University of Toledo
Eastern Washington
Rockets' Defense Shuts Down Eastern Washington, 33-21
9/14/2013 11:15:00 PM | Football
TOLEDO – In a game in which Toledo gave up two quick touchdowns to start the first quarter, then lost its starting quarterback at the end of it, the defense came up big to rally the Rockets to a 33-21 victory over Eastern Washington before a home-opening crowd of 20,459 at the Glass Bowl Saturday night.
Early on, the game went from bad (a 14-13 EWU lead) to worse when senior quarterback Terrance Owens left the game late in the first quarter following a seven-yard run. He was hit hard on the play and had to be carted off the field. After the game, head coach Matt Campbell said that Owens suffered an injury to his left knee and would be more fully evaluated on Sunday.
Owens' replacement, true freshman Logan Woodside, slowly gained his confidence as the game went on, completing 14-of-24 passes for 185 yards. The Rockets also leaned heavily on the running game. Senior running back David Fluellen carried the ball 21 times for a season-high 143 yards and two touchdowns. Junior Cassius McDowell added a career-high 89 yards on 10 carries.
But the biggest story of the day was Toledo's defense, which thwarted Eastern Washington's high-octane offense. The Eagles, ranked No. 2 in the FBS, scored on their first two possessions but following Owens' injury the Toledo defense stopped them the next seven times they got the ball.
EWU, upset winners over then-No. 25 ranked Oregon State on Aug. 31, came into the game averaging 611 yards of offense per game, but was held to 377 tonight. Toledo badgered EWU's quarterback Vernon Adams all night, limiting him to just 21-of-41 passing. Eastern Washington's running game was non-existent, racking up just 51 yards on 22 attempts. Junior linebacker Junior Sylvestre led the way with seven tackles, an interception and a forced fumble. Sophomore linebacker Trent Voss added seven tackles and two tackles for loss.
The game started out as a track meet, with both teams scoring on their first two possessions. Eastern Washington opened the scoring just two and half minutes into the contest on a 23-yard TD pass from Adams to Vernon Clark. About a minute later, Fluellen brook loose for a 44-yard scoring run, but Toledo's attempt for a two-point conversion failed. EWU countered with a rapid seven-play drive that ended with Ryan Seto grabbing a 22-yard pass from Adams to give the Eagles a 14-6 lead. Fluellen struck again on Toledo's next drive, a 12-yard TD run that cut the lead to 14-13.
Following an EWU punt, Owens rolled left on a keeper for a seven-yard gain but suffered an injury to his left knee. Woodside took over the helm and drove the Rockets to the six-yard line before the drive stalled. Jeremiah Demter knocked home the 23-yard field, to give the Rockets a 16-14 lead early in the second quarter. Detmer's field goal was his 23rd in a row, tying a school record set by Alex Steigerwald in 2007-2008.
Defenses took over in the second quarter, with Sylvestre forcing a fumble and intercepting a pass to keep EWU's high-powered offense in check. The Rockets had a great chance to add to their lead, but Detmer's 35-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left as time ran out in the first half, halting his streak at 23.
The two teams traded punts in the third quarter before Bernard Reedy took a pass across the middle from Woodside, broke a tackle, then sprinted 81 yards for the score to put Toledo up, 23-14, with 3:13 to play.
EWU scored on the first play of the fourth quarter, a 19-yard TD pass from Adams to Cooper Kupp. Toledo had stopped the Eagles on third down but the drive continued following a penalty for a hit after the play.
Woodside then drove the Rockets 88 yards in 12 plays to put UT ahead, 30-21, with 8:50 left. Junior Cassius McDowell had the big play, a 28-yard rush to the EWU 16-yard line. Redshirt freshman Damion Jones-Moore finished the job with a four-yard run, his first career touchdown. Toledo closed out the scoring with a 36-yard field goal by Detmer with 32 seconds left.
The victory was the first of the year for Toledo (1-2) following a pair of road defeats at Florida and Missouri. Eastern Washington falls to 2-1.
The Rockets will travel to Mount Pleasant, MI next week to face Central Michigan in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams.
