Ohio’s historic road wins knocks the Rockets from title contention.
For only the third time since 1967, Ohio (8-3, 6-1 MAC) beat Toledo (7-4, 4-3 MAC) in the Glass Bowl. Wednesday night’s win not only keeps Ohio in a tie for first place with only one game to play, but dashes the Rockets’ hopes for another shot at the crown.
Ohio’s critical triumph was fueled by a defensive performance for the ages and a gritty second-half offensive performance, as the Bobcats scored 24 straight points en route to victory formation.
The contest started as a defensive battle for most of the first half with 10 total punts interrupted by a brief —but critical — glimmer of success for Toledo’s offense on a short field.
Both defensive lines were particularly dominant in stretches early with each team gaining only 44 total yards in the first quarter. Toledo looked like it had something brewing in the first quarter with a great punt that pinned Ohio at its own three-yard line but Ohio strung together its best offensive drive of the opening stanza to flip the field.
Into the second quarter, the MAC’s leading punt returner wideout Bryson Hammer provided the spark Toledo so desperately needed on a 19-yard return, setting them up at midfield to start the drive. Propelled by quarterback Tucker Gleason’s key runs and throws, the Rockets scored the only points of the first half on a seven-play drive capped by a 23-yard touchdown toss to tight end Anthony Torres.
With Toledo gaining momentum after the score and seemingly another defensive stop, Ohio called an excellent fake punt on a direct snap to tight end Mason Williams who rambled for the first down. The success provided by the gutsy call was short-lived however after a holding call followed by a false start ended the scoring drive but did at least help flip the field.
Toledo’s offense fared no better at this point with multiple drives late in the second starting deep in their own territory. By halftime, both offenses looked out of sync with negative plays and penalties mounting and expected futility ensuing.
However, with a MAC title bid at stake, the first 20 minutes of the second half was nothing short of one of the grittiest performances of the season by both teams. Intense red zone battles flared between Ohio’s offense and Toledo’s defense with the Bobcats prevailing by mid-fourth quarter.
It was Toledo’s defense though that would make the first big play. Near the beginning of the third quarter, Ohio drove inside the Toledo ten but a throw by Bobcat Parker Navarro was intercepted by safety Maxen Hook to kill the drive.
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The Rockets’ good fortune was short-lived as on the next play a Rocket receiver, fighting hard for every yard, was stripped by Bobcat defensive back DJ Walker and the fumble was recovered by corner Roman Parodie.
Ohio did not waste its great field position as the O-line and Anthony Tyus III willed their way to their biggest play of the night at that point. Tyus III found a crack in the Rockets tough defense and sprinted 34-yards to the Toledo six-yard line. An epic struggle ensued near the goal line. with the ‘Cats ultimately prevailing on a Navarro three-yard run to tie the game at seven.
Wheels kept falling off the wagon for the Rockets when on the ensuing drive linebacker Blake Leake stripped the Toledo back of the football on an option pitch which was alertly scooped up by defensive back Adonis Williams Jr. for more great field position near the 50-yard line.
Another battle for supremacy ensued with Ohio’s offense prevailing with a bit of luck. Ohio was gaining traction in the running game and overcame multiple penalties to reach the red zone. At that point however, Toledo seemed to strip Navarro of the ball, but the turnover was waived off by an unreviewable call that the quarterback’s forward momentum had stopped prior to the fumble. With Ohio retaining possession, the grind resumed until Navarro squirted across the goal line to hit paydirt on fourth and one.
With the score 14-7 and Ohio’s defense shutting down Toledo again, the Bobcats’ offense started the next drive beyond its 40-yard line. Ohio’s will in the running game became just too much for the Rockets by that time as Navarro broke loose for a 45-yard scamper. With the ball inside the five, Anthony Tyus III finished off the drive on a short run for the 21-7 lead.
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With eight minutes to play, Toledo brought in QB John Allen Richter due to an apparent injury to Gleason. Things did not end well as Toledo was forced to try to convert a 4th and 19 on its side of the field but a bad snap and sack by ‘Cat linebacker Shay Taylor effectively ended the game.
Notes
- Ohio has now won its last four MAC games against contenders Buffalo, Toledo, and Eastern Michigan (and Kent State) by a combined score of 147-33.
- Ohio’s defensive impact today cannot be overstated. Toledo came into the game averaging 25 points and 373 yards per game in MAC play and scored only seven points on 194 total yards including only 21 yards rushing. The ‘Cats also forced three turnovers in the second half to provide a spark to an offense that was searching for a rhythm against a very good defensive opponent. Toledo had a total of seven fumbles and Ohio enjoyed an over 2-1 advantage in time of possession, roughly 42-18 minutes.
- Linebacker Shay Taylor continues to play lights out, leading the squad with eight tackles for loss, 1 sack, and 1.5 tackles for loss. With one arm in a cast, linebacker Blake Leake finished with eight stops and a forced fumble. Cornerback Roman Parodie recovered two fumbles.
- As much as the defense contributed, Ohio’s offense in the second half displayed perhaps the MAC’s best example of a will to win all season. Ohio only mustered 62 yards rushing in the first half but found a way to grind out 238 yards rushing on the day to get three touchdowns across the goal line. The offensive line created some cracks in the Rockets’ vaunted defense and running back Anthony Tyus III and quarterback Parker Navarro finished with a combined 51 carries for 229 yards and three touchdowns. Tyus III was the definition of a workhorse with 33 tough carries on the day.
- The Bobcats only threw for 129 yards but with Coleman Owen injured in the first half, wideout Caleb Gossett had by far his most impactful game as a Bobcat with six catches for 86 yards. Coming into the contest Gossett had a career stat line of nine catches for 58 yards.
- Toledo’s run defense was stellar in the first half against one of the MAC’s top rushing offenses, allowing only 3.0 yards per carry, well below Ohio’s league leading 5.4 yards per tote. Ultimately, the defense showed great pride and effort but just could not hold Ohio’s running game in check in the second half.
- Maxen Hook played like a Sunday player on his final home game of a great career, finishing with 16 tackles to go along with the interception in the end zone in the third quarter.
- Wideout Jerjuan Newton’s four catches move him ahead of Corey Jones for seventh best all-time in Rockets history with 190 receptions.
- With a win next week, Toledo’s Jason Candle can tie Gary Pinkel for the most wins by a head coach in program history with 73.
Ohio heads home to “The Frank” on Friday, November 29th, to take on the Ball State Cardinals. The Bobcats punch their ticket to Detroit and the championship game with a win over BSU.
Toledo heads to Akron on Tuesday, November 26th, to close out the regular season against the Zips, with a bowl bid pending for the Rockets. Time and channel for both games to be determined.