Rockets Open Up 2017 Spring Football Practice

             TOLEDO, OH – The calendar says February but it was the first day of spring in the Fetterman Training Center today for the Toledo football team. The Rockets opened up their 2017 spring practice season with a morning practice, the first of 15 practices that will culminate on March 25.

            Head Coach Jason Candle said he was pleased with his team's first practice.

            "We had a good first day. It was good to see the guys back out practicing doing what they love," said Candle. "We're ready to practice. It was fun to get back out."

            Toledo moved up its spring practice schedule by two weeks this year.

            "A lot of it has to do with retention of what we do offensively and defensively," Candle said of the move. "Keeping everything fresh in our player's minds was a big factor. We'll continue to add things to our schemes as we go along, but overall I thought this was a good first practice."

             Toledo is coming off a 9-4 season in 2016, including a berth into the Raycom Media Camellia Bowl. The Rockets did lose some key players from last year's squad but plenty of talent remains, including 15 starters and five All-MAC players.

         UT returns one of the nation's most explosive offenses. Led by senior quarterback Logan Woodside, Toledo averaged 38.0 points per game and led the Mid-American Conference in total offense with 517.8 yards per game. Woodside paced the nation with 45 touchdown pass. Two of his favorite targets are back—Cody Thompson (64 receptions, 11 TDs, 19.8 ypc) and Jon'Vea Johnson (40/10/19.3)—as is 2015 second-team All-MAC running back Terry Swanson. On defense, the Rockets return seven starters, including All-MAC linebacker Ja'Wuan Woodley.

        The Rockets open the 2017 season with a home game vs. Elon on Thursday, Aug. 31. For season tickets, go online, call 419-530-GOLD (4653) or stop by the UT Athletic Ticket Office.

Players Mentioned

Jon'Vea Johnson

Terry Swanson

Cody Thompson

Ja'Wuan Woodley

Logan Woodside

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