Miami Hurricanes HC Mark Richt has high praise for Toledo’s Jason Candle
The Miami Hurricanes will play their first true road game of 2018 when they travel to Toledo on Saturday. Miami Head Coach Mark Richt had high praise for Rockets Head Coach Jason Candle.
The Miami Hurricanes had to rally to defeat Toledo at Hard Rock Stadium in 2017. That was Miami’s first game back after two weeks off due to Hurricane Irma last season.
The Rockets led 16-10 at halftime before Miami exploded for 42 points in the second half to win 52-30. Miami outscored Toledo 28-14 in a wild fourth quarter.
Toledo enters Saturday’s game off of a bye week. The Rockets won their season opener two weeks ago 66-3 against FCS Virginia Military Institute.
Candle is one of the best young Head Coaches in College Football. He is 22-7 in two-plus seasons. He took over from Matt Campbell who left for Iowa State at the end of the 2015 season. Candle coached the Rockets to a victory over then number 24 Temple in the Boca Raton Bowl in his debut.
Richt has great respect for the job Candle has done thus far. The third-year Hurricanes Head Coach discussed Candle with Hurricane Sports.Com. The Rockets were 9-4 in Candle’s first full season in 2016. They followed that up with an 11-3 record and the MAC Championship last season.
"“He was [MAC] Coach of the Year last year. They won their league last year – great job by him and his staff. Of course we played them a year ago, it was our first game off [Hurricane Irma] and it was a barn-burner. It was a battle to the very end.They did a great job and our guys fought like mad too, and we ended up winning it. It was a great battle, and we expect the same [Saturday]. We’re going to be in their house, I guess we’ll be on ESPN2, I just found out, at high noon….We’ll have to do battle in their house.”"
The Rockets are 12-1 at the Glass Bowl under Campbell. Their lone loss was to MAC rival Ohio and former Nebraska Head Coach Frank Solich in 2016. The Hurricanes defeated Solich and the Cornhuskers in the 2001 National Championship Game. Toledo enters Saturday’s game with a nine-game home winning streak.
The game is huge for Toledo. It’s not necessarily the biggest home game in school history like they were for FAU in 2015, Appalachian State in 2016 and would have been for Arkansas State last season. It will be the first time the Rockets have hosted a top 25 team since then number 22 Missouri played at the Glass Bowl in 2014.
Candle discussed the importance of the game for his program.
"“The game’s not just another game…Any time you hear that, I think that’s coach-speak. Your preparation has to be that it’s just another game and what the details of that looks like. We’re not going to sacrifice who we are Monday through Friday.If you ask the casual fan, I don’t think anybody even remembered we had a game before them.”"
Toledo hosts Nevada next weekend to conclude a three-game homestand to begin the season. Miami will return home next Saturday to host FIU. That begins a three game homestand for the Hurricanes. Miami hosts North Carolina on September 27 and Florida State October 6.
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As Richt said the Hurricanes are back on the ESPN family of networks after the game against Savannah State was televised by ACC Network Extra. Miami’s next two games are also definitely on one of the ESPN channels. The FIU game has not been specified yet.