YPSILANTI, Mich. – Redshirt freshman quarterback Tucker Gleason threw for 238 yards and three touchdowns, including the game-winner late in the fourth quarter, in Toledo's 27-24 win at Eastern Michigan on Saturday.

The victory moves the Rockets to 6-3 and 4-1 in the MAC, strengthening their grip on the West Division and making them bowl eligible for the 13^th straight season.

"I'm very proud of our players. We made the plays necessary to allow us to win the football game," said Head Coach Jason Candle, who moved into third place on Toledo's all-time coaching wins list with 51. "There were a lot of guys who made some really big plays in some tough moments and tough situations. It's hard to win games on the road in conference play. I thought we had a really good week of practice so I'm glad to see the fruits of our labor come through on Saturday."

Toledo trailed by a touchdown, 24-17, entering the fourth quarter and grabbed the lead for the first time with 2:09 left in the game. Following an EMU punt with 6:48 remaining, Gleason led the Rockets down the field on a 12-play, 74-yard drive, the biggest being a 36-yard completion to Devin Maddox on fourth-and-10. On the next play Gleason hit redshirt freshman tight end Lennard Kühl for a one-yard touchdown pass to put Toledo on top, 27-24.

The Toledo defense stood tall in the final minutes of the game, stopping Eastern Michigan on downs and forcing a game-winning interception on the final play of the game to seal the win.

In his first-career start, Gleason threw touchdowns to Kühl and wide receivers Mikel Barkley and Jerjuan Newton. Sophomore safety Maxen Hook tallied a team-high 13 tackles and had the game-clinching interception at the end of the fourth quarter. Senior linebacker Dyontae Johnson added 10 tackles and a sack. Making his Rocket debut, sophomore kicker Luke Pawlak knocked through both of his field goal attempts, connecting from 27 and 44 yards.

First Quarter

Eastern Michigan got on the scoreboard first, marching 61 yards in 11 plays. Samson Evans finished the drive with a three-yard TD run.

Second Quarter

Toledo scored on the first play of the second quarter, a 27-yard field goal by Luke Pawlak that cut the lead to 7-3. Moments later, EMU countered with a 34-yard field goal to increase its lead to 10-3. Toledo squared things up at 10-10 on a 14-yard TD reception by Mikel Barkley with 6:12 left in the half. The Eagles took advantage of a Toledo fumble that they recovered on the UT five-yard line. Evans found paydirt on third-and-1 to give EMU a 17-10 halftime advantage.

Third Quarter

Toledo tied the score at 17-17 on its first drive of the half on a 35-yard TD pass from Tucker Gleason to Jerjuan Newton. The Eagles answered with a 10-play, 65-yard drive that was culminated by Samson's third touchdown of the day, an 11-yarder that put EMU up 24-17 with 3:17 left in the quarter.

Fourth Quarter

Toledo trimmed the lead to 24-20 early in the fourth quarter on a 44-yard field goal by Pawlak. Following an EMU punt with 6:48 to go in the game, Gleason marched the Rockets down the field for the game-winning score. The touchdown pass to Kühl was set up after a fourth-down conversion two plays prior; facing a fourth-and-10, Gleason found Devin Maddox for a 36-yard completion that put the Rockets at the EMU three-yard line. Following the go-ahead score, EMU's second-to-last drive was stopped on downs and its last offensive drive of the game was cut short by Hook's interception.

Up Next

The Rockets are off next weekend and then begin midweek MACtion on Tuesday, Nov. 8 vs. Ball State at the Glass Bowl.

• TICKETS: 
    Online at UTRockets.com/tix, by phone at 419-530-GOLD (4653) or at the Rocket Ticket Office in Savage Arena. Click below for tickets to Toledo's remaining home games.
Nov. 8 vs. Ball State
Nov. 15 vs. Bowling Green