2021 Mid-American Conference Football Week 12 Game Recap: Toledo 35, Ohio 23

Toledo (6-5, 4-3 MAC) went on the road Tuesday night and came away with their sixth win of the year to secure bowl eligibility behind a strong running game and bend-but-don’t-break defense, taking down the Ohio Bobcats (3-8, 3-4 MAC) by a final score of 35-23.

The Rockets got off to a slow start as they were bottled up in a scoreless first quarter thanks to an effective Ohio defense that forced three punts.

Toledo’s offense found its footing in the second quarter, scoring on two crisp drives as RB Bryant Koback racked up 82 yards and two scores running hard behind an effective offensive line. Koback ultimately dominated over the course of the night, rushing for 205 yards and four TDs.

In addition to the ground game, the Rockets offense found a big play in the passing game in the third quarter when QB Dequan Finn hit WR Matt Landers on an 85-yard touchdown pass.

Ohio’s offense racked up 445 yards on the night and possessed the ball for a staggering 41:30 out of the 60 minutes, but were unable to finish off drives the first three quarters as Toledo’s defense held the Bobcats to four field goal attempts, and once ending a drive on downs with a stop on fourth-and-short at the Toledo 29-yard line.

The Bobcats were able to punch it into the end zone twice in the fourth, as QB Kurtis Rourke hit WR Chase Cokley for a 14-yard score (his first first TD as a Bobcat) and true freshman Sieh Bangura found the endzone on a four-yard run.

The Bobcats close out the season versus Bowling Green on Friday, Nov. 26^th at noon Eastern time, while the Rockets look to enhance its bowl position with an additional win when it takes on Akron on Saturday, Nov. 27^th at noon ET.