DEKALB, Ill. – Sophomore cornerback Quinyon Mitchell grabbed four interceptions, returning two for touchdowns, to lead Toledo (4-2, 2-0 MAC) to a decisive 52-32 victory over Northern Illinois (1-5, 0-2 MAC) at Huskie Stadium on Saturday.

Mitchell returned two of his three first-half interceptions for touchdowns as Toledo bolted out to a 35-7 lead at the break. Mitchell snuffed out a potential NIU touchdown with 16 second left by grabbing his third pick of the half in the NIU end zone on a pass from three-yard line. The four interceptions were the first four of Mitchell's career, tied the school record set back in 1950, and was the first time a Rocket had two pick sixes in one game.

"I think Northern is a really hard place to come and play," said Head Coach Jason Candle. "They've got good players. They're a good team. They're defending MAC champs. This is a team where you have to come to their place, and you've got to beat them. They don't give you anything. You have to play for all 60 minutes.

"Momentum is huge in college football, whether it's good or whether it's bad. To get turnovers, to capitalize and get points off turnovers, play efficiently offensively, you can turn the course of a game quickly if you do that." 

In addition to Mitchell's heroics, Toledo had a dominating performance on offense. Sophomore quarterback Dequan Finn completed 13-of-19 passes for 167 yards and three touchdowns. Sophomore Jerjuan Newton led the receiving corps with five catches for 89 yards and a career-best two touchdowns. Sophomore Jacquez Stuart rushed for 73 yards and one score on 11 attempts.

Toledo's defense was also led by junior linebacker Dallas Gant, who had a career-high 15 tackles.  

The Rockets now have sole possession of first place in the MAC West Division, holding the tie-breaker over both Central Michigan and Northern Illinois, heading into next week's home game vs. Kent State.

First Quarter

      Toledo took the opening kickoff and marched 69 yards in eight plays for the opening score. The big play on the drive was a 43-yard completion from Dequan Finn to Jerjuan Newton. Finn hit Newton again from four yards out on fourth down for the score. Moments later the Rockets made it 14-0 on a 25-yard interception return for a TD by Quinyon Mitchell to make it 14-0. Northern Illinois cut the lead to 14-7 on a 15-yard TD run by quarterback Justin Lynch with 4:57 left in the quarter. Toledo wasted no time in countering, moving 73 yards in four plays to take a 21-7 edge. Jacquez Stuart had a 35-yard on the drive, which was finished off by an 11-yard pass from Finn to Newton.

Second Quarter

      The Rockets made it 28-7 on a one-yard run by Jacquez Stuart, capping a nine-play, 70-yard drive to open the second quarter. Mitchell struck again late in the half, snagging his second pick six of the game, this time from 20 yards out, padding Toledo's lead to 35-7 with 3:27 left in the half. Mitchell ended the half with an interception in NIU's end zone, giving him three picks for the half.

Third Quarter

      Mitchell picked off where he left off, grabbing his fourth interception of the game on NIU's opening drive of the second half. Later in the half, Thomas Cluckey nailed a 33-yard field goal with 7:03 left in the quarter to move Toledo's lead to 38-7. Toledo made it 45-7 on a 15-yard TD throw from redshirt freshman Tucker Gleason to tight end Jamal Turner.

Fourth Quarter

      Northern scored its second touchdown of the game on a five-yard run by Antonio Brown on the first play of the fourth quarter. With a successful two-point conversion, NIU cut the lead to 45-15. The Huskies converted an on-side kick recovery into three more points, with John Richardson connecting on a 44-yard field goal to cut the lead to 45-18 with 10:03 left. NIU followed that up with another on-side kick recovery that led to another touchdown (failed two-point conversion), trimming the Rocket lead to 45-24. Northern was successful on its two-point conversion following a touchdown pass with 48 seconds on the clock, and trimmed its deficit to the final score of 52-32.

Up Next

      The Rockets host Kent State at the Glass Bowl next Saturday, Oct. 15 at 3:30 p.m. (ESPN+).

• 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.
Oct. 15 vs. Kent State
Nov. 8 vs. Ball State
Nov. 15 vs. Bowling Green