What Toledo coach Jason Candle said about Notre Dame football
Toledo coach Jason Candle was just like the rest of college football fans on Sunday night: seated in front of a television screen watching No. 9 Notre Dame escape with a victory over an inspired Florida State squad playing in front of nearly 70,000 of their home fans.
Candle and his coaching staff accounted for a few of the 8.8 million viewers who were tuned in when Notre dame senior kicker Jonathan Doerer nailed the game-winning kick in overtime. Now, those folks are preparing to try to do what Florida State came so close to accomplishing but couldn't in the end: knock off the Fighting Irish.
“We’re playing a great football team," Candle told reporters this week. "They’re talented across the board, very well coached in all three phases. I have total respect for Coach Kelly and his staff and what they have been able to do. As I said, this historically is a top-five program that wins consistently.”
Candle knows Saturday's game (2:30 ET, Peacock) at Notre Dame Stadium will be special for a variety of reasons. It'll be the first full-capacity crowd at the historic venue in nearly two years, and it's taking place on an emotional anniversary for the entire country.
"Obviously this game [is on] the 20th anniversary of 9/11, the worst event in our country’s history, and the first [regular home] Notre Dame football game in a long time," Candle said. "This is a big deal not only for Notre Dame fans but Toledo fans and fans of college football. We’re looking forward to going out and playing a great football team and giving it our best shot."
The Rockets started the season with a 49-10 blowout win over Norfolk State. Notre Dame, needless to say, is not Norfolk State. That's not altering Candle's mindset, though.
“It’s going to be a great experience, but we’re not going for a great experience," Candle said. "We want to go win the football game and do the best job we can to try and make the plays necessary to go win the game."
Notre Dame has never lost to a Mid-American Conference opponent. The Fighting Irish's average margin of victory over MAC teams has been 30.8 points in its five-game winning streak dating back to the first contest against one in 2010.
They say there's a first time for everything. Will that hold true this weekend? Odds are it won't. Notre Dame is favored by 16.5 points according to BetMGM. That's a number that's of no consequence to Candle.
"This is what every young man wants to be a part of," Candle said. "College football’s pageantry is back, the stands are full, the bands are there, the cheerleaders are there, reporters are there, everybody’s tweeting, everybody’s talking, it’s back to normal. Let’s go have fun with it and go play as hard as you possibly can, stay disciplined and have that emotional intelligence we were talking about, and let’s see how the chips fall."
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