TOLEDO, Ohio – Toledo hits the road for the first time in over a month when it travels to UMass for a non-conference battle in Amherst, Mass. on Saturday, Oct. 7 (Noon/ESPNU), the first of three straight road games for UT.

The Rockets swept a string of four consecutive home games, most recently a 35-33 thriller vs. Northern Illinois on Sept. 30. Junior quarterback Dequan Finn threw for two touchdowns and ran for another but it was senior Dallas Gant who saved the day on the game's final play. With time running out and NIU trying to move down the field to attempt a potential game-winning field goal, Gant made a diving tackle on Huskie quarterback Rocky Lombardi at the UT 45-yard line to secure the victory.

In front of a Homecoming crowd of 23,417 at the Glass Bowl, Toledo (4-1, 2-0 MAC) withstood a late NIU surge in which the Huskies scored the final 13 points of the game. Finn, who missed the second half of last week's win over Western Michigan due to injury, completed 16-of-20 passes for 281 yards and two touchdowns while rushing for 61 yards and a TD. He threw touchdowns to senior wide receiver Jerjuan Newton and sophomore wide receiver Junior Vandeross III, the latter of whom caught four passes for a career-high 147 yards. Junior running back Peny Boone rushed for 113 yards on 16 carries, his third straight game with 100-plus rushing yards. 

UMass (1-5) is an FBS independent which has played a difficult schedule thus far. After knocking of a solid New Mexico State team on the road in the season opener, the Minutemen have lost five straight, but two of the games could have been wins — a 19-17 loss at Eastern Michigan and a 34-31 overtime home defeat to New Mexico. Junior Kay'Ron Lynch-Adams leads a potent rushing attack with 504 yards and five touchdowns.

Toledo vs. UMass
Saturday, Oct. 7 - Noon
McGuirk Alumni Stadium, Amherst, Mass.

• TEAM RECORDS: 
    Toledo (4-1, 2-0 MAC)
    UMass (1-5)

• SERIES RECORD: Toledo leads, 7-1. The Rockets won in Toledo last year, 55-10.

• THE COACHES: 
    Jason Candle, 58-33 (8th year) at Toledo, same overall. 2-0 vs. UMass.
    Don Brown, 2-16 from 2022-23, 43-19 from 2004-08 at UMass, 97-61 overall. 0-1 vs. Toledo.

• TV/STREAMING: ESPNU
  Play by Play: John Schriffen  
  Analyst: Rocky Boiman 
  Sideline: Dawn Davenport

• ROCKET RADIO NETWORK: Pregame begins at 10:30 a.m.
   Play by Play: Mark Beier
    Analyst: Jack Mewhort
    Sidelines: Mike Robinson

• WEB-AUDIO: Free live audio streaming of the UT Rocket Radio Network broadcast on UTRockets.com. 

• X/TWITTER: 
    @ToledoFB: Regular updates on UT Football, live updates on Game Day.

• TICKETS: 
    Online at UTRockets.com/tix, by phone at 419-530-GOLD (4653) or at the Rocket Ticket Office in Savage Arena.

Notes From the Launch Pad
    • Toledo is 4-1 for the first time since 2019. It is also the first time the Rockets have won four straight since the 2019 season.
    • Toledo leads the MAC in scoring offense (40.8), total offense (465.0), passing yards (241.6), passing efficiency (168.88) and rushing offense (223.4).
    • Toledo is tied for first in the nation with Iowa State and Rutgers in sacks allowed (two in five games) and is tied for 11th in sacks (3.40/game).
    • Junior Peny Boone is second in the MAC and 14th in the country in rushing yards (103.0/game) and leads the league and is seventh in yards per carry (7.57). 
He has rushed for over 100 yards in each of his past three games ­— 123 vs. San Jose State, career-high 211 vs. WMU and 113 vs. Northern Illinois.
    • Junior Jerjuan Newton's had one TD reception vs. NIU, giving him seven for the season, which leads the MAC and is third in the country. Newton caught two passes for 51 yards vs. NIU, giving him 100 catches for his career.
    • Dequan Finn threw for 281 yards vs. NIU, giving him 5,377 for his career and moving him into 10th place on UT's career list ahead of the legendary Chuck Ealey (5,275 from 1969-71).
    • Toledo's victory over NIU gives Jason Candle his 58th career win, tying him with Tom Amstutz (2001-08) for second on Toledo's all-time list. Gary Pinkel is the all-time leader with 73 wins from 1991-2000.