Page 33 - Toledo Football Media Guide - 2012

2012 OUTLOOK 33

42.2 points per game.

SIX ROCKETS NAMED ALL-MAC

Six Rockets were named to the 2011 All-MAC team. Among those six was junior Eric Page, who made frst-team all-league at three positions: wide receiver, kickof returner and punt returner.

The other fve honorees were senior ofensive tackle Mike VanDerMeulen and senior cornerback Desmond Marrow at frst-team; senior running back Adonis Thomas and sophomore center Zac Kerin at second-team; and junior defensive lineman T.J. Fatinikun at third-team. Fatinikun made All-MAC for the second straight season despite missing the fnal six games due to in-jury.

Toledo led the league with a total of fve frst-team All-MAC honorees.

FOUR ROCKETS NAMEDACADEMIC ALL-MAC

Four Rockets were named to the 2011 Academic All-MAC team. UT had the third-most honorees in the league, trailing EasternMichigan (6) andNorth-ern Illinois (5), and tied with Central Michigan (4).

The four honorees were senior placekicker Ryan Casano, sophomore center Zac Kerin, junior linebacker Dan Molls and senior offensive lineman Mike VanDerMeulen. VanDerMeulen made the teamfor the second consecu-tive season.

Rockets receiving honorable men-tion Academic All-MAC were sopho-more ofensive lineman A.J. Lindeman, redshirt freshman ofensive lineman Greg Mancz, sophomore defensive end Ben Pike, junior tight end Jared Strait and sophomore long snapper Matt Wall.

seven rockets sign free agent contracts

Seven former University of Toledo football players signed free-agent con-

Rocket Notebook

more than three years younger than the next youthful coach, Willie Taggart of Western Kentucky (35).

Youngest coaches in FBS

Coach Age (DOB)

Matt Campbell, Toledo 32 (11-29-79) Willie Taggart, WKU 35 (8-27-76) Justin Fuente, Memphis 35 (7-30-76) Lane Kifn, USC 36 (5-9-75) Pat Fitzgerald, N’western 37 (12-2-74) Garrick McGee, UAB 38 (4-6-73)

DWIGHT MACON IMPRESSES AT NEW POSITION

Rocket fans who attendedToledo’s spring football game wondering who might replace All-American Eric Page at wide receiver did not have towait long to get a look at one strong candidate. Sophomore Dwight Macon, a con-verted quarterback, took a swing pass fromsenior quarterback AustinDantin, dodged a tackler, then sprinted 70 yards down the sideline for the score on the frst play of the game. Macon and his Blue teammates defeated the Gold team, 21-13, at the Glass Bowl on April 13.

Macon, who is listed as UT’s third-string quarterback, caught seven passes for 114 yards in his debut at his new position. He also played QB in the second half, completing 4-of-5 passes for 31 yards. Dantin completed 14-of-18 passes for 190 yards and two touch-downs for the Blue, while junior David Fluellen led the Blue rushers with 75 yards and oneTD. Fluellen also stepped in at safety and picked of a pass. The Gold team was led by junior quarterback Terrance Owens, who threw for 277 yards on 15-of-26 passes. Junior Bernard Reedy was his top tar-get, catching sevenpasses for 150 yards and one score.

SCORING MACHINE

Toledo finished the season by scoring at least 40 points in six straight games, averaging 51.5 points in that span. For the season, the Rockets were eighth in the nation with an average of

tracts with NFL teams last spring, the most ever in school history.

Nine former Rockets were on NFL rosters in 2011, the most of any school in the Mid-American Conference.

Toledo’s NFL Free Agent Signees

Phillipkeith Manley, OL (Atlanta) Desmond Marrow, DB (Houston) Danny Noble, TE (Tampa Bay) Eric Page, WR (Denver) Kenny Staford, WR (Atlanta) Adonis Thomas, RB (Cleveland) Mike VanDerMeulen, OL (Tampa Bay)

PAGE LEAVES UT AFTER JUNIOR SEASON

Wide receiver Eric Page left the Rock-ets to pursue an NFL career following one of the most prolifc careers in UT history. Page set school records for both career receptions (306) and season re-ceptions (125 in 2011). His 306 career receptions tied theMid-American Con-ference record held by Marshall’s Josh Davis and Western Michigan’s Jordan White, and is 43 shy of the NCAA mark held by Robert Broyles of Oklahoma. It was also the most receptions in three seasons in NCAA history.

ROCKETSDEFEATAIRFORCE INMILI-TARY BOWL

Wide receiver Bernard Reedy caught three touchdown passes and the Rockets stopped a late two-point conversion attempt to defeat Air Force, 42-41, in the 2011 Military Bowl at RFK Stadium in Washington, D.C. on Dec. 28.

Quarterback Terrance Owens led the ofense, connecting on 19-of-24 passes for 210 yards and three TDs, all to Reedy, who was named the game’s MVP. Adonis Thomas rushed for 108 yards and one score, Eric Page returned a kickof for a TD and safety Jermaine Robinson took an intercep-tion to the house.