Toledo Holds Off a Western Michigan Rally, 45-38
Toledo led 31-14 at the half, then had to survive a Western Michigan comeback that tied it at 38 in the fourth quarter. The Rockets won 45-38 and never trailed.
The first half belonged to the home team. John Alan Richter ran in from four yards and Autavius Ison from three, Reice Griffith kicked a field goal, and Richter threw touchdown passes to Daryl Barnett Jr. and Adjatay Dabbs, the second with 0:10 left before the break. Western Michigan had two scores in the half (a 13-yard Broc Lowry pass to Aveion Chenault and a Jalen Buckley run), and trailed by 17.
Then it got strange. Joshua Franklin returned the second-half kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown, and Lowry ran for a score to make it 28-31. Dabbs caught a five-yard touchdown from Richter, answering at 5:48 of the third, and Lowry hit Baylin Brooks from 41 yards a couple of minutes later to make it 38-35 Toledo. Dieter Kelly's 23-yard field goal with 9:19 left tied it at 38. That was the only tie of the game. CJ Miller then ran 11 yards for the winning touchdown with 4:23 to go, after which nobody scored.
Toledo outgained Western Michigan 596 to 351, with 391 passing yards from Richter and 205 rushing, 183 of those from Miller on 33 carries. Western Michigan turned the ball over three times (two interceptions and a lost fumble) against Toledo's two. Toledo moves to 6-2 and Western Michigan falls to 5-3.
Fantasy managers should note Richter and Dabbs both had big days, and Lowry kept Western Michigan in it with his arm and legs.