The Toledo Rockets crushed the Akron Zips 48-17, keeping their hopes of winning the MAC West championship alive.
Make no mistake about it: this was an impressive victory for Toledo. After all, the Zips came into this contest as one of the better offensive teams in the MAC, ranking 23rd nationally in yards per play, and 33rd in passing yards per game. With that type of explosiveness on offense, the Rockets would have to bring their “A” game to escape InfoCision Stadium with a “W”.
That’s exactly what they did. Toledo’s offense had its best performance in conference play this season, racking up 622 yards. The Rocket ground game was virtually unstoppable, as Kareem Hunt and Terry Swanson combined to run 27 times for 203 yards and two touchdowns. The passing game was just as impressive, as Logan Woodside completed 26 of 37 passes for 327 yards and three touchdowns. With both the running game and the passing attack firing on all cylinders, Toledo converted on 11 of 16 third down chances.
Of course, it was the UT defense that was responsible for the large margin of victory in this contest. The Rocket front seven – which struggled against Ohio last week – controlled the line of scrimmage all night long, holding the Akron running game to just 96 yards on 25 carries. The secondary also turned in a solid outing, allowing the Zips to complete only 50% of their passes, while recording two interceptions. The Rocket D – which entered the game ranked third nationally in third down conversion defense – wouldn’t allow Akron to sustain a long drive, limiting the Zips to just 4 of 11 on third down conversions, and 0 for 1 on fourth down conversions.
With the win over Akron, Toledo kept its hopes of winning the MAC West title alive. Yes, they’re a game behind Western Michigan in the standings, but with a head-to-head victory over the Broncos, the Rockets would play for the MAC Championship for the first time since 2004.
Will it happen? That’s tough to say. Western Michigan is currently undefeated, and has victories over two Big Ten opponents.
However, as Wednesday night’s contest reminded us, the Rocket offense is very tough to stop when it’s firing on all cylinders. Considering that Western Michigan derailed Toledo’s last bid for a perfect record with a 21-14 upset back in 2000, the Rockets would love nothing more to return the favor in the season finale.
