# 2009 Toledo Rockets football team

The 2009 Toledo Rockets football team represented The University of Toledo during the 2009 NCAA Division I FBS football season and as a member of the Mid-American Conference (MAC) East Division. The team was coached by Tim Beckman and played their homes game in the Glass Bowl. The finished with a record of 5–7 (3–5 MAC).

## Before the season
### Recruiting

College recruiting information (2009) :
| Name | Hometown | High school / college | Height | Weight | 40$^‡$ | Commit date |
| Manny Bell OL | Pittsburgh, PA | Schenley HS | 6 ft 6 in (1.98 m) | 275 lb (125 kg) | - | Feb 2, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Robert Bell LB | Grand Rapids, MI | East Grand Rapids HS | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 225 lb (102 kg) | - | Jan 26, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Julian Bellinger WR | Lithonia, GA | Lithonia HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | - | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Byron Best DB | Greenwood, SC | Greenwood HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | 4.4 | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| Ryan Casano K | Costa Mesa, CA | Orange Coast | 5 ft 9 in (1.75 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | - | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Austin Dantin QB | Tallahassee, FL | Leon HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | - | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 73 |||||||
| T.J. Fatinikun DE | Perrysburg, OH | Perrysburg HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 220 lb (100 kg) | 4.83 | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Leroy Houston RB | N/A | Seabreeze Senior H.S. | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | - | |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 70 |||||||
| Zac Kerin OL | Delaware, OH | Olentangy HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 265 lb (120 kg) | - | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Dan Molls LB | Parma, OH | Padua Franciscan HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 212 lb (96 kg) | 4.57 | Jan 24, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 72 |||||||
| Terrence Owens QB | Cleveland, OH | Glenville HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | 4.65 | Jan 30, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 74 |||||||
| Eric Page DB | Holland, OH | Springfield HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 160 lb (73 kg) | 4.5 | Nov 16, 2008 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Ben Pike DE | Mentor, OH | Mentor HS | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 245 lb (111 kg) | - | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Darius Reeves CB | N/A | Lincoln H.S. | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 180 lb (82 kg) | - | |
| Star ratings: Rivals: N/A 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 66 |||||||
| Johnie Roberts DT | Hattiesburg, MS | Pearl River | 6 ft 3 in (1.91 m) | 290 lb (130 kg) | 4.9 | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A |||||||
| Jermaine Robinson DB | New Berlin, NY | Milford Academy | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 165 lb (75 kg) | 4.5 | Dec 13, 2008 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 76 |||||||
| Christian Smith DE | Oklahoma City, OK | Carl Albert HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 226 lb (103 kg) | 4.65 | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Troy Smith DB | Indianapolis, IN | Pike HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 175 lb (79 kg) | 4.4 | Jan 29, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Ben Steele DT | Venice, FL | Venice Senior HS | 6 ft 4 in (1.93 m) | 260 lb (120 kg) | - | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Ricky Steele DB | Cincinnati, OH | La Salle HS | 6 ft 1 in (1.85 m) | 185 lb (84 kg) | - | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 68 |||||||
| Daxton Swanson DB | Waco, TX | La Vega HS | 5 ft 10 in (1.78 m) | 161 lb (73 kg) | 4.42 | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Edward Williams WR | Tampa, FL | Alonso HS | 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m) | 188 lb (85 kg) | - | Feb 4, 2009 |
| Star ratings: Scout: Rivals: 247Sports: N/A ESPN grade: 40 |||||||
| Overall recruiting rankings: Scout: 113 Rivals: 86 |||||||
| ‡ Refers to 40 yard dash Note: In many cases, Scout, Rivals, 247Sports, and ESPN may conflict in their listings of height, weight and 40 time. In these cases, the average was taken. ESPN grades are on a 100-point scale. Sources: "Toledo Commit List for 2009". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 22, 2009. "Football Recruiting: Toledo". Scout.com. Retrieved August 22, 2009. "Toledo Football Recruiting 2009". ESPN.com. Retrieved August 22, 2009. "Scout.com Team Recruiting Rankings". Scout.com. Retrieved August 22, 2009. "2009 Team Ranking". Rivals.com. Retrieved August 22, 2009. |||||||

