Game stories courtesy of MAC Athletic Communications Staffs.
Toledo 27, Bowling Green 20
Box Score
Postgame Notes
TOLEDO, Ohio -- Toledo sophomore running back Kareem Hunt rushed for a career-high 265 yards to lead Toledo to a 27-20 victory over arch-rival Bowling Green at the Glass Bowl Wednesday night. The victory, the Rockets’ fifth-straight over BGSU, kept the Battle of I-75 Trophy in the Glass City. More importantly, it kept Toledo (7-4, 6-1 MAC) in the hunt for the Mid-American Conference West Division title.
Played on a blustery evening with windchills creeping down into the teens, the 79th meeting between the two schools lived up to its billing. Toledo held a 13-10 lead at halftime, saw the Falcons tie the game in the fourth quarter, recaptured the lead, then stopped BGSU on its final three possessions.
While there were numerous subplots to the contest, the headliner was Hunt, who battered the Falcons (7-4, 5-2 MAC) all night long and gave UT a 20-10 lead in the third quarter with a 91-yard touchdown run, the third-longest in school history. Hunt accounted for 273 of Toledo’s 389 total yards of offense, including eight yards on one reception. His 265 rushing yards on 30 carries ranks as the fourth-most in Rocket history and the most since Morgan Williams set the school mark with 330 in 2008.
The Rockets used both sophomore Logan Woodside and senior Dwight Macon at quarterback. Woodside completed 8-of-18 passes for 53 yards, while Macon rushed for 30 yards and two TDs.
Toledo’s defense also played a big role in the victory, holding the Falcons to just 271 yards of total offense. BGSU connected on just 12-of-27 passing and was held to 2.7 yards per attempt on the ground.
Toledo struck the first blow of the night, a two-yard TD run by Hunt with 3:57 left in the first quarter. The big play on the drive was a 20-yard run by Hunt to the BG five-yard line. The Falcons came right back with a 10-play, 63-yard drive that produced a 23-yard field goal by Tyler Tate.
The Rockets extended the lead to 13-3 on a two-yard rush by senior Dwight Macon from the Wildcat formation. Once again, the score was set up by a big run by Hunt, this time a 44-yarder that brought the ball to the BG 14-yard line.
Toledo moved into Falcon territory on its next possession but a Woodside pass was intercepted by Nick Johnson and returned to the UT 25-yard line. A penalty on the play moved it in even closer, and two plays later Ronnie Moore ran around the right end for a 10-yard TD, cutting the lead to 13-10 with 9:32 left in the half.
Both teams failed to score on their first pair of possessions in the second half before things got interesting. The Falcons recovered a Macon fumble on the UT 29-yard line and seemingly took the lead three plays later on a 27-yard TD pass from James Knapke to Roger Lewis. But replay officials ruled that Lewis stepped out of bounds, negating the play.
Following a Falcon punt that put the ball at the UT nine-yard line, Hunt broke free for a 91-yard touchdown run, the third-longest run in Rocket history, to give Toledo a 20-10 lead.
Another Rocket turnover, an interception by Clint Stephens, set up a 31-yard Tate field goal, cutting the lead to 20-13 with 2:05 to play in the third quarter. On the ensuing kickoff, Kishon Wilcher returned the kickoff 77 yards to the 19-yard line. But UT could not move the ball and Jeremiah Detmer’s 29-yard field goal attempt was blocked.
Bowling Green then tied the score at 20-20 on an 86-yard drive that took just six plays. Knapke completed passes of 32, 30 and 17 yards, the final pass a TD to Ronnie Moore.
Toledo regained the lead seven-play, 52-yard drive that featured the rushing of Hunt and Macon. Both had runs of 17 yards, while Macon took it the final seven yards to make it a 27-20 game with 10:45 to play.
The Rocket defense then took over, stopping the Falcons on their final three possessions. The game ended with a sack on second down by linebacker Tre James, followed by two incompletions.
Afterward, the Rocket seniors held the Battle of I-75 Trophy knowing they finish their careers never having lost to their hated rivals.
The Rockets will play in their regular-season finale at Eastern Michigan on Friday, Nov. 28 with the MAC West Division title potentially on the line. A Toledo win coupled with a Northern Illinois loss at Western Michigan on that same day would send the Rockets to the MAC title game for the first time since 2004.
