “We have to prepare that way, and look forward to that challenge. Our victories so far have been somewhat one-sided, and we were able to impose our will on people. They won’t allow that in this game.”
The Rockets also count on senior running back Kareem Hunt, who has 273 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the first three games. A Doak Walker and Maxwell Award candidate, Hunt's 3,737 career rushing yards ranks third in Toledo program history.
“I think Toledo is going to try to spread us out and throw those bubbles and quick hitches,” BYU defensive tackle Logan Taele said. “I’ll play against anyone, whatever kind of offense. We are just excited to play. But it gives us a lot of opportunities to make plays when there are a lot of plays during the game.”
