Matt Florjancic
The Chronicle-Telegram

From the end zone at Ely Stadium to glory in The Glass Bowl, University of Toledo sophomore and Elyria native Danny Noble has experienced a lot of success on the football field.

When the Rockets hosted the University of Colorado Buffaloes in a nationally televised match-up last Friday, Noble started just his second game and helped Toledo earn a 54-38 victory.

After forcing the Buffaloes to punt on their initial drive, the Rockets marched 84 yards in eight plays. The drive was capped off when Noble caught an 8-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Aaron Opelt.

“It was fun,” Noble said. “It was my first touchdown, but we practice like a game, so it just felt the same. I was just excited that we got ahead of them early in the game. I wasn’t thinking about the first touchdown.

“That really helped us with momentum,” he added. “The first touchdown got the crowd really into the game and we feed off the crowd.”

The Rockets built a 23-3 halftime lead and scored five more times in the second half.

With the Rockets’ win over Colorado, a team out of the Big 12, they claimed their second win in as many years over a team from a Bowl Championship Series conference. Last season, the Rockets went to Ann Arbor and defeated the University of Michigan, 13-10.

Despite that upset, the Rockets underwent a coaching change after the 2008 season.

Eight-year coach Tom Amstutz stepped down and Tim Beckman was hired in December to replace him. Beckman is the 25th coach in Toledo’s football history.

“It’s a completely different feel,” Noble said. “Those first two games, as an offense, we put points on the board. We’re going into the game thinking that we’re going to continue to do what we’ve been doing so far.

“Coach has put more confidence in the players on the team that weren’t getting a chance to see the ball as much as other people. Now, they’re more confident to come up and make plays and not scared to make the plays that they’re supposed to make. Basically, it’s a heavy confidence-booster because we always had the weapons. I always felt like I was in my cocoon, just waiting to get my chance.”

Noble will get another opportunity to display his skills against a BCS-conference opponent today when the Rockets host Ohio State at Cleveland Browns Stadium.

“It’s going to be a fun game, but real challenging to score early,” Noble said. “I think it’s going to be a really good game. I always wanted to go up against Ohio State. They’re supposed to be the powerhouse of Ohio and we want to see if it’s the truth.

“The more people that are there to support, the better I end up playing.”

With the opportunity to play in front of the “home crowd,” Noble and his teammates know they can take a major step in accomplishing their goals for the season.

“As a team, we want to get into a BCS game,” Noble said. “That’s our ultimate goal, but the goal that we mainly focus on is getting into the MAC Championship game. It’s been a while (since) Toledo’s been there. We used to be one of the powerhouses in the MAC and we’re just trying to bring that back. Individually, I just want to do whatever it takes to help our team win games and hopefully become first-team All-MAC.”

Preparing for Ohio State will be especially time consuming for Noble, who lines up as both a tight end and wide receiver. Noble has had to learn the offensive playbook inside and out from two different spots on the field.

When he’s on the edge, his main job is to create throwing lanes for the quarterback, while he has to stand in and block as a tight end. Though he’s been busy working on his game, Noble has noticed a different type of edge to practice leading up to the Ohio State game.

“Everybody’s going into practice focused,” he said. “We’re always focused, but we’ve got to focus that extra notch. Coach is coaching us extra, extra hard. Even though they do that all the time, it’s more of a serious game. We can’t be lackadaisical on the sideline or anything. Everybody’s got to be on their toes this week.”

Contact Matt Florjancic at 329-7135 or ctsports@chroniclet.com.

THE DANNY NOBLE FILE

• College: The University of Toledo

• Position: Wide Receiver/Tight End

• Height: 6-foot-5

• Weight: 236 pounds

• Key Statistics: In two games this season, Noble has seven catches for 74 yards and one touchdown.

• Fast Fact: He is listed as a tight end on the roster, but moved into a hybrid role of tight end/wide receiver. Noble’s 6-foot-5 frame makes him a great target, but his bulk also makes him an asset blocking next to either bookend tackle on the offensive line.

TODAY

• WHO: No. 11 Ohio State (1-1) vs. Toledo (1-1)

• TIME: Noon

• WHERE: Cleveland Browns Stadium

• TV/RADIO: Channel 5; WEOL 930-AM, WKNR 850-AM

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