 TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
|
By Brian Nowicki  QB Bruce Gradkowski passed for 236 yards and 2 touchdowns, and ran for another 51 yards an a touchdown as the Rockets defeated the Ohio University Bobcats 30-21. Gradkowski completed 22 of 30 passes in the game, after going 18 of 23 for 195 yards and one touchdown pass with one touchdown run in the 1st half.The Rockets rushed for 293 yards in the game, and had 529 yards in total offense. Trinity Dawson led the way on the ground with 28 rushes for 167 yards, a 6.0 yards per carry average. Quinton Broussard had 9 rushes for 68 yards (7.6 ypc), Bruce Gradkowski had 6 rushes for 51 yards and a TD (8.5 ypc), and Jalen Parmele had 1 carry for 7 yards for the Rockets. Dawson, Broussard, and Gradkowski each had carries of over 30 yards as Dawson had a long of 33 yards, Broussard had a long of 31 yards, and Gradkowski had a long of 31 yards. Ohio University managed to get two touchdowns on their first two drives, but then the Rocket defense took over. The Bobcats had just 293 total yards and 21 points, despite have over 100 total yards and 14 points in the first quarter of the game. Ohio University running back Kalvin McRae rushed for 113 yards, but he had been averaging over 250 yards rushing in each of the last two games.  Anthony Jordan and Keon Jackson each had an interception in the 2nd half for the Rockets. Senior kicker Jason Robbins was 3 of 3 on field goals, making him 10 of 10 on the season. Junior wide receiver Steve Odom had 9 receptions for 107 yards, but didn't make it into the endzone. On top of his 167 yards rushing, Trinity Dawson had 3 receptions for 43 yards and 2 touchdowns. Dawson finished the game with 210 all-purpose yards and 2 total touchdownsToledo received the opening kickoff and went right down the field, but stalled inside the Ohio 10 yard line and had to settle for a field goal. Ohio then surprised Toledo's defense by coming out passing and took a 7-3 lead. The Rockets went right back to work through the air and Bruce Gradkowski connected with Trinity Dawson on a 20 yard TD pass to give Toledo a 10-7 lead. Again, Ohio surprised the Rocket defense and scored another touchdown on a Kalvan McRae 5 yard run to retake the lead at 14-10 with 57 seconds remaining in the 1st quarter. Then the Rocket defense took over and held Ohio to just 30 total yards in the 2nd quarter. Gradkowski ran one in from a yard out and Jason Robbins connected on a 24 yard field goal to give Toledo a 20-14 halftime lead. Toledo dominated the 1st half with 318 total yards compared to Ohio's 144 total yards, but the inability to score touchdowns when inside the Ohio 10 yard line kept it a 6 point game. Toledo looked to take control of the game in the 3rd quarter when Bruce Gradkowski hit Trinity Dawson on an 18 yard TD strike with 4:57 left in the 3rd quarter to take a 27-14 lead into the 4th quarter. However, Ohio scored quickly in the 4th to pull within 27-21.  Jason Robbins connected on a 20 yard field goal with 5:55 left in the 4th quarter to make it 30-21, and then Anthony Jordan intercepted Ohio's Austen Everson deep in Ohio territory to pretty much put the game away.The win moves the Rockets to 7-2 overall and 5-1 in the Mid-American Conference, temporarily a half game ahead of Central Michigan in the MAC West Division race. Central Michigan (5-3 overall, 4-1 MAC) hosts Northern Illinois (4-4 overall, 3-2 MAC) at 1:00PM on Saturday. Despite the half game lead over Central Michigan, Toledo needs some help if they are going to get into the MAC Championship game. Last week Toledo lost a heartbreaker 21-17 at Central Michigan, giving the Chippewas the tie-breaker over the Rockets. After hosting Northern Illinois, Central Michigan will go on the road for their final two regular season games against Western Michigan and Ball State. If one of those three teams can beat the Chippewas, then Toledo will control their own destiny again with two more regular season games remaining. On November 16th the Rockets will host Northern Illinois in a crucial MAC West Division game on ESPN2. Then on November 22nd Toledo will travel down I-75 to play their rival, the Bowling Green Falcons. Have a question or comment for Brian? Email |