Toledo vs Arkansas State: Recap - Final Score 31-10

Recap

There was never a question whether or not Toledo’s offense was going to show up in their season opener, it was always just a matter of when. It took until 12 minutes remained in the second quarter for the Rockets to find the end zone, already down 3-0. But that would be the first of 31 unanswered en route to 556 total yards of offense. It speaks to the quality of your offense when you score 31 and ring up neatly 600 yards of offense, and it still felt like Toledo gave a B+ level performance.

Part of that is likely due to the Red Wolves defense, who held Toledo in check for nearly a quarter and a half. The A-State defense was a known quantity and one that worried Rockets fans. The worry that UT fans had about their own defense was markedly higher.

The biggest questions for the Rockets were about their defensive unit and their ability to play well enough for the Rocket offense to inevitably take charge, and that they did. They held A-State to just 3 points until 11 minutes to go in the fourth quarter, and only allowed 266 total yards for the entire game. The rest of the Mid-American Conference should be concerned if Toledo suddenly found a defense.

When was it over?

Arkansas State’s inability to come out after halftime, already down 21-3, and show a sense of urgency and purpose on the offensive side of the ball spelled doom for the Red Wolves. In truth, Toledo is not a team you want to get down to, simply because of their balance and their offensive skill. A-State got down too big too early to be able to mount any kind of charge.

The Takeaway

For the Rockets, it’s a great win on the road to open their 2016 campaign and they should feel tremendously more confident in their defense than they did before this game kicked off. For the rest of the MAC, the takeaway is the ways to beat the Rockets and the weaknesses they may have just got reduced. Plan accordingly.