Toledo vs. Miami features a rare roadtrip for a top college football program to a MAC stadium. It could be a real trap spot for the ‘Canes. Miami rebounded from a disappointing Week 1 loss to LSU to blast FCS squad Savannah State 77-0. Their concerns are far from settled though. Toledo has been one of the more consistent Group of Five teams in the country. We’re sure Rockets fans are amped to bring a team like Miami to the Glass Bowl. ESPN’s FPI prediction for Toledo vs. Miami is out. As you’d expect, Miami is a decent favorite against the Rockets. FPI gives the ‘Canes a 76.7-percent chance to win. Via ESPN: Toledo vs. Miami will kick off at 12 p.m. ET on Saturday from the Glass Bowl in Toledo, Ohio. ESPN2 will broadcast the contest. [ESPN]<doc-sep>CORAL GABLES, Fla. (AP) — There was honesty from both Toledo and Miami this week. The Rockets aren’t pretending otherwise: Having the 21st-ranked Hurricanes come into their home Glass Bowl stadium in Toledo, Ohio on Saturday represents one of the biggest events in the 101 years of Toledo football, maybe even the one that’ll sit atop the list. “The game’s not just another game,” Toledo coach Jason Candle said. The Hurricanes know the Rockets feel that way, and don’t sound worried. “We’re built to crush dreams,” Hurricanes running back DeeJay Dallas said. It’s pretty clear that both teams understand the magnitude what can happen on Saturday afternoon. Toledo (1-0) gave Miami (1-1) plenty of problems last season on the Hurricanes’ home field and will be upset-minded yet again this time around. This is a game in which the Rockets have basically everything to gain and very little to lose. “We’ve had major opponents here in the past in the Glass Bowl … some major players here,” Candle said. “But probably none of the magnitude of the Miami Hurricanes. Yeah, I think it’s a huge deal for our city and a great opportunity for our kids.” Toledo led Miami 16-10 midway through the third quarter of the teams’ game last season at Hard Rock Stadium before falling 52-30 . That got the Hurricanes’ attention, as do the facts that the Rockets won the Mid-American Conference title a year ago, have posted eight consecutive winning records and have a senior class that, on average, has been part of 10 wins per season. Further complicating matters for Miami is this: The Rockets are coming off an unusual early bye week, meaning they’ve had two weeks to get curveballs ready to throw at the Hurricanes. But on the plus side for Miami, the Hurricanes went through something similar two years ago when they went to an amped-up Appalachian State for another game where upset fears were real. Miami won that game 45-10, handling the raucous atmosphere with ease. “It’ll be wild,” Miami coach Mark Richt said, when asked what he expects to see on Saturday. “We’ll get everything they’ve got. I’m sure they’ll have every single seat sold and they’ll be standing room only. Their fans are going to be ready for a great battle. They’ve been excited about this for a while.” THE DEAL Here’s what Toledo athletic director Mike O’Brien said when he took Miami’s offer for this home-and-home series, back in 2010: “Miami is arguably the highest-profile opponent ever to play in the Glass Bowl.” He’s right. It’s somewhat strange for a school like Miami to initiate a 1-for-1 deal against a non-Power 5 opponent, and the reasoning then-Miami AD Kirby Hocutt used at the time remains unclear. “Tell me who we play, and we’ll play,” Richt said. INJURY WATCH Ahmmon Richards came into this season expected to be Miami’s best receiver, and he’ll have one catch for nine yards after three games. Richards is not playing on Saturday, missing his second straight game with what the Hurricanes have called a bone bruise in his knee. He has been listed as day-to-day, and it is unknown if he’ll play next week against FIU. AERIAL DISPLAY Toledo’s offense will spread Miami out all over the field, and the Rockets have three wideouts who gave the Hurricanes problems last season. Cody Thompson, Jon’Vea Johnson and Diontae Johnson — all of whom had a TD catch in Toledo’s Week 1 win over VMI — combined to make 18 catches for 259 yards and three touchdowns against Miami a year ago. CAPACITY CROWD Officially, Toledo’s stadium can hold 26,038 fans. But this week, Rockets officials wouldn’t be surprised to see the crowd reach 30,000. The last time that happened at the Glass Bowl was 2016, when Toledo-Bowling Green drew 30,147. HASLEM’S THOUGHTS Miami Heat forward Udonis Haslem loves the Hurricanes; the Miami native went to Florida, played for the Gators, but is a diehard Hurricanes football fan. That’s on hold this week, for a very good reason. His son, Kedonis Haslem, is an offensive tackle for the Rockets. So when asked for a pick , family ties won out over fandom. “I’ve gotta ride with Toledo,” the Heat captain said. “That’s my son. I’m going to ride with my son and my kids. That’s a no-brainer.”