University of Toledo
Massachusetts
Rocket 'D' Shuts Down UMass, 24-3 (Sept. 25)
9/25/1999 12:00:00 PM | Football
Sept. 25, 1999
Toledo, OH - Junior tailback Chester Taylor ran for 140 yards and one touchdown to lead Toledo to a 24-3 victory over Massachusetts at the Glass Bowl on Saturday night (Sept. 25).
Despite Taylor's heroics, it was the Rocket defense that carried UT to victory. Toledo held the defending I-AA champions to just 244 yards. UMass quarterback Todd Bankhead was just 13-of-30 with two interceptions. Heralded Minuteman running back Marcel Shipp did gain 111 yards, but it took him 29 carries to get there.
UMass (1-2) actually took a 3-0 lead on a 30-yard field goal by Jason Cherry midway through the second quarter. But Toledo countered with a five-yard touchdown run by junior tailback William Bratton to make the score 7-3 at the half.
Toledo (2-1, 1-0 MAC) put the game away in the third quarter on a 39-yard field goal by Todd France and an 18-yard touchdown run by Taylor. The Rockets added an insurance TD with 6:59 to play on an 11-yard TD strike from junior quarterback Dan Cole to freshman Carl Ford.
UMass came into the game averaging 376 yards and 27.5 points per game, but was unable to move the ball consistently against the Rockets. Redshirt freshman linebacker David Gardner led the Rockets with 14 tackles, including three tackles for loss. Senior linebacker Keith Travis added 11 tackles and an interception.
"I feel great about the way our defense played," said Toledo head coach Gary Pinkel. "We came up with a lot of big plays defensively when we needed to."
Pinkel and the Rockets begin preparing for a trip to arch-rival Bowling Green next Saturday. The Rockets have won the last four games in the series with the Falcons.
