TOLEDO, Ohio – Sophomore quarterback Dequan Finn threw for 186 yards and two touchdowns and the Rockets' defense forced three turnovers to lead Toledo to a 38-17 victory over Central Michigan on Homecoming at the Glass Bowl on Saturday.
 
      Finn threw for a pair of scores in the first half as the Rockets rolled to a 31-3 lead at halftime. Toledo's defense snuffed out the Chippewas' rally in the second half, forcing two fumbles and stopping CMU on downs late in the game to help lead UT to the win.

"It was a really special day in the Glass Bowl with a lot of alumni back and honoring two championship teams," said Head Coach Jason Candle. "We played a really good first half and created a lot of momentum for ourselves. We knew it was going to be a tough 60-minute game and to get off to a good start was important. To start 1-0 in conference play is big. We have a monster challenge next week in DeKalb."
 
      Toledo outgained CMU, 447-285, and held its opponent to just 33 rushing yards. The Rockets rushed for a season-high 261 yards on Saturday and were led by sophomore running back Jacquez Stuart. The Miami, Fla. native had a career day, rushing for 112 yards on 16 carries and a touchdown. Sophomore Micah Kelly added 61 yards and a touchdown. Sophomore wide receiver DeMeer Blankumsee (five receptions, 106 yards) and senior tight end Jamal Turner both caught touchdowns from Finn in the first half.
 
     Junior outside linebacker Adrian Woliver provided two of the biggest plays of the game, a second-quarter strip sack set up Toledo with a first-and-goal situation that ended in a touchdown three plays later, and his fourth-quarter fumble recovery preceded a Rocket scoring drive that iced the game. Junior linebacker Dallas Gant led Toledo with a career-best 13 tackles.
 
First Quarter
      Central Michigan got on the board first on its opening drive, moving 37 yards in 10 plays to set up a 42-yard field goal by Marshall Meeder. Toledo countered with a 45-yard field goal from Thomas Cluckey to knot the score at 3-3 with 6:47 left in the quarter.
 
Second Quarter
      Toledo scored on the first play of the second quarter, a one-yard touchdown pass from Dequan Finn to tight end Jamal Turner to give the Rockets a 10-3 lead. Toledo's defense set up the next score when defensive lineman Adrian Woliver sacked CMU quarterback Daniel Richardson and forced a fumble that was recovered by Dyontae Johnson at the CMU seven-yard line. Three rushes by Micah Kelly culminated in his two-yard touchdown run to increase the lead to 17-3. The Rockets made it 24-3 on a nine-play, 75-yard drive that ended with a Finn TD toss to sophomore DeMeer Blankumsee from 11 yards out. Toledo padded the lead to 31-3 on a four-yard TD run by Jacquez Stuart with 1:59 left in the half.
 
Third Quarter
      Central Michigan closed the gap to 31-11 when Richardson connected with Noah Koenigsknecht for a 47-yard bomb. Richardson came back and hit Koenigsknecht for the two-point conversion. After a Toledo punt, CMU drove down to the UT three-yard line before defensive lineman Judge Culpepper forced a fumble by Richardson that was recovered by Darius Alexander at the 14-yard line with 1:07 to play in the quarter.
 
Fourth Quarter
      CMU's special teams blocked two punts in the fourth quarter to give the Chippewas some momentum. Dakota Cochran blocked a punt that was recovered on UT's 31-yard line, but the Rockets' defense held the line and stopped Central Michigan on fourth down six plays later. Toledo added an insurance touchdown with 5:36 to go when redshirt freshman wide receiver Thomas Zsiros recovered a fumble in the end zone.
 
Up Next
      The Rockets travel to Northern Illinois next Saturday in a 3:30 p.m. contest (2:30 CT).

Tickets
     Click below for tickets to Toledo's remaining home games.
Oct. 15 vs. Kent State
Nov. 8 vs. Ball State
Nov. 15 vs. Bowling Green