Toledo hosts Minutemen in 3:30 kickoff at the Glass Bowl
9/2/2024 4:48:00 PM
TOLEDO, Ohio – After a strong start in their opener, the Toledo Rockets will look to make it two wins a row when they host UMass at the Glass Bowl on Saturday, Sept. 7 (3:30 p.m./ESPN+).
Junior quarterback Tucker Gleason threw for three touchdowns to lead Toledo to a 49-10 victory over Duquesne in the Rockets' home opener before 23,515 fans at the Glass Bowl on Thursday, Aug. 29.
Gleason, who completed 15-of-24 passes for 202 yards, threw all three of his scoring passes in the first half to give Toledo a 28-10 edge heading into the locker room. The Rockets made it 35-10 following a fumble recovery on the opening second-half kickoff and never looked back.
Senior wide receiver Jerjuan Newton led the receiving corps with five catches for 98 yards and one score. Junior Willie Shaw was the leading rusher with 50 yards and one TD.
Toledo's defense was strong, holding Duquesne to 282 total yards, including just 80 in the second half, and forcing three Dukes' turnovers. Sophom*ore safety Braden Awls paced the defense with a career-high nine tackles, a sack, an interception and a pass breakup.
UMass lost its opener to Eastern Michigan, 28-14, in Amherst on Saturday. Quarterback Taisun Phommachanh completed 20-of-30 passes for 177 but was sacked six times. He also was UMass' leading rusher with 57 yards on the ground.
Toledo vs. UMass
Saturday, Sept. 7 - 3:30 p.m.
The Glass Bowl
• TEAM RECORDS:
Toledo (1-0, 0-0 MAC)
UMass (0-1)
• SERIES RECORD: Toledo leads, 7-1. The Rockets won in Amherst last year, 41-24, and have won seven straight overall.
• THE COACHES:
Jason Candle, 66-35 (9th year) at Toledo, same overall. 3-0 vs. UMass.
Don Brown, 4-21 from 2022-24, 43-19 from 2004-08 at UMass, 99-66 overall. 0-2 vs. Toledo.
• TV/STREAMING: ESPN+
Play by Play: Michael Reghi
Analyst: Jerod Cherry
• ROCKET RADIO NETWORK: Pregame begins at 2:00 p.m.
Play by Play: Mark Beier
Analyst: Jack Mewhort
Sidelines: Mike Robinson
• WEB-AUDIO: Free live audio streaming of the UT Rocket Radio Network broadcast on UTRockets.com.
• X/TWITTER:
@ToledoFB: Regular updates on UT Football, live updates on Game Day.
• TICKETS:
Online at UTRockets.com/tix, by phone at 419-530-GOLD (4653) or at the Rocket Ticket Office in Savage Arena.
Rocket Launches
• Six different Rockets found the end zone in Toledo's 49-10 win over Duquesne on Aug. 29 – two rushing touchdowns from Jacquez Stuart, one rushing score from Willie Shaw III, and receiving TDs from Zy'marion Lang, Jerjuan Newton, Anthony Torres and Junior Vandeross III.
• The crowd of 23,515 in Toledo's home opener vs. Duquesne was the largest in the Glass Bowl since 24,889 fans saw the Rockets knock off BYU on Sept. 28, 2019.
• With the win on Aug. 29, Head Coach Jason Candle moves his all-time record to 66-35. He needs eight more wins to pass Gary Pinkel (73-37-3 from 1991-2000) as Toledo's all-time leader. Candle is now 9-0 in home openers.
• Toledo leads the all-time series vs. UMass, 7-1. The Rockets won in Amherst last year, 41-24, and have won seven straight overall.
• Toledo was picked to finish in second place in the Mid-American Conference in a vote by the league's head coaches. Under the new championship format, the MAC is no longer divided into two divisions. The top two teams in the standings will face off in the MAC Championship Game on Dec. 7.
• Since the start of the 2016 season when Candle took over as Toledo's head coach, the Rockets have won 65 games, the most in the MAC.
• Toledo has not had a losing season since 2009, the fifth-longest streak in the FBS behind Boise State, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State and Alabama.
• Five Rockets were chosen as captains for the 2024 season in a vote by the players: Daniel Bolden, Sr., LB;Tucker Gleason, Jr., QB; Maxen Hook, Sr., S; Jerjuan Newton, Sr., WR; Anthony Torres, Sr., TE. Newton is a captain for the third straight season, and the first Rocket since Tycen Anderson (2019-21) to achieve that distinction. Hook is a captain for the second straight year.
Comment from Coach Candle
"We're looking forward to improvement from Week One to Week Two, the same as every team in the country is striving to get to right now. UMass presents a bunch of challenges in their pressure on defense. Their quarterback played really well against us last year and I'm sure he's looking forward to playing against again this year."
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