The University of Toledo Rockets had just fallen short Saturday night in a non-conference home opener to #25-ranked Fresno State when Aaron Opelt took his seat at the interview table. The locker room to the rear of the room was silent. Missing was the jubilation that would surely had followed has the Rockets completed a 2-point conversion pass in the second overtime, completing an improbable comeback from 10 points down with about 6 ½ minutes to go in overtime.
A dramatic final touchdown drive, followed by an unbelievable successful onside kick, and a Jason Steigerwald field goal tied the game and sent the Rockets to overtime. Seven point underdogs in this game, the Rockets began the game with a mental mistake, spotting Fresno a 7-0 lead with less than a minute gone in the game. More mental miscues brought on a number of penalties.
In recent past seasons, such a start would have signaled the beginning of a blow-out loss. Not on this night. On this night, the Rockets regrouped. The defense kept them in it, and the running of DaJuane Collins gave them a 4 point halftime lead. A second-half team in their first 3 games, Fresno took it to the Rockets in the 3rd quarter, and the teams battled til the very last snap, a failed 59 yard field goal attempt by Fresno as the clock expired.
Aaron Opelt was somber as he dutifully took questions from the press. He expressed his satisfaction that every member of the team fought til the end and never gave up. “They worked their butts off all game, they did everything they could for every play. It’s just too bad we fell short the last play.”
Asked about the nearly flawless drives to make up the 10 point deficit at the end of regulation, Opelt said “we felt real good. We had a lot of pressure under us, we had to get it in the endzone. We did that. The offensive line dominated the line of scrimmage, they did that the whole game. The receivers made some big plays. John Allen had a heck of a game. He had so many reception, had 2 touchdowns…that’s senior leadership right there. I think we’ve got a lot of that on this team, it showed, and we never gave up.”
Opelt also gave Coach Amstutz credit for having the confidence in his offense to go for 2 on the final play. “Loved it. Coach Amstutz gave me that confidence all year…I’m going to stop here. But if Coach Amstutz gives me that confidence all year, it definitely makes us feel good as an offense.”
Naturally, Aaron had nothing but praise for Fresno State. “I think they’re a very good team. But I think tonight we proved we’re a very good team. That’s exciting for us. They’re extremely fast, but we’re also very fast. From our receiver position, we’re very fast. You’ve got Stephen Williams and Nick, I think that’s one of the best receiving combos right there, and we’ve got Robin Bailey and those tight ends coming off, so I think we’re an extremely talented team. I think we made big strides from week 1 to week 2, and I think we made enormous strides from week 2 to week 3. If we keep doing that, we’ll have a good season.”
He also credited the coaches with preparing them for Fresno, saying he didn’t really see anything they weren’t expecting. We’ve just got to take the positives from this and learn from it, then forget about the tough loss and move on to next week and be excited for that.” Coaches often talk about the 24 hour rule, allowing the players time to enjoy a win and grieve a loss. Knowing that the team would have a little down time (they usually have a short practice on Sunday afternoon, then have Monday off), I asked Aaron about getting that day off, and how they get their minds ready to move on. His reply was “I don’t want a day off. I want to get out there and practice, get something else in my head. I don’t want to miss a beat. If we go out there tomorrow morning, we should. Obviously we didn’t make enough plays. Let’s get after it, get out there and get it done.”
Once questions stopped coming from the press, Aaron volunteered that “I was very impressed with our defensive play. They never gave up. They fought to the end. We put them in a terrible position to start the game. We gave them 7 points in the first minute, and for our defense to battle back all game, come back, pull major stops…that shows you a lot about our defense, our defensive coaching staff, and Coach Rose. I’m extremely proud of those guys. Thanks guys (to the press).”
So Aaron had congratulated the winners, gave them props for their talent and play, heaped praise on his team mates and coaching staff. But this struck me as a young man who was angry that they had lost. Not disappointed. Angry. He was gracious with his time and his words, but he seemed angry, and it seemed to be at himself as much as anyone.
Well Sunday came with its usual short practice, then Monday’s media session. One has to marvel at the resilience of these players. By the time I caught up to Aaron, he was all smiles. He allowed that it was a “tough game to get over, that it took a lot of emotion from our team, but I think we learned a lot from it. We played very well, we just didn’t get the job done. And you can’t be satisfied with losing, even if they are the #25 team in the country. I don’t think our team is.” When we talked about the final two drives, Aaron said “we just forgot about the times we needed to [forget about] , and obviously, it’s very comfortable knowing you’re down by 3 and you’ve got one of the nation’s best, most accurate kickers, we knew if we got to a point where he’s money, his golden zone, we got there, he did what he does: he got it in.”
There was some speculation on the sidelines about why the Rockets chose to run 3 running plays in close, rather then try to pass for the touchdown. Coach Amstutz wouldn’t discuss the strategy here, but it seems that the staff felt that it was so close, you just don’t want to take any unnecessary chances. Opelt felt it was great play calling, saying “we were very smart down there. We didn’t have any throw aways, We had a couple of guys possibly open, but it’s really not worth it to make a big mistake down there. We’re in field goal range, and Alex made a big kick for us.”
We moved our attention to what Coach Amstutz says “may be the most under-rated team in the country. They’ve had a tough schedule to start the year. They played Kansas, Iowa, and then lost a close game to a good South Florida team.” Opelt said “they played real well against South Florida. South Florida’s a great team, and Florida International is a great team too. They’re very athletic, very fast, and they’re going to make big plays. I think we need to come out here, get a very good game plan going into this week, go out and play the best we can, and we’ll come out on top, unlike we did last Saturday (a little stifled laugh).”
The Rockets took the loss Saturday night hard. But the leadership and maturity exhibited by the players Opelt mentioned, and especially by Aaron himself, would lead one to believe that there is business to attend to this Saturday, and they mean to take care of it.
Check back in over the next few days as we talk with Tyrell Herbert, Morgan Williams, and John Allen (who is bigger than I thought!).
|