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 5 | 12:00 p.m. | at Purdue* | Ross–Ade StadiumWest Lafayette, IN | BTN | L 31–52 | 47,551 |
| September 11 | 9:00 p.m. | Colorado* | Glass BowlToledo, OH | ESPN | W 54–38 | 20,082 |
| September 19 | 12:00 p.m. | vs. No. 11 Ohio State* | Cleveland Browns StadiumCleveland, OH (Patriot Bowl) | ESPN+ | L 0–38 | 71,727 |
| September 26 | 7:00 p.m. | at Florida International* | FIU StadiumMiami, FL | | W 41–31 | 11,047 |
| October 3 | 12:00 p.m. | at Ball State | Scheumann StadiumMuncie, IN | ESPN+ | W 37–30 | 14,140 |
| October 10 | 7:00 p.m. | Western Michigan | Glass BowlToledo, OH | | L 26–58 | 18,029 |
| October 17 | 7:00 p.m. | Northern Illinois | Glass BowlToledo, OH | | W 20–19 | 17,012 |
| October 24 | 7:00 p.m. | Temple | Glass BowlToledo, OH | | L 24–40 | 16,334 |
| October 31 | 3:30 p.m. | at Miami (OH) | Yager StadiumOxford, OH | ONN | L 24–31 | 8,757 |
| November 11 | 8:00 p.m. | at Central Michigan | Kelly/Shorts StadiumMount Pleasant, MI | ESPN2 | L 28–56 | 18,310 |
| November 20 | 7:00 p.m. | Eastern Michigan | Glass BowlToledo, OH | | W 47–21 | 9,967 |
| November 27 | 2:00 pm | at Bowling Green | Doyt Perry StadiumBowling Green, OH (Battle of I-75) | | L 24–38 | 14,075 |
| *Non-conference gameRankings from Coaches' Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time |||||||

## Coaching staff

| Name | Position | Year at school |
| Tim Beckman | Head coach | 1st |
| Mike Ward | Assistant head coach Defensive run coordinator Linebackers coach | 1st |
| Matt Campbell | Offensive run-game coordinator Offensive line coach | 1st |
| Jason Candle | Slot receivers Tight ends coach | 1st |
| Steven Clinkscale | Cornerbacks coach | 1st |
| Alex Golesh | Running backs coach Recruiting coordinator | 1st |
| Jason Nichols | Outside receivers coach | 1st |
| Paul Nichols | Defensive pass coordinator Safeties coach | 1st |
| Eli Rasheed | Defensive line coach | 1st |
| Scott Satterfield | Passing coordinator Quarterbacks coach | 1st |

## Game summaries
### Purdue

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rockets | 0 | 14 | 7 | 10 | 31 |
| Boilermakers | 14 | 17 | 14 | 7 | 52 |
Scoring summary
1st Quarter
* 13:48 PUR Bolden 78-yard run (Wiggs kick) 7-0 PUR
* 04:14 PUR Taylor 43-yard run (Wiggs kick) 14-0 PUR
2nd Quarter
* 13:53 PUR Smith 11-yard pass from Elliott (Wiggs kick) 21-0 PUR
* 11:17 TOLEDO Youngs 34-yard pass from Opelt (Steigerwald kick) 21-7 PUR
* 05:40 TOLEDO Williams 9-yard pass from Opelt (Steigerwald kick) 21-14 PUR
* 01:25 PUR Carlos 24-yard pass from Elliott (Wiggs kick) 28-14 PUR
* 00:00 PUR Wiggs 59-yard field goal 31-14 PUR
3rd Quarter
* 12:05 PUR Taylor 1-yard run (Wiggs kick) 38-14 PUR
* 08:09 PUR Edison 15-yard pass from Elliott (Wiggs kick) 45-14 PUR
* 04:41 TOLEDO Collins 5-yard run (Steigerwald kick) 45-21 PUR
4th Quarter
* 11:37 TOLEDO Steigerwald 48-yard field goal 45-24 PUR
* 06:36 TOLEDO Williams 42-yard pass from Opelt (Steigerwald kick) 45-31 PUR
* 02:27 PUR Bolden 14-yard run (Wiggs kick) 52-31 PUR

### Colorado

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buffaloes | 0 | 3 | 21 | 14 | 38 |
| Rockets | 13 | 10 | 14 | 17 | 54 |
Scoring summary
1st Quarter
* 07:18 TOLEDO Noble 8-yard pass from Opelt (Claus pass failed) 6-0 TOLEDO
* 03:00 TOLEDO Youngs 70-yard pass from Opelt (Steigerwald kick) 13-0 TOLEDO
2nd Quarter
* 13:31 CU Goodman 32-yard field goal 13-3 TOLEDO
* 09:59 TOLEDO Steigerwald 50-yard field goal 16-3 TOLEDO
* 00:36 TOLEDO Opelt 27-yard run (Steigerwald kick) 23-3 TOLEDO
3rd Quarter
* 12:36 TOLEDO Stafford 26-yard pass from Opelt (Steigerwald kick) 30-3 TOLEDO
* 07:26 CU McKnight 4-yard pass from Hawkins (Goodman kick) 30-10 TOLEDO
* 04:51 TOLEDO Burzine 23-yard pass from Opelt (Steigerwald kick) 30-10 TOLEDO
* 01:43 CU Espinoza 5-yard pass from Hawkins (Goodman kick) 37-17 TOLEDO
* 01:23 CU Geer 4-yard pass from Hawkins (Goodman kick) 37-24 TOLEDO
4th Quarter
* 14:10 TOLEDO Opelt 61-yard run (Steigerwald kick) 44-24 TOLEDO
* 08:41 TOLEDO Collins 23-yard run (Steigerwald kick) 51-24 TOLEDO
* 04:01 TOLEDO Steigerwald 43-yard field goal 54-24 TOLEDO
* 02:56 CU Devenny 18-yard pass from Hawkins (Goodman kick) 54-31 TOLEDO
* 01:53 CU Hawkins 12-yard run (Goodman kick) 54-38 TOLEDO

