Paced by a young, but talented defense and an efficient offense, Toledo defeated Arkansas State 31-10 on Friday night.
Make no mistake about it: this is a big win for the Rockets. Sure, Toledo had won the last two meetings in this series, but the Red Wolves are a much better team this year. Given that the Rockets had to replace 12 starters this season – including eight on defense – most people expected to see Arkansas State win this contest.
Boy, were we wrong!
Toledo’s new starters on defense dominated the line of scrimmage all night long. The Rocket D never allowed Arkansas State’s offense to get in any sort of rhythm, recording four sacks and forcing a number of errant throws. On the evening, the Red Wolves completed just 11-of-25 passes for 124 yards. 83 of those yards came on a jump pass in the fourth quarter when the game was already out of reach.
While those numbers speak for themselves, it’s worth noting that the UT defense was absolutely outstanding on crucial downs. The Rocket defense limited Arkansas State to 3 of 13 on third down, and came up with a crucial goal line stand that prevented the Red Wolves from cutting the lead to 14 with just over six minutes remaining.
Of course, the defense wasn’t the only unit that came up big on third down. Led by quarterback Logan Woodside – who threw for a career-high 371 yards – Toledo’s offense kept the sticks moving all night long. UT converted 10 of its first 12 third down chances, and finished 12 of 17 on the evening.
That, my friends, is what decided the ball game. The Rocket offense not only wore down the Red Wolf defense, but the long drives helped make it hard for the ASU offense to get anything going.
So, what does Toledo’s impressive victory mean in the grand scheme of things?
I think it has to vault them into the Group of Five NY6 bowl bid conversation. Although I realize that making this statement after just one game seems like a bit of an overreaction, this is the second straight impressive win that the Rockets have posted under the leadership of Jason Candle. He appears to be just what the doctor ordered for a talented Toledo program that keeps coming up just one game short of reaching the MAC Championship.
Will the Rockets actually earn the G5’s automatic bid? It’s tough to say after just one game.
However, Toledo has won its last nine non-home games, including a victory over the Arkansas Razorbacks. If – and it’s a big if – UT can extend this streak through the end of the season, they’ll make it tough for the Selection Committee to leave them out.