<doc-sep>After losing their season opener to the LSU Tigers on Sept. 2, the Miami Hurricanes got their first win of year, 77-0 over FCS opponent Savannah State. This week, they will go on the road to play a high-powered Toledo Rockets team. Although Toledo didn't play in Week 2, the Rockets were impressive in their 66-3 opening win against FCS foe VMI on Sept.1. In last season's meeting, the Rockets led the Hurricanes 16-10 at halftime before losing 52-30. With two weeks to prepare, the Rockets will hope to finish the job this time around. Miami at Toledo Kickoff: Saturday, Sept. 15 at 12 p.m. ET TV: ESPN2 Spread: Miami -10.5 Three Things to Watch 1. Miami's quarterback situation Against Savannah State, Malik Rosier against got the start and completed 8-of-12 passes for 131 yards and two touchdowns, ending a stretch of four consecutive games of sub-50 completion percentage. Although Rosier had a decent outing, N'Kosi Perry played well in relief, throwing three touchdowns and one interception. During his press conference this week, head coach Mark Richt didn't exactly sound committed to Rosier as his starting quarterback long term. "The bottom line is we’re going to play who we think gives us the best chance of winning," Richt said. "That’s what we’re doing, bottom line. As long as he is that, he’ll start. If we think someone else gives us a better chance to win, we’ll start that guy.” While Rosier will start this week, if the Hurricanes get off to a slow start, don't be surprised to see Perry against the Rockets. 2. Toledo's two-headed quarterback attack With Logan Woodside now in the NFL, Toledo used two quarterbacks against VMI in its opener. Mitch Guadagni and Eli Peters combined to go 19-of-29 for 338 yards in the season-opening win. The two completed passes to 11 different Rocket receivers; Desmond Phillips led the way with four catches. In last year's matchup against the Hurricanes, Woodside was able to torch the Hurricanes secondary. If Toledo is to have a chance for the upset, the passing game will once again need to be a major factor. 3. Hurricanes defensive line Miami had four sacks in its win against Toledo last year. The Canes will need their front four to once again be active to help slow down the Rockets passing attack. In Miami's loss to LSU, Gerald Willis was terrific as he recorded eight tackles and a sack. The Canes need him and Joe Jackson to put similar pressure on Guadagni and Peters on Saturday, making the secondary's job that much easier. Final Analysis Saturday will be the Hurricanes' first actual road game of the year after playing LSU in a neutral setting and playing Savannah State at Hard Rock Stadium. The good news is that the Hurricanes have typically performed well on the road during Richt's tenure. The bad news is that the Rockets are going to give the Hurricanes defense all it can handle. Toledo has a ton of playmakers offensively, and if Miami can't get pressure on the quarterbacks, that is going to make for a long afternoon. However, the Hurricanes have a talented secondary that should be able to force mistakes. While Toledo will make Saturday's game interesting, the Hurricanes' depth and talent should be the difference in the game. Prediction: Miami 38, Toledo 24 — Written by Antwan Staley, who is part of the Athlon Contributor Network and has extensive experience covering Florida sports teams. Staley has written for Bleacher Report, the Miami Herald and the Palm Beach Post and is a reporter for Pro Player Insiders. Follow him on Twitter @antwanstaley.<doc-sep>
PITTSBURGH, PA - NOVEMBER 24: Jaquan Johnson #4 of the Miami Hurricanes in action against the Pittsburgh Panthers on November 24, 2017 at Heinz Field in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Justin K. Aller/Getty Images) The Miami Hurricanes travel to Ohio to play the Toledo Rockets in this Week 2 game on Saturday. Fresh off a 77-point performance a week ago, the Miami Hurricanes take to the road to visit the Toledo Rockets. The 21st ranked Hurricanes struggled out of the gate in a Week 1 loss to LSU in AT&T Stadium. Against a weak FBS opponent in Week 2, Savannah State, the team tried to get back on track. Malik Rosier will remain under center for UM despite his poor play in Week 1. Fans are clamoring for talented sophomore N’kosi Perry after seeing a glimpse a week ago. Coach Mark Richt has not wavered on his decision to start Rosier and it could doom this season. The Canes find another “warm-up” type game at Toledo. The Rockets hung tough for a while in last season’s matchup in Miami but eventually, the talent overtook them. The final score was 52-30 and was only a brief scare for Miami. How to watch and bet on Miami vs. Toledo Date: Saturday, Sep. 15 Start Time: 12 p.m. ET Location: Toledo, OH Venue: Glass Bowl Stadium TV Info: ESPN2 I Fubo TV Odds: Miami -10 Savannah State is not the level of competition that Toledo is but the 10 points are disrespectful to a team that started in the top 10. Malik Rosier showed promise in Week 2 and the running game finally got going. If the team gets top receiver Ahmmon Richards back to pair with star-in-the-making Jeff Thomas, this could be another offensive explosion. Toledo did score 66 points in their only game of the season so the offense is capable. Miami’s defense will continue to try to find the magic that carried them to 10 straight wins a season ago. Look for the vaunted “Turnover Chain” to make multiple appearances. Miami is not a huge favorite. That seems like easy money but there is something that Vegas sees to make it that much. The Hurricanes feed off the energy and a noon start could force them to come out flat. Miami is still a solid bet but don’t be surprised if it is a closer game than it should be. Prediction: Canes win and cover the spread.