### Ohio State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buckeyes | 14 | 10 | 7 | 7 | 38 |
| Rockets | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Scoring summary
1st Quarter
* 13:13 OSU Sanzenbacher 76-yard pass from Pryor (Pettrey kick) 7-0 OSU
* 05:51 OSU Sanzenbacher 18-yard pass from Pryor (Pettrey kick) 14-0 OSU
2nd Quarter
* 12:31 OSU Herron 4-yard run (Pettrey kick) 21-0 OSU
* 00:00 OSU Pettrey 47-yard field goal 24-0 OSU
3rd Quarter
* 07:59 OSU Pryor 1-yard run (Pettrey kick) 31-0 OSU
4th Quarter
* 07:10 OSU Posey 4-yard pass from Pryor (Pettrey kick) 38-0 OSU

### Florida International

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rockets | 14 | 3 | 7 | 17 | 41 |
| Golden Panthers | 0 | 3 | 14 | 14 | 31 |

### Ball State

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rockets | 7 | 7 | 0 | 23 | 37 |
| Cardinals | 6 | 7 | 3 | 14 | 30 |

### Western Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Broncos | 20 | 21 | 10 | 7 | 58 |
| Rockets | 6 | 6 | 7 | 7 | 26 |
Scoring summary
1st Quarter
* 13:51 WMU White 54-yard pass from Hiller (Potter kick) 7-0 WMU
* 10:59 WMU White 19-yard pass from Hiller (Potter kick) 14-0 WMU
* 09:54 WMU Nunez 12-yard pass from West (Potter kick failed) 20-0 WMU
* 08:20 TOLEDO Steigerwald 21-yard field goal 20-3 WMU
* 02:33 TOLEDO Steigerwald 40-yard field goal 20-6 WMU
2nd Quarter
* 14:49 WMU West 15-yard run (Potter kick) 27-6 WMU
* 12:03 WMU Nunez 2-yard pass from Hiller (Potter kick) 34-6 WMU
* 04:59 WMU West 19-yard run (Potter kick) 41-6 WMU
* 00:08 TOLEDO Page 6-yard pass from Dantin (Claus pass failed) 41-12 WMU
3rd Quarter
* 14:36 WMU West 70-yard run (Potter kick) 48-12 WMU
* 06:14 WMU Potter 37-yard field goal 51-12 WMU
* 00:16 TOLEDO Williams 18-yard pass from Dantin (Steigerwald kick) 51-19 WMU
4th Quarter
* 06:12 TOLEDO Shumaker 8-yard pass from Dantin (Steigerwald kick) 51-26 WMU
* 04:58 WMU Thompson 29-yard run (Potter kick) 58-26 WMU

### Northern Illinois

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Huskies | 0 | 6 | 7 | 6 | 19 |
| Rockets | 7 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 20 |

### Temple

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Owls | 13 | 10 | 10 | 7 | 40 |
| Rockets | 7 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 24 |
Scoring summary
1st Quarter
* 11:43 TEMPLE Campbell 11-yard pass from Charlton (McManus kick blocked) 6-0 TEMPLE
* 6:49 TEMPLE Pierce 1-yard run (McManus kick) 13-0 TEMPLE
* 6:36 TOLEDO Williams 85 yards kickoff return (Steigerwald kick) 13-7 TEMPLE
2nd Quarter
* 12:58 TEMPLE Pierce 39-yard run (McManus kick) 20-7 TEMPLE
* 9:58 TEMPLE McManus 30-yard field goal 23-7 TEMPLE
* 6:16 TOLEDO Steigerwald 48-yard field goal 23-10 TEMPLE
* 0:38 TOLEDO Collins 6-yard run (Steigerwald kick) 23-17 TEMPLE
3rd Quarter
* 9:26 TEMPLE Pierce 2-yard run (McManus kick) 30-17 TEMPLE
* 4:16 TEMPLE McManus 29-yard field goal 33-17 TEMPLE
4th Quarter
* 11:00 TEMPLE Harper 36-yard pass from Charlton 40-17 TEMPLE
* 3:02 TOLEDO Youngs 27-yard pass from Pettee (Steigerwald kick) 40-24 TEMPLE

### Miami (OH)

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rockets | 7 | 0 | 17 | 0 | 24 |
| RedHawks | 7 | 17 | 7 | 0 | 31 |

### Central Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rockets | 7 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 28 |
| Chippewas | 7 | 28 | 14 | 7 | 56 |

### Eastern Michigan

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 0 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 21 |
| Rockets | 3 | 23 | 7 | 14 | 47 |

### Bowling Green

| | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Rockets | 0 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
| Falcons | 24 | 0 | 0 | 14 | 38 |