Toledo defeats football 30-10, spoils homecoming
One week after Central Michigan spoiled Ohio’s homecoming, Toledo came into Kelly/Shorts Stadium to ruin CMU's.
The Rockets (5-1, 2-0 Mid-American Conference) defeated the Chippewas (3-4, 1-2) in a rain-filled contest 30-10, dropping CMU’s record back under the .500 mark.
It was Central Michigan's eighth-straight loss in the series with the Rockets.
Head coach John Bonamego said a lot of results came from some adjustments from the coaching staff.
“We could've helped our football team, I could've helped our football team by having a game plan around running the ball more,” Bonamego said. “We could've run it more consistently in the first half, we adjusted, but it wasn't enough.”
It was a slow start to the game for both offenses. UT’s running back Terry Swanson made his presence felt for the remainder of the half.
Early in the first quarter, he broke off a 48-yard touchdown run for his first score, giving the Rockets a 7-0 lead.
Then nearing halftime, the senior tailback scored from 22-yards out to give UT a 17-0 lead heading to the locker room. He totaled 118 yards with two scores on 18 carries in the first half.
CMU as an offense, only totaled 49 yards in the opening half.
In the second half, UT quarterback Logan Woodside ran in a touchdown from five-yards out to blow the game open at 23-3 in the fourth quarter.
Graduate transfer quarterback Shane Morris struggled on the day, but didn't get any help from his receivers who dropped multiple passes during the game. He completed just 17-of-37 passes for 182 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions.
Senior wideout Mark Chapman, who led CMU with five receptions for 71 yards, said that the weather didn't play a role in the teams drops because they “can catch the ball in any conditions”.
“Our guys in the receiving group are mentally tough," Chapman said. "The drops come on a day like this, but it didn't bother us mentally. It's just something we have to roll with and take the punches on a day like today."
A late 26-yard score to senior tight end Tyler Conklin gave CMU it’s lone touchdown of the game.
Toledo’s running back combination of Swanson and Shakif Seymour combined for 292 yards on the ground, while CMU only totaled 244 yards as an offense.
Senior defensive end Joe Ostman said he didn't think CMU got worn down as the game went on, but rather it was the consistency the Rockets were able to have in the run game that doomed the Chippewas.
"We were losing the line of scrimmage battle up front," Ostman said. "I think it was the misfits on a couple of big run plays that went for touchdowns.
"Overall, we played hard, but we simply have to be better as a defense."
Side notes
- UT ran 56 rushing plays for 342 yards, CMU ran 21 plays on the ground and totaled 62 yards
- CMU had two turnovers while UT had none, keeping them at only three on the year.
- Toledo owned the time of possession, holding the ball on offense for 37:47 compared to CMU’s 22:13.
- CMU is now 1-2 at home this season.
- The Chippewas were just 3-of-13 on third down.
What’s next
The Chippewas head back on the road to take on Ball State (2-4, 0-2) who is coming off of a bye week.
The Cardinals are on a three-game losing skid with their last win coming in week three against Tennessee Tech.
“It’s really hard to make it to the MAC Championship game when you lose two games in this conference, because that is just the fact of it,” Bonamego said. “We have to regroup quick and don’t have room for error.”
Kickoff is at 3 p.m. from Muncie, Indiana on Saturday, Oct. 21.
