TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo enters its final game of the regular season at Akron on Tuesday, Nov. 26 (7:00 p.m./ESPN2) with a chance to win its eighth game and enhance its resume for a bowl game.
The Rockets, who have a 15-year bowl eligibility streak, have played in the post-season seven times under Head Coach Jason Candle, including in each of the last three seasons.
Toledo (7-4, 4-3 MAC) is coming off a 24-7 loss to Ohio that knocked it out of contention for its third straight trip to the MAC Championship Game. The Rockets led the Bobcats 7-0 at halftime, but Ohio scored 24 points in the second half to claim the victory.
Junior quarterback Tucker Gleason finished 9-of-17 for 136 yards and a touchdown, completing a score to Anthony Torres. Junior running back Willie Shaw returned to the backfield and led Toledo with 30 yards on six carries. Senior Jerjuan Newton finished with four catches for a team-high 45 yards.
Defensively, senior Maxen Hook recorded a career-high 16 tackles and added a goal-line interception. Senior Daniel Bolden added eight tackles and led Toledo with 1.5 tackles for loss on the evening.
Akron (3-8, 2-5 MAC) is coming off a 38-17 win at rival Kent State on Tuesday, Nov. 19. Despite their record, the Zips have played several close games against some of the top tier schools in the MAC. They lost by 11 points or fewer to Bowling Green (27-20), Western Michigan (34-24) and Buffalo (41-30).
Toledo vs. Akron
Tuesday, Nov. 26 – 7:00 p.m.
InfoCision Field, Akron, Ohio
• TEAM RECORDS:
Toledo (7-4, 4-3 MAC)
Akron (3-8, 2-5 MAC)
• SERIES RECORD: Toledo leads, 13-9. The Rockets won the last meeting, a 49-14 win at the Glass Bowl in 2021.
• THE COACHES:
Jason Candle, 72-39 (9th year) at Toledo, same overall. 2-2 vs. Ohio.
Joe Moorhead, 7-28 (3rd year) at Akron, 59-53 (8th year) overall. 0-0 vs. Toledo.
• TV/STREAMING: ESPN2
Play by Play: Matt Schumaker
Analyst: Dustin Fox
• ROCKET RADIO NETWORK: Pregame begins at 5:30 p.m.
Play by Play: Mark Beier
Analyst: Jack Mewhort
Sidelines: Mike Robinson
• WEB-AUDIO: Free live audio streaming of the UT Rocket Radio Network broadcast on UTRockets.com.
• X/TWITTER:
@ToledoFB: Regular updates on UT Football, live updates on Game Day.
Rocket Launches
• Toledo leads the series with Akron, 13-9. Toledo won the last meeting, 49-14, in the regular-season finale at the Glass Bowl in 2021. The two teams met twice in 2017, with Toledo winning both times, a 48-21 triumph in Toledo and 45-28 win in the MAC Championship Game.
• Toledo and Akron rarely played from 1997-2023 as they were in opposite divisions, having met just eight times in the last 27 seasons. Toledo leads the series, 11-3, since Akron joined the MAC in 1992.
• Toledo’s win over CMU on Nov. 12 clinched its 15th consecutive season without a losing record, the fifth-longest streak in the FBS.
• Jason Candle (72-39) needs one win to tie Gary Pinkel (73-37-3 from 1991-2000) as Toledo’s all-time leader.
• Toledo is second in the MAC in passing offense (242.3) and passing efficiency (141.52).
• Toledo leads the MAC in punt return average (13.9) and is second in kickoff return average (24.8).
• Toledo has four seniors who have been invited to post-season all-star games:
– Senior Bowl: DL Darius Alexander, S Maxen Hook
– Hula Bowl: WR Jerjuan Newton, TE Anthony Torres
– East-West Shrine Game: DL Darius Alexander, S Maxen Hook
This article was published at utrockets.com on 2024-11-23 14:38:00
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