Toledo football used a dominant first half performance to defeat Eastern Michigan in MAC play
The Toledo Rockets used a commanding first half to rout the Eastern Michigan Eagles 34-14 to move to 5-2 and 2-1 in MAC play on Saturday. Toledo bounced back from a frustrating loss last week with a statement win at Eastern Michigan.
Eastern Michigan had an unbeaten 3-0 mark in the MAC and Toledo was coming off its worst performance of the season a week ago, but the Rockets were focused on getting back in the win column and they did so in dominant fashion.
Toledo jumped out to a 10-0 lead in the first quarter after quarterback John Alan Richter connected with wide receiver Adjatay Dabbs for a 28-yard touchdown, followed by kicker Reice Griffith hitting a 30-yard field goal to extend the early lead.
The Rockets looked even better in the second quarter, turning a 10-0 lead into an insurmountable 31-7 lead at halftime.
Toledo running back tandem CJ Miller and Autavius Ison combined to score three touchdowns in the second quarter alone.
It was as dominant of a performance as Toledo could have asked for following a 23-8 loss to Buffalo at home last week.
The Rockets had their backs against the wall but Eastern Michigan was no match as Toledo moved up the MAC standings.
Richter put together an ultra-efficient outing, completing 24-for-30 passes for 288 passing yards and one touchdown.
Meanwhile, Ison recorded a team-high 104 rushing yards and one touchdown, and Miller added two touchdowns in the win.
The Rockets were led by linebackers Julian Fox and Isaac Zay, who combined for 21 tackles and 3.5 tackles for loss.
Additionally, defensive end Andrew Zock continued to wreak havoc by exploding for nine total tackles and two sacks.
Now, Toledo will take on the Western Michigan Broncos in a pivotal MAC matchup at the Glass Bowl on October 24.
The Rockets will have a chance to climb to the top of the MAC standings with a win over Western Michigan next week.
