Toledo, OH - Junior quarterback
Logan Woodside threw for 329 yards and four touchdowns to lead Toledo to a 45-3 victory over Maine at the Glass Bowl Saturday night.
The Black Bears, a Division I-FCS school, held their own early on but could never sustain an offensive attack against a smothering Rocket defense. UT held Maine to 235 yards of total offense, scored a touchdown in the third quarter on a blocked punt and blocked a field goal in the final period.
The victory moved Toledo to 2-0, while Maine fell to 0-2.
Woodside did much of his damage in the first half, connecting on long touchdown passes to
Corey Jones (85 yards) and
Cody Thompson (64) to propel Toledo to a 17-3 halftime lead. Jones led the Rockets with three catches for 100 yards. Senior
Kareem Hunt led the rushing attack with 66 yards on 15 carries.
For the second straight week, Toledo's defense dominated the game. The Rockets, who beat Arkansas State 31-10 in their opener, have surrendered just 13 points in their first two wins. Junior linebacker
Ja'Wuan Woodley led the way with eight tackles, two tackles for loss and a forced fumble, while senior defensive end
John Stepec added six tackles and two TFL. Maine was limited to just 9-of-25 passing for 65 yards.
Maine actually got on the board first, taking the opening kickoff 68 yards in 15 plays to set up a 29-yard field goal by Patrick Leonard. Toledo struck back quickly when Woodside hit
Corey Jones over the middle and the senior sped down the field for an 85-yard score, giving the Rockets a 7-3 lead they held through the first quarter.
The Black Bears missed an opportunity for points early in the second quarter when they recovered a fumbled Toledo punt on the UT 35-yard line. But Toledo stopped Maine on downs on a fourth-and-6 play from the 31 yard-line. The Rockets then countered with a 14-play, 55-yard drive that culminated in a 31-yard field goal by
Jameson Vest.
After Maine was forced to punt on its next possession, the Rockets struck quickly, scoring on the first play of the next drive. Woodside hit
Cody Thompson on a crossing pattern that the junior turned into a 64-yard touchdown, giving Toledo a comfortable 17-3 lead with 3:29 left in the half.
Toledo blew the game open with three touchdowns in the third quarter. UT extended the lead to 24-3 on its second drive of the period when senior tight end
Michael Roberts hauled in a 21-yard TD pass from Woodside to finish off a 13-play, 84-yard drive. A little more than a minute later, Thompson blocked a Black Bear punt that was picked up by freshman
Ronnie Jones and returned for a 27-yard touchdown to make the score 31-3 with 4:21 left in the third quarter. Following a three-and-out by Maine, Woodside struck again, connecting with sophomore
Jon'Vea Johnson for an 89-yard bomb to make it 38-3.
Toledo's defense continued its stinginess when
Tuzar Skipper blocked a 35-yard field goal midway through the final quarter, giving UT a second-half shutout,
The Rockets return to the Glass Bowl to host Fresno State on Sept. 17.
Head Coach Jason Candle on Toledo's victory over Maine.
Junior quarterback Logan Woodside.
Junior linebacker Ja'Wuan Woodley.
Senior wide receiver Corey Jones.