A driving rain limited the passing games for both teams, forcing them to lean on the running game.
Toledo was able to . . .
Central was held to 244 yards of total offense, including just 49 yards and two first downs in the first half. Morris was 17-of-37 for 182 yards and two interceptions. CMU gained just 62 yards in 21 attempts on the ground, an average of 2.9 yards per carry.
Toledo (5-1, 2-0 MAC) gained 399 yards of total offense. Senior quarterback Logan Woodside managed the game well, completing 10-of-18 passes for 89 yards, as UT leaned on the running game more than at any time this season. Redshirt freshman Shakif Seymour added a career-best 119 rushing yards, all in the fourth quarter.
The game started with a light rain but by the middle of the first quarter the conditions worsened, with a hard rain and gusty winds making it challenging for the offenses.
Toledo got on the board first on a 48-yard touchdown run by Swanson on a fourth-and-one call midway through the first quarter. The teams then exchanged empty possessions until Jameson Vest connected on a 41-yard field goal to give Toledo a 10-0 lead with 8:49 to play in the half.
Swanson came through again on fourth down late in the first half, scoring from 22 yards out on fourth-and-two to make it 17-0 with 1:19 left before intermission.
Central Michigan (3-4, 1-2 MAC) got on the board with a 23-yard field goal by Michael Armstrong with 27 seconds left in the third quarter. But the Rockets put the game safely in the win column by responding with an eight-play, 87-yard drive that was finished off by a five-yard run by Woodside. The extra-point attempt hit the upright, making the score 23-3. Seymour had a 39-yard run in the drive,
Moments later, redshirt freshman Justin Clark picked off a pass, setting up an eight-yard TD run by Seymour. CMU scored on a 26-yard pass from Morris to Shane Conklin with a minute to play to close out the scoring.
The Rockets return to Toledo next Saturday to host Akron in a 12 noon kickoff in the Glass Bowl. Central Michigan starts a two-game road stretch by meeting Balll State in Muncie Saturday (3 p.m. ET).
(Courtesy of UT Athletics)