Sports
Ohio Wins in Toledo for First Time Since 1967
By: Russ Heltman
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The Glass Bowl drought has finally been quenched as the Ohio Bobcats (6-3) went on the road and upset the Toledo Rockets (6-2), 31-26, for their first win in Toledo since 1967, and their first victory against the Rockets since 1988.
Dorian Brown’s powerful night on the ground led the Bobcats to victory, as he toted the ball 29 times for 212 yards and a game ceiling touchdown run late in the fourth quarter that paved the way to a Bobcat victory.
Brown shredded the Rockets run defense, averaging 7.3 yards per carry, while the rest of the running game – highlighted by Papi White’s five rushes for 54 yards – complimented him beautifully. Ohio had been struggling to get White the ball of late, as he had just one catch for 21 yards against Kent State, but he was a focal point in this contest, finishing with seven touches for 118 yards.
Quinton Maxwell’s poor play against Kent State carried over for much of the first half as he went 30 percent from the field on 10 throws to start the game. A 57-yard pitch and catch to Kyle Belack dressed up the performance slightly. It wasn’t enough to keep him in the game though, as Ohio coach Frank Solich called on Greg Windham to take over the offense.
Windham’s impact was immediate, finding his favorite target Sebastian Smith for a 33-yard touchdown catch on his first drive. Unfortunately, the magic didn’t last long as he was carted off with a lower right leg injury early in the third quarter.
In came Maxwell, who’s trip to the bench appeared to be just what he needed, as he relieved Windham beautifully by finding White on consecutive passes leading to a 21-13 lead. The sturdy play continued throughout the game as he finished 7-16 for 159 yards, two touchdowns and zero turnovers.
The Bobcat defense came into the Glass Bowl hungry for a rivalry win and they displayed it early and often. Ohio held the Rockets to six first half points and did a great job bending, but not breaking, in the face of Toledo’s aerial attack, led by star quarterback Logan Woodside.
“Toledo is never out of it, they have a great young quarterback, so that’s what brought it down to those last few seconds,” Solich said after the game.
The Bobcat defensive line kept consistent pressure on Woodside all night and were the key to his fifth interception of the season, a short throw easily picked out of the air by Chad Moore. The Ohio defense got all of the big stops they needed, holding Toledo to 40% on third down and stuffing them on their only fourth down attempt.
Woodside finished 32 of 46 for 438 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. Jon’Vea Johnson led the Rockets with six catches for 156 yards and two TDs and Corey Jones had seven catches for 115 yards and a score.
The Bobcats will now return home for a November 3rd matchup at 6 PM with Buffalo (2-6), who defeated the Akron Zips (5-4) 41-20 for their first conference win this season. Toledo’s chance to rebound comes against that same Akron team on November 2nd at 7:30 PM.