Sept 14, 2002

Final Stats| Quotes| Notes

MINNEAPOLIS - William Bratton rushed for a career-high 114 yards and three touchdowns, but the Rockets could not overcome some costly errors, falling to Minnesota, 31-21.

Bratton's third touchdown, a two-yard run, tied the score at 21-21 with 7:13 to play in the third quarter. Toledo thought it took the lead in the fourth quarter when Carl Ford took a pass from punter Jason Cox on a fake and raced 56 yards for the score. But officials ruled that Ford had caught the ball beyond the line scrimmage, making the block that freed him up illegal.

Minnesota countered with a field goal with 10:53 to play to take a 24-21 lead. The Rockets then drove to the Minnesota 12-yard line before their drive stalled. On fourth-and-three, Coach Tom Amstutz reached into his bag of tricks and tried a shuffle pass from holder Bruce Gradkowski to William Bratton. The pass went incomplete, however, and Minnesota took over on downs.

Toledo then forced Minnesota to punt, but saw another opportunity to come back slip away when Carl Ford fumbled on the Toledo 44 with just 3:06 to play. Minnesota capped the scoring with a 21-yard touchdown pass from Asad Abdul-Khaliq to tight end Ben Utecht on fourth-and-four with 1:05 to play.

Bratton had his best game as a collegian, scoring on runs of 45, three and two yards. Quarterback Brian Jones also set career marks for completions (23) and attempts (30), throwing for 195 yards.

Toledo falls to 2-1 while Minnesota moves to 3-0. The Rockets host UNLV next Saturday