 TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
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By Brian Nowicki  It was closer than many expected, but Toledo wore down Buffalo in the 2nd half for a 38-15 victory to improve to 6-1 overall and 4-0 in the Mid-American Conference. Trinity Dawson and Quinton Broussard each rushed for 119 yards for the Rockets as they had 478 yards in total offense and scored 38 points against a defense that has been holding opponents to 357 yards in total offense and 26 points per game. Senior QB Bruce Gradkowski was 16 of 21 passing for 186 yards and 3 touchdowns against 2 interceptions. Sophomore Andrew Hawkins led all receivers with 5 catches for 100 yards and 1 touchdown.It was a slow start for the Rockets, and they trailed 12-10 before a Bruce Gradkowski touchdown pass to junior WR Steve Odom with just 44 seconds left in the first half to give Toledo a 17-12 halftime lead. Gradkowski was 11 of 13 passing for 84 yards with 2 touchdowns and 1 interception at halftime for Toledo. Trinity Dawson led the way with 106 yards rushing on 12 carries in the first half. The 2nd half belonged to Quinton Broussard, who rushed for 113 yards in the 2nd half after just 6 yards in the 1st half and Andrew Hawkins, who caught a 70 yard touchdown pass to put the Rockets up 24-12 early in the 3rd quarter. After giving up 12 points in the first half, the Rocket defense stepped up in the 2nd half and allowed just 3 points to Bufffalo in the half. The defense also got two turnovers in the 2nd half with an interception by Keon Jackson and a fumble recovery by Mike Alston. Buffalo was a 30 point underdog, but they kept the game interesting for three quarters mostly due to a very good 3rd and 4th down conversion rate. They finished the game 8 of 16 on 3rd downs and 2 of 2 on 4th downs. Buffalo came into this game converting on just 27% of their 3rd down plays for the season. While Toledo may have been looking past Buffalo to a MAC West Division showdown at Central Michigan next week, you have to give Buffalo credit for having one of their best offensive performances of the season. Buffalo falls to 0-4 in the MAC and 0-7 overall. The 38 points scored by Toledo ties the season high given up by Buffalo. They also gave up 38 points in the season opener against UCONN. Toledo is now averaging 39.5 points per game against MAC opponents and giving up just 13.75 points per game to MAC opponents. Attendance at the game was 23,904. Next Saturday Toledo travels to Mount Pleasant, MI to take on the Central Michigan Chippewas. Central Michigan is 3-1 in the MAC with wins at Miami University and at Akron earlier this year. The game is scheduled for a 1pm start and will be aired live on Fox Sports Ohio. Have a question or comment for Brian? Email |