Toledo won the Mid-American Conference in 2017 with one of the best offenses in program history.
The script hasn’t been completely flipped — UT’s 2022 defense, while good, is not among its best ever. And the offense remains a big part of the equation.
But the rise of Toledo’s defense has played a leading role in the progression of the Rockets under head coach Jason Candle. Gone are the days of UT needing to outscore opponents in Big 12-style shootouts.
“After the 2017 season, we knew we were going to take some lumps on defense in ‘18 and potentially ‘19 because some of our better players were freshmen and sophomores — Dyontae Johnson, Desjuan Johnson, Terrence Taylor,” Candle said.