KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Senior quarterback Eli Peters threw for 339 yards and a touchdown, but it wasn't enough as Toledo fell to Western Michigan 41-38 on Wednesday night at Waldo Stadium.

After the Rockets (1-1, 1-1 MAC) scored a touchdown to go up 38-28 with 2:54 to go in the game, the Broncos (2-0, 2-0 MAC) marched down the field and scored a TD to pull within four, 38-34, after missing the PAT. Western Michigan then recovered an onside kick and proceeded to score another touchdown with 17 seconds left to shock the Rockets. WMU quarterback Kaleb Eleby faked spiking the ball and then hit Jaylen Hall for the game-winning score from nine yards out.

Toledo attempted three unsuccessful passes in the final 15 seconds, the final attempt intercepted at the WMU 18-yard line.

A week after throwing a career-high four TD passes against Bowling Green, Peters set another career-best mark with 339 passing yards against WMU. The Rocket offense produced 501 yards of total offense and held the ball for 38:32 compared to Western Michigan's 21:28.

"Obviously a tough way to go down, in the final seconds like that," head coach Jason Candle said. "I'm still really proud of our team for their effort and the way they came to play. They played hard and really well for 58 minutes tonight. It's hard to lose like this, but we learned a lesson tonight. This is a resilient group and I expect them to come to win next week."
 

First Quarter
Following a three-and-out by Western to start the game, Toledo got on the board first on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Peters to Devin Maddox. The big play on the drive was a 55-yard bomb from Peters to Isaiah Winstead on the first play of the drive. The Broncos tied it up moments later on a one-yard plunge by Kaleb Eleby on fourth down. Toledo answered with an eight-play, 75-yard drive capped by a two-yard run by Shakif Seymour to take a 14-7 lead. WMU tied it up on the last play of the quarter, a 21-yard TD run by Jaxson Kincaide.

Second Quarter
The Rockets took a 17-14 lead on a 34-yard field goal by Evan Davis. The score was set up by a 28-yard run by Micah Kelly on third-and-31. After the defense stopped WMU on fourth down, the Rockets increased the lead to 24-14 on a 10-yard scoring run by Bryant Koback.

Third Quarter

WMU cut the lead to 24-21 on a 47-yard TD pass from Eleby to D'Wayne Eskridge. Toledo countered with a 13-play, 99-yard drive that ate up 6:30 off the clock and upped the lead to 31-21. The drive was finished off by Kelly, who plunged in from two yards out.

Fourth Quarter

Toledo missed a chance to extend the lead when Evan Davis's 31-yard field-goal attempt was blocked with 11:38 left in the game. The Broncos countered with an 82-yard drive that took a little more than two minutes to trim the lead to 31-28 with 9:06 left. The Rockets got the ball back and chewed up over 6:00 of the clock on a 14-play, 65-yard drive that ended with Koback's second TD of the night. Western Michigan marched down the field to score a late touchdown, then recovered an onside kick and scored again to take a late lead and stun the Rockets. With 17 seconds left, Eleby faked spiking the ball, then found Hall wide open in the end zone for the game-winning touchdown. Toledo tried three passes in the final 15 seconds but had two incomplete passes and an interception on the final play of the game.

Up Next

The Rockets travel to Ypsilanti to face Eastern Michigan on Wednesday, Nov. 18.


Highlights from Toledo's game against Western Michigan.


Head Coach Jason Candle post-game (audio)


Senior Tycen Anderson post-game (audio)