TOLEDO, Ohio – Sophomore Dequan Finn threw for 216 yards and ran for 64 yards to lead Toledo to a 37-0 victory over Long Island University at the Glass Bowl Thursday night.

Toledo's defense was virtually impenetrable all night, holding LIU to just 113 yards of total offense. In the first half the Sharks managed just 36 yards on 28 plays. The Rockets, who recorded their first shutout since a 45-0 blanking of Murray State in 2019, held LIU to just 1.9 yards per play. Senior Desjuan Johnson led the way with 3.0 tackles for loss, while senior Jamal Hines added 1.5 TFLs. Junior linebacker Dallas Gant, playing in his first game as a Rocket after transferring from Ohio State, led Toledo with 10 tackles, broke up a pass and forced a fumble.

"We had the game in hand the entire way and field position was in our favor," said Head Coach Jason Candle. "Our defense played strong the entire game. We do have some things to clean up and improve on from Week 1 to Week 2."

Toledo's offense did not score on its first three possessions, but then scored on four of its next five to take a 20-0 lead into the locker room at halftime. Junior Thomas Cluckey's third field goal of the game extended the lead to 23-0 early in the fourth quarter. Finn hit junior Jerjuan Newton for a 40-yard touchdown and sophomore reserve running back Jordan Lowe scored a 29-yard TD to close out the scoring.

First Quarter
Neither team was able to score on its first three drives, with each team getting stopped on downs once. Toledo got on the board first with a 43-yard field goal with 1:23 left in the quarter.

Second Quarter
Cluckey connected again from 27 yards out to extend Toledo's lead to 6-0 with 10:01 left in the half. Two possessions later, Finn threw a bomb to Jamal Turner who ran it in the end zone for a 69-yard score. Finn made it 20-0 with a seven-yard TD run with 1:02 left.

Third Quarter
Neither team was able to score, though Toledo had the best chance. Finn's nine-yard pass was intercepted in the corner of the end zone with 4:32 left in the quarter.

Fourth Quarter
Toledo extended the lead to 23-0 on a 30-yard field goal by Cluckey early in the quarter. Finn made it 30-0 on a 40-yard strike to Jerjuan Newton with 10:21 remaining. Sophomore Jordan Lowe scored from 29 yards out with 1:17 left to close out the scoring.

Up Next
The Rockets host UMass at the Glass Bowl on Sept. 10 (7:00 p.m./ESPN+)


Head Coach Jason Candle post-game comments after win against LIU.