KENT, OHIO – The Toledo Rockets scored touchdowns on their first three possessions and went on amass 517 yards of total offense in a 56-34 win over Kent State Thursday at Dix Stadium.
Redshirt freshman RB Bryan Roback rushed for 192 yards and two touchdowns, while junior RB Art Thompkins had 122 yards and two scores as Toledo (6-5, 4-3 MAC) won for the third time in its last four games.
In addition, the win makes UT bowl eligible for the ninth consecutive campaign. It is the sixth MAC team to reach that mark this season, with four of them coming from the Western Division.
Kent State (2-9, 1-6) dropped its second consecutive game and lost for seventh time in its last eight outings.
KSU started the offensive explosion, taking the opening drive of the game 52 yards on four plays . The trip ended with sophomore quarterback Woody Barrett scoring a touchdown from seven yards out. Barrett would finish the evening completing 17-of-33 passes for 198 yards and a touchdown
That early score would be the Flashes only lead of the game.UT scored on its opening possession, as well, with Thompkins reaching paydirt from 31 yards out to tie the score 7-7.
On Toledo’s next possession, sophomore QB Eli Peters engineered a nine-play, 85-yard drive that ended when he found junior TE Reggie Gilliam in the end zone from three yards out.
Koback ended a 21-point first quarter for the Midnight Blue and Gold as he capped an 83-yard eight play drive with a 44-yard run to make it 21-7.
The Flashes, who had 497 yards of offense themselves, kept the game close on a 27-yard field goal by freshman PK Matthew Trickett and a Barrett 19-yard touchdown pass to redshirt freshman WR Isiah McKoy.
With the Rockets holding a 21-17 lead with 3:01 remaining, junior Dionte Johnson took a punt on his own 17 and raced through the elements for 83 yards and a touchdown. It was Johnson’s second return for a score this season. (He returned a kickoff 100 yards in the season opening win over VMI
The Rockets started the second half just like the first as they scored three touchdowns. The run started on a Koback run of 15 yards, and continued when senior LB Tyler Taffe intercepted a Barrett pass and returned it 31 yards for a score. Peters found WR Jon’Vea Johnson on a 35-yard catch and run to make it 49-17.
Thompkins completed UT’s scoring in the fourth quarter with a one-yard run.
KSU had a 76-yard touchdown run by freshman Jo-El Shaw (who rushed for 116 yards), a second Trickett field goal (38 yards) and, finally, a 4-yard Mike Carrigan TD reception from sophomore backup quarterback Dustin Crum. Carrigan had seven catches for 110 yards on the evening.
It was the fifth time this season, UT has scored 50 or more points in a game and was its most in MAC play since running up 66 in a win last season over Bowling Green.
For KSU, it was the most points allowed all season and the most in a conference game since 1998 at Miami (56).
Both teams end the regular season on Friday at home, Toledo will face Central Michigan, while the Flashes battle Eastern Michigan.