1996 Toledo Rockets football team

The 1996 Toledo Rockets football team was an American football team that represented the University of Toledo in the Mid-American Conference (MAC) during the 1996 NCAA Division I-A football season. In their sixth season under head coach Gary Pinkel, the Rockets compiled a 7–4 record (6–2 against MAC opponents), finished in a tie for second place in the MAC, and were outscored by all opponents by a combined total of 259 to 210.

1996 Toledo Rockets football
Conference	Mid-American Conference
Record	7–4 (6–2 MAC)
Head coach	Gary Pinkel (6th season)
Offensive coordinator	Mike Dunbar (5th season)
Defensive coordinator	Tom Amstutz (3rd season)
Home stadium	Glass Bowl

1996 Mid-American Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
Ball State $		7	–	1					8	–	4
Toledo		6	–	2					7	–	4
Miami (OH)		6	–	2					6	–	5
Ohio		5	–	3					6	–	6
Central Michigan		4	–	4					5	–	6
Akron		3	–	5					4	–	7
Bowling Green		3	–	5					4	–	7
Eastern Michigan		3	–	5					3	–	8
Western Michigan		2	–	6					2	–	9
Kent State		1	–	7					2	–	9
$ – Conference champion

The team's statistical leaders included Ryan Huzjak with 2,058 passing yards, Kevin Kidd with 453 rushing yards, and James Spriggs with 754 receiving yards.

Schedule

Date	Opponent	Site	Result	Attendance	Source
September 7	Indiana*	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH	L 6–40	25,540
September 14	at Akron	Rubber Bowl Akron, OH	W 27–10
September 21	at Eastern Michigan	Rynearson Stadium Ypsilanti, MI	W 24–7
September 28	Weber State*	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH	W 31–24
October 5	Bowling Green	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH (rivalry)	W 24–16
October 19	at Louisiana Tech*	Joe Aillet Stadium Ruston, LA	L 20–61	17,052
October 26	Western Michigan	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH	W 10–7 OT
November 2	Miami (OH)	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH	L 7–27
November 9	Central Michigan	Glass Bowl Toledo, OH	W 23–20
November 16	at Ball State	Scheumann Stadium Muncie, IN	L 14–24
November 24	at Ohio	Peden Stadium Athens, OH	W 24–23
*Non-conference game

Roster

1996 Toledo Rockets football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense 60 Paul Dalmas OG 6-3 280 Sr 63 Jovan Ilich OL 6-2 270 Fr. Chicago, Ill. 89 Isaiah Jackson TE 6-4 225 So. Massillon, Ohio 84 Brock Kreitzburg FL 6-2 185 So. Akron, Ohio 71 Mike Lenix C 6-6 260 Jr. Toledo, Ohio 74 Chris Williams OT 6-6 290 Jr. Akron, Ohio 21 J.D. Williams TB 5-9 161 So. Palatine, Ill. 8 Vince Wilson HB 6-1 181 Sr. Santa Fe Springs, Calif. 1 Justin Wooley FB 5-11 215 So Pos. # Name Class WR 4 Chris Hall Jr QB 10 Ryan Huzjak Sr WR 9 Nate Jackson Fr OL 61 Jeff Ling Fr WR 25 David Livingston So	Defense 58 John Brown DT 6-1 220 So. Bethesda, Ohio 15 Todd Burch CB 6-0 180 Fr. Warren, Ohio 57 Loren Burkey DE 6-3 236 Jr 98 Rudy Lomberger DL 6-3 253 Fr. Schererville, Ind. 22 Philip Martin CB 5-9 170 Fr. Detroit, Mich. 30 Marcus Matthews LB 5-11 185 Jr. Akron, Ohio 54 Matt Vaillant LB 6-2 225 So. Toledo, Ohio Pos. # Name Class LB 35 Marlon Brisker Sr CB 11 Kelly Herndon So CB 4 Chris Holifield Jr CB 26 Clarence Love Jr DL 99 Adam Mitoraj Fr DT 90 Damon Walker Sr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 3 Ryan Klaer So	Head coach Gary Pinkel Coordinators/assistant coaches Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster