MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — On Friday night, No. 2 Clemson and No. 8 Washington State were upset by Syracuse and California, respectively.
University of Toledo coach Jason Candle said he hoped his players were watching in the hotel room before facing a tough Central Michigan team on the road.
“You see all over college football how hard it is to win on the road,” Candle said. “It was a really good indicator if our guys were watching the games Friday night.”
Whether or not the Toledo players actually watched those two upsets, they came out with a lot of energy and emotion from the beginning of the game until the end. Candle said that was key as the team battled wet and soggy conditions.
“We had to have it,” Candle said of his team’s energy. “In a day and age where if it starts to sprinkle everyone puts a sideline jacket on, I know what would’ve happened at my alma mater if that happened. It would have been a bad deal. We really challenged our guys this morning to understand what you are playing in. You better understand the circumstances and deal with them, because nobody is going to feel sorry for you.”
RELATED CONTENT: Toledo dominates Central Michigan for first road win
In a steady driving rain, Toledo controlled the game from the beginning.
“As a football player, you kind of like it,” UT senior linebacker Jack Linch said. “You don’t have many people in the stands. It’s fun as a football player. If you really like playing the game, you like these situations and these challenges.”
As the Friday night results showed, nothing is guaranteed when you play a conference road game.
“Wins on the road in the conference are huge,” Linch said. “Playing anywhere in the conference on the road is big time and getting a win in weather like this against a quality opponent, that’s huge for us and our program.”
STOUT DEFENSE: Toledo turned in perhaps its most complete defensive performance of the season. At halftime, Central Michigan had two first downs and 49 yards of total offense.
The Chippewas ended up with 244 yards of total offense for the game.
“We played with great effort,” Candle said. “When you don’t have to coach attitude and effort, coaches can really lock into what the game plan looks like. We saw a lot of guys playing again this week. We had a solid rotation on the defensive front and in the back half. I thought we played fast on defense.”
CAREER FIRSTS: Senior linebacker Jack Linch recorded the first interception of his career, with a diving catch in the middle of the field.
“I had to get one before I graduated,” Linch joked. “It felt nice to get out there and do that and help the team win.”
Senior receiver Liam Allen caught the first pass of his career, a 3-yard reception and freshman tight end Drew Rosi hauled in a 9-yard catch for his first career reception.
Contact Brian Buckey at: bbuckey@theblade.com, 419-724-6110, or on Twitter @BrianBuckey.
First Published October 15, 2017, 12:20 a.m.
