Toledo vs. Air Force: What You Need to Know About the 2011 Military Bowl

Last year's Military Bowl may have been a major disappointment, as Maryland blew out East Carolina 51-20 in what turned out to be an extremely boring game, but this year's version, pitting Toledo and Air Force against each other, has the chance to be much more entertaining.

Toledo will be without head coach Tim Beckman, who was hired by Illinois a few weeks ago, but the Rockets will have one of the top offensive playmakers in the country in WR Eric Page.

Air Force has a few playmakers of its own, though, and both teams should be able to put a good amount of points up on the scoreboard and make this one a much more competitive game than last year's snoozefest.

Here's a look at what you need to know about the two teams competing in the 2011 Military Bowl.

The Basic Details

Date: Dec. 28, 2011

Time: 4:30 p.m. ET

Channel: ESPN

The Spread: Toledo (-3)

Sponsor: Northrup Grumman

Conferences Represented: Air Force (Mountain West), Toledo (MAC)

Stadium: RFK Memorial Stadium

City: Washington, D.C.

Last Year's Result: Maryland 51, East Carolina 20

Toledo's 2011 Resume

Overall Record: 8-4

Conference Record: 7-1 

Sagarin Schedule Rank: 80

Who They Beat: New Hampshire (58-22), Temple (36-13), Eastern Michigan (54-16), Bowling Green (28-21), Miami of Ohio (49-28), Western Michigan (66-63), Central Michigan (44-17), Ball State (45-28)

Who Beat Them: Ohio State (27-22), Boise State (40-15), Syracuse (33-30), Northern Illinois (63-60)

Air Force's 2011 Resume

Overall Record: 7-5

Conference Record: 3-4 

Sagarin Schedule Rank: 112

Who They Beat: South Dakota (37-20), Tennessee State (63-24), Navy (35-34), New Mexico (45-17), Army (24-14), UNLV (45-17), Colorado State (45-21)

Who Beat Them: TCU (35-19), Notre Dame (59-33), San Diego State (41-27), Boise State (37-26), Wyoming (25-17)

Toledo by the Numbers

Offense

Points Per Game: 42.3

Yards Per Game: 493

Passing Yards Per Game: 272

Rushing Yards Per Game: 221

Yards Per Play: 6.4

Defense

Points Per Game: 30.9

Yards Per Game: 401

Passing Yards Per Game: 278

Rushing Yards Per Game: 123

Yards Per Play: 5.8

Special Teams

Field Goal Percentage: 83 percent

Yards Per Punt: 36.9

Yards Per Kick Return: 18.3 

Yards Per Punt Return: 12

Key Numbers

Turnovers (Gained vs. Lost): 28-12

Third-Down Conversions: 48 percent

Red-Zone Percentage: 92 percent

Air Force by the Numbers

Offense

Points Per Game:  34.4

Yards Per Game: 458

Passing Yards Per Game: 138

Rushing Yards Per Game: 320

Yards Per Play: 6.4

Defense

Points Per Game: 27.3

Yards Per Game: 390

Passing Yards Per Game: 162

Rushing Yards Per Game: 228

Yards Per Play: 5.6

Special Teams

Field Goal Percentage: 83 percent

Yards Per Punt: 41

Yards Per Kick Return: 22.1

Yards Per Punt Return: 10.7

Key Numbers

Turnovers (Gained vs. Lost): 24-24

Third-Down Conversions: 47 percent

Red-Zone Percentage: 86 percent

Toledo's Key Player: WR Eric Page

Toledo WR Eric Page may not have made the AP All-America team this year, but he certainly had an All-American caliber season in 2011.

Page was one of the most productive receivers in the country this season, as he hauled in 112 passes for 1,123 yards and scored 11 touchdowns, and he proved to be one of the most explosive weapons in the country.

The 5'10'', 180-pound junior is the key to Toledo's dangerous passing attack, and he's definitely the type of playmaker that has to be accounted for on every snap.

Air Force's Key Player: QB Tim Jefferson Jr.

The key to Air Force's Flexbone offense is QB Tim Jefferson Jr.

Jefferson has the athleticism, speed and decision-making skills that you desire in a triple-option quarterback, and he's a pretty decent passer as well.

The 6'1'', 205-pound senior threw for 1,478 yards, rushed for 492 yards and scored 16 touchdowns this season.

If Jefferson is on top of his game, Air Force's rushing attack is almost impossible to stop, and the offense's success mainly revolves around him.

Prediction/Breakdown

This will be an intriguing matchup between Toledo's high-powered passing attack and Air Force's potent ground game.

The interesting dynamic in this game is the fact that Toledo coach Tim Beckman has left for Illinois, as it's impossible to tell just how the Rockets players will respond without their coach.

As a whole, Toledo is the more talented team on both sides of the ball, and they've got some dangerous offensive weapons like RB Adonis Thomas, WR Eric Page and quarterbacks Austin Dantin and Terrence Owens.

The key will be how well the Rockets can contain Air Force's rushing attack, led by QB Tim Jefferson Jr. and RB Asher Clark.

If Toledo can keep the Falcons in check and limit their ground game, they've got enough offensive firepower to put some serious points up on the board, but again, it will be interesting to see how the Rockets respond without Beckman on the sideline.

Prediction: Toledo 35, Air Force 24