The Central Michigan football team had the ball twice trailing by four points in the second half, but could not complete a comeback that would have saved their Mid-American Conference title dreams.

CMU trailed 21-0 in the first half and clawed its way back into the biggest game played on campus in years.

After a controversial third-quarter pass interference call when the Chippewas had the ball inside the 5-yard line and a sack of quarterback Cooper Rush, Brian Eavey missed a 51-yard field goal. On the next drive, Head Coach John Bonamego elected to go for it on fourth-and-4 near midfield and Rush's pass fell incomplete.

The Rockets seemingly sealed the game with a 10-play, 59-yard scoring drive capped by running back Kareem Hunt's 3-yard touchdown run to put the Chippewas down 28-17. Rush would score a touchdown and a Toledo missed-field goal gave CMU the ball back with 21 seconds to go, but a Rush interception sealed the 28-23 victory for the Rockets.

The defeat knocks CMU out of the MAC West title race and brings their record to 5-5 overall and 4-2 in MAC play.

How it got there:

On their second drive of the second half, CMU traveled 92 yards to bring the game within one score. Rush found slot receiver Corey Willis from 32-yards out to make it 21-17 Toledo. It was the first third-quarter touchdown UT has given up this season.

CMU cut the lead to 28-23 late in the fourth quarter when Rush found wideout Anthony Rice for a score, but CMU could not grab the ensuing onside kick.

Toledo's opening drive went 70 yards on 12 plays and ended in a two-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Phillip Ely to backup tight end Michael Roberts, which made it 7-0 Toledo.

Late in the first quarter, Toledo running back Kareem Hunt burst through the line of scrimmage on 3rd and short for a 41-yard touchdown run to put the Rockets ahead 14-0. It was the longest run of Hunt's season.

CMU fell behind by three scores in the second quarter when Ely completed a 36-yard pass while being brought to the ground. His second touchdown of the game was caught by Diontae Johnson.

Eavey got the Chippewas on the board with a career-long 48-yard field goal midway through the second quarter.

After Rush converted on fourth-and-four near midfield, CMU running back Jay Roberson carried the ball to the goal line before he fumbled the ball into the end zone. Offensive lineman Derek Edwards fell on it, and CMU cut the lead to 21-10 before halftime.

What it means:

The Rockets were efficient on offense to start, but struggled during the middle part of the game. The Chippewas defensive line earned CMU its third consecutive win last week, but failed to disrupt Ely's rhythm while he led UT's offense during a first-half onslaught that proved too much to come back from.

Cornerback Josh Cox and the CMU secondary got torched deep in coverage and looked overmatched for much of the first half.

The Chippewas made things interesting in the second half, but could not keep up with the best offense in the MAC West.

CMU is out of the MAC West title race, but can still earn a fourth consecutive year of bowl game eligibility. CMU started conference play extremely well, but ultimately fell short in the highly-competitive MAC West.

What's next:

The Chippewas (5-5, 4-2 in MAC) play their second consecutive midweek game and their final road game of the regular season at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, Nov. 18 at Kent State.

The Golden Flashes are 3-7 this season and are coming off a 27-0 loss to Ohio. It will be CMU’s first game against the Golden Flashes since a 24-21 loss at KSU on Nov. 4, 2011. Kent's most dynamic offensive weapon this season has been junior wide receiver Ernest Calhoun, who has brought in 13 receptions and three touchdowns this season.

The Golden Flashes entered this week's action as the second-most penalized team in the MAC.

The Chippewas are 2-0 against MAC East teams this season and have won 11 consecutive games against the other side of the conference.

Stay with Central Michigan Life for more from tonight's game.