Toledo football moved into a tie for first place in the MAC standings with a shutout win over UMass.
The Toledo Rockets shutout the UMass Minutemen 24-0 to climb into a tie for first place in the MAC standings, improving to 8-2 and 5-1 in MAC play to keep the championship hopes alive at the Glass Bowl Stadium on Wednesday.
“It was a tremendous effort by our whole team, but defensively we were dominant from start to finish in this game,” Toledo head coach Mike Jacobs said. “I'm very happy about the way our guys came out, responded and played tonight.”
Toledo got off to a quick start as defensive end Andrew Zock recorded a sack on the opening possession. Later in the first quarter, running back Connor Walendzak sprinted past the defense for a 69-yard touchdown to take a 7-0 lead.
Walendzak was sidelined for the last two games with a leg injury, and he instantly made his presence felt by taking a direct snap, breaking multiple tackles, and sprinting to the end zone for a touchdown with 4:21 to go in the first quarter.
“There’s a notion that I don’t have top end speed, but it’s fun to run that long. It felt good,” Walendzak told the media. “The offensive line just washed everyone out, so it wasn’t a very hard read for me at all. I have to give props to those guys.”
The Rockets continued to find success on offense as quarterback John Alan Richter hit wide receiver Adjatay Dabbs for a 31-yard pass. Even though the drive eventually stalled in the red zone, Toledo hit a field goal to extend the lead to 10-0.
Just moments later, Toledo extended the lead even further as safety Nicholas Thompson jumped a route, snagged an interception, and returned it to the house for a 62-yard pick six to put the Rockets up 17-0 with 10:32 left in the first half.
“I had a free look at the quarterback. Zock did a great job pressuring the quarterback and knocking him off the throw,” Thompson explained. “The ball was basically right in hands, and then all I saw was green grass. Just chalk it up from there.”
In the final minutes of the half, Toledo pushed the lead to 24-0 as Richter found Walendzak for a 17-yard touchdown. Dabbs had a 40-yard catch earlier in the drive, and Walendzak punctuated a dominant half by finding the end zone again.
Toledo’s defense picked up right where it left off in the first half, starting the second half with a strong defensive stop. Zock got into the backfield for a sack, followed by a tackle for loss from defensive lineman Zach Johnson to force a punt.
The Rockets weren’t able to extend the lead on offense, but the defense continued to play lights out in the second half.
Toledo allowed only 188 total yards and racked up three sacks on the way to a 24-0 win, the first shutout of this season.
“We held them under 200 total yards and 100 rushing yards,” Jacobs told the media. “I thought we really affected the passer, we had a defensive touchdown and earned the shutout. I’m really excited about how that side of the ball played.”
Richter recorded 203 total yards and one touchdown, while Walendzak added 158 total yards and two touchdowns. Dabbs also racked up a season-high 144 receiving yards and seven receptions as Toledo coasted to a fourth straight win.
Defensively, Toledo linebacker Julian Fox led the way with eight tackles, three tackles for loss, and one pass deflection. Meanwhile, Zock was dominant as usual, finishing with six tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks to fuel the Rockets.
Toledo will face the in-state rival Bowling Green Falcons in the Battle of I-75 at the Glass Bowl Stadium on November 20. With a chance to stay alive in the MAC title race, the Rockets will look to beat Bowling Green for the first time since 2023.
“This game is everything. We’ll make sure that we understand the history of it and understand the recent history of it,” Jacobs told the media. “We have to be really purposeful with how we prepare this week. We recognize it's the big game.”