Toledo records the largest MAC over SEC victory since 1971 in a dominant showing.
A scheduled cowbell concert Saturday night in Starkville, MS was canceled for a rocket launch.
The Toledo Rockets stormed into SEC country and not only defeated Mississippi State. They eviscerated them. Toledo controlled the contest for all 60 minutes of action to generate a commanding 41-17 statement victory.
The Rockets snapped the SEC’s 32-game win streak over the MAC, recording the first MAC over SEC victory since they defeated Arkansas in 2015. The 24-point margin of victory is the second-highest ever for a MAC program against SEC competition, only trailing Ohio’s 29-point triumph over Kentucky in 1971.
Toledo wasted no time going for the jugular. The Rockets blasted to a 28-3 halftime lead, scoring on four long first half possessions that all spanned over 60 yards. Things got so lopsided where one point in the second quarter, Toledo was out-gaining Mississippi State in the yardage department, 177-8.
The Rockets weren’t scoring explosive touchdowns as all five stemmed from inside the 15-yard line. Rather, they just chipped away at the Bulldog defense with a steady run game and the arm of quarterback Tucker Gleason. Gleason tossed 285 passing yards and three touchdowns in a spectacularly efficient 23-of-28 showing, keeping the Rocket offense on the field with his lack of miscues. He connected early and often with his top targets Junior Vandeross III and Jerjuan Newton, who totaled 73 yards and a touchdown and 62 yards and two touchdowns, respectively.
While the Rockets were piling on the points, Mississippi State was piling on the punts. The Bulldogs were subject to three-and-outs on four of their first five possessions, and even their lone first half scoring drive was a huge win for the Rocket defense — considering Mississippi State traveled as far as the Toledo 1-yard line and wound up kicking a field goal. Toledo feasted in the backfield Saturday night, attaining five sacks in the victory with outside linebacker Daniel Bolden notching a team-high 1.5. Meanwhile, the Rockets’ pass protection was near-immaculate as a Toledo o-line featuring five new starters this season didn’t yield a single sack to Mississippi State.
When Mississippi State finally shattered through a figurative cinderblock wall to score its first touchdown, only 5:30 remained in the third quarter. Most fans decked in maroon already funneled out of the stands as Toledo established a lead as large as 35-3 by the 10-minute mark of the third quarter.
The Bulldogs scored once again in the final stanza, but it was too late, and Toledo answered Mississippi State’s comeback effort with a pair of fourth quarter field goals. The significance of these Dylan Cunanan field goals? They allowed Toledo to become the first-ever MAC team to post 40 points on an SEC opponent in the 41-17 finish.
The Rockets flew the MAC pirate flag on the field to celebrate a thumping in Starkville. Toledo improved to 3-0 in non-conference play with the victory as one of two unscathed MAC programs, along with No. 25 Northern Illinois. Jason Candle and his team remain on the road another week as they prepare to conclude the non-conference slate at Western Kentucky, looking to build further on a win for the ages.