Young talent shines in football's loss to Toledo
Junior wide receiver Jesse Kroll catches a pass for a touchdown against Toledo Saturday at The Glass Bowl stadium in Toledo, OH.
In the Central Michigan University football team’s 42-28 loss to Toledo, it was not senior leaders Titus Davis or Thomas Rawls that put up the best fight for the Chippewas.
Instead it was junior wide receiver Jesse Kroll.
Emerging as sophomore quarterback Cooper Rush’s favorite target this season, Kroll proved to be a viable option once again against the Rockets on Saturday night.
Kroll caught seven passes for 83 yards, and two touchdowns in the loss. Both of Kroll’s touchdown grabs came on nearly identical fade routes in the end zone.
“I love it when we get things clicking. we have so many good weapons on our team,” Kroll said. “When we’re all playing good we can do a lot of damage.”
After Davis went down with a knee injury in CMU’s home opener, Kroll materialized as Rush’s best option out wide.
“(Kroll) is a guy we’ve known is going to be a superstar ever since he’s been here,” said Head coach Dan Enos. “He’s just been hampered by some injuries, but he can be a very good player for us.”
Davis, still regarded as CMU’s top offensive asset, put up 128 yards receiving on six catches in his return to the Chippewa’s lineup. Still, Davis said he appreciates what Kroll has meant to the CMU offense thus far.
“We’ve seen Jesse for the last three years and we know what he can do,” Davis said. “Seeing him continue to stay consistent and make plays helps the offense out a lot.”
Kroll said having Davis back on the field presented more opportunities for him.
“Titus is a great player and we are really happy to have him back,” he said.
Through the five games of this season, Kroll has been targeted by Rush 19 times. In that span he totaled 289 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Kroll has averaged 57.8 yards per reception.
“Cooper (Rush) has more than one option,” Davis said. “Just to see (Kroll) make plays, I think that’s huge for our offense moving forward.”
