TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo Rockets open their  2023 conference season with a full head of steam coming off victories over Texas Southern and San Jose State.

Toledo (2-1, 0-0 MAC) hosts Western Michigan at the Glass Bowl on Saturday, Sept. 23 (1:30 p.m./ESPN+) in the Mid-American Conference opener for both teams. It is the third of four straight home games for the Rockets.

Toledo scored 14 unanswered points and shut out San Jose State in the fourth quarter to come away with a 21-17 victory at the Glass Bowl on Sept. 16. The Rockets trailed the Spartans 17-7 midway through the third quarter when junior quarterback Dequan Finn scampered for an 18-yard touchdown to put the Rockets within three, 17-14. Five minutes later, senior cornerback Chris McDonald returned an interception 25 yards for a touchdown that proved to be the game-winner.

The Rockets' defense took control in the fourth quarter, holding San Jose State to just 43 yards of offense in the final 15 minutes to seal the victory.

The close victory over San Jose State comes on the heels of a 71-3 blowout of Texas Southern on Sept. 9.

Western Michigan (1-2, 0-0 MAC) is coming off a 41-10 loss at Iowa. The Broncos opened the season with a 35-17 win over St. Francis before falling at Syracuse, 48-7. Saturday's game will be the third consecutive road contest for WMU. The Broncos are led by redshirt freshman running back Jalen Buckley, who leads the MAC in rushing with 311 yards. 

Toledo vs. Western Michigan
Saturday, Sept. 23 - 1:30 p.m.
The Glass Bowl

• TEAM RECORDS: 
    Toledo (2-1, 0-0 MAC)
    Western Michigan (1-2, 0-0 MAC)

• SERIES RECORD: Toledo leads, 45-32. The Broncos won in Kalamazoo last year, 20-14.

• THE COACHES: 
    Jason Candle, 56-33 (8th year) at Toledo, same overall. 4-3 vs. Western Michigan.
    Lance Taylor, 1-2 (1st year) at Western Michigan, same overall. 0-0 vs. Toledo.

• TV/STREAMING: ESPN+
    Play by Play: TBA
    Analyst: TBA

• ROCKET RADIO NETWORK: Pregame begins at noon.
   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
    • Peny Boone's 123 rushing yards vs. San Jose State was his career high. He was named MAC West Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts.
    • Chris McDonald's 25-yard pick-six was the second of his career. He also had a 27-yarder vs. Notre Dame in 2021.
    • Quinyon Mitchell broke up four passes, one shy of his career high and giving him 34 for his career, moving him ahead of Mark Herron (32 from 1993-96) for third on Toledo's all-time list. Mitchell, who was second in the nation with 20 breakups in 2022, is tied for first in the nation with six breakups this year.
    • Dequan Finn ended the game with 4,977 career passing yards, putting him 23 yards away from becoming the 11th quarterback in school history with 5,000 career passing yards.
    • Finn is third the MAC in passing yards (186.7), second in passing efficiency (147.16) and third in total offense (234.7).
    • Toledo leads the MAC in scoring offense (40.0), total offense (428.7) and rushing offense (195.7), and is second in scoring defense (16.7) and total defense (293.3).
    • Toledo is No. 5 in the country in third-down conversions (23-40/57.5%).
    • Toledo has not had a losing season since 2009, the fifth-longest streak in the FBS behind Boise State, Wisconsin, Oklahoma State and Alabama.