For the third straight week, the outcome of . . .
Toledo was able to get a pair of first downs on runs by sophomore Bryant Koback to run out the clock and claim the victory.
"It was a solid team win over a really good team," said head coach Jason Candle. "They were the best team we've played so far in a lot of ways. They gave us a hell of a fight today and had a good plan defensively.
"I thought our guys did a good job of hanging in there and fighting in tough situations and picking up some tough yards when we needed it. We also got some key stops on defense. There were a lot of ebbs and flows in the game with turnovers and a lot of ups and downs. We just found a way to keep playing and answering the bell when we need to."
Guadagni threw for two touchdowns and ran for another in the first half as Toledo jumped out to a 24-7 lead at the break. However, the Broncos fought back, scoring two touchdowns in the third quarter and another in the fourth to set up the game's dramatic finish.
Guadagni completed 14-of-22 passes for 200 yards and two scores. Junior Bryce Mitchell paced the Rockets with four catches for a career-high 119 yards. Sophomore Bryant Koback led the rushing attack with 177 yards on 21 attempts.
The defense was led by Holt, who tied his career high with 12 tackles and a key sack at the end of the game; junior cornerback Samuel Womack, who had four tackles and broke up three passes; and senior defensive tackle Nae Childress, who blocked a field-goal attempt and batted down two passes. The Rockets held Wassink to under 50 percent passing (25-of-51) and held the Bronco offense to 7-of-18 on third down.
Western Michigan quarterback Jon Wassink completed 25 of 51 passes for 303 yards with two touchdowns and one interception.
Skyle Moore paced the Broncos receivers with seven catches for 101 yards. Jaylen Hall and Giovanni Ricci each notched receiving touchdowns.
WMU had 117 yards on the ground, with Levante Bellamy leading the way (143 carries, 70 yards, 1 TD).
Junior linebacker Treshaun Hayward (13 stops, 3 solo) and (11 stops, 2 solo) led the Broncos defense.
Toledo came out on fire, scoring on its first two possessions and putting Western in a 14-0 hole. Mitchell opened the scoring with a leaping 38-yard touchdown catch from Guadagni. After a three-and-out by the Broncos, Guadagni drove the Rockets 50 yards in 10 plays, capped by a shovel pass to Devin Maddox for a five-yard touchdown. WMU answered with a six-yard TD pass from Wassink to Giovanni Ricci, capping off an 11-play, 75-yard drive to cut the score to 14-7.
Second Quarter
Toledo extended its lead to 21-7 on a two-yard TD run by Guadagni that capped a nine-play, 76-yard drive at the 7:24 mark. A 22-yard field goal by Evan Davis padded the lead to 24-7 with a little more than two minutes to play in the half. Davis also missed a 43-yarder on the last play of the half.
Third Quarter
WMU struck first in the third quarter when Wassink connected with Jaylen Hall for a 43-yard touchdown bomb to cut the margin to 24-14 with 9:20 left in the quarter. The Rocket lead was further trimmed to 24-17 when Thiago Capps connected on a 34-yard field goal with 29 seconds left in the quarter.
Fourth Quarter
Guadagni engineered another long drive, this time taking the Rockets 74 yards in 13 plays. He finished off the drive himself, going one yard for the score to make it 31-17. WMU came back quickly, however, as LeVante Bellamy busted loose for a 39-yard TD run to pull the Broncos to within a score with 7:56 to play.
After Toledo went three-and-out, WMU drove to the Toledo 12-yard line with just over two minutes to play. But Wassink was sacked by Holt for a 12-yard loss, setting up a fourth-and-24 situation. Wassink scrambled and was tackled two yards shy of the first down by Holt with 1:44 left.
Toledo was able to get a pair of first downs on runs by Koback to run out the clock and claim the victory.
(Courtesy of UT Athletics)