
Toledo moves to 6-1, 3-0 in MAC play. Central Michigan fell to 5-3, 2-2 in conference games.
Thompson caught TD passes of 16, 16, 11 and 34 yards—all in the second half—from junior quarterback Logan Woodside to . . .
STAT LEADERS
Thompson ended up with seven receptions and 122 receiving yards, while senior Kareem Hunt led the rushing attack with 87 yards.
Toledo's defense did a good job containing CMU senior quarterback Cooper Rush, who entered the game ranked second in Chippewa history with 85 TD passes. Rush was 18-of-31 for 229 yards, one TD and one interception. Two other Rocket interceptions were called back due to roughing-the-passer penalties.
LOW SCORING FIRST HALF
The first half was a battle of defenses and field position, with Toledo taking a 3-0 lead into the locker room. Toledo scored on its opening drive, a 34-yard field goal from Jameson Vest. The Rockets had another chance to add points in the second quarter but Vest's 33-yard attempt was wide right.
CMU lost out on a chance to take the lead on its final drive of the half when Devon Spalding fumbled into the end zone after catching a pass for a 16-yard gain to the UT one-yard line.
Toledo jumped out of the gate to start the second half, scoring on its first two possessions. The Rockets started the half with a seven-play, 62-yard drive that ended when Woodside hit Thompson for a 16-yard TD. Following an interception by senior safety Connery Swift, the first of his career, Woodside and Thompson hooked up again from 16 yards out to make the score 17-0 with 9:35 to play in the quarter.
CHIPPEWAS RESPOND
Central Michigan answered with its first score of the game on a quick five-play drive that was capped off with a 20-yard run by quarterback Cooper Rush to cut the lead to 17-7. A few moments later, a 36-yard field goal by Chippewa kicker Brian Eavey made it 17-10.
Woodside found Thompson in the end zone for the third time, this time an 11-yarder, to up the Toledo lead to 24-10 with 11:36 to play.
The Rockets snuffed out CMU's last best chance to get back into the game when senior safety DeJuan Rogers broke up a fourth-down pass with 10 minutes to play. Toledo added onto the score when Thompson caught his fourth TD of the game, a 34-yarder with 7:30 remaining.
Central Michigan scored its final touchdown with 4:11 left when Rush hit Tyler Conklin from four yards out. The drive was kept alive by two roughing-the-passer calls that wiped out Rocket interceptions.
UT ran out the clock by gaining two first downs on its final possession.
The Rockets return home to face Ohio in a Thursday night battle at the Glass Bowl. Kickoff time is set for 7:30 p.m. Central Michigan begins a three-game stretch against MAC East teams Saturday when it hosts Kent State.
(Courtesy of UT Athletics)