CHAMPAIGN, Ill. – Toledo suffered a heartbreaking defeat to Illinois in the season opener for both teams, falling 30-28 to the Illini on a last-second field goal at Memorial Stadium in Champaign, Ill. on Saturday.
Toledo, which led 19-7 at one point in the third quarter before Illinois reeled off 20 straight points, rallied to take a 28-27 lead with 2:59 left when junior quarterback Dequan Finn scored from one yard out. Illinois then drove to the UT 12-yard line and kicked a game-winning 29-yard field goal with five seconds left.
"I'm really proud of our football team for the fight, effort and toughness they displayed for all 60 minutes," said Head Coach Jason Candle. "Just to face the adversity and come back and play strong in the fourth quarter to give ourselves a chance to win the game is something that I think our team can build off of."
Finn was a handful for Illinois, completing 20-of-36 passes for 230 yards and two touchdowns in addition to rushing for 75 yards and one score. Sophomore Junior Vandeross led Toledo with a career-high six receptions for 80 yards, while junior Jerjuan Newton caught five passes with one TD reception. Junior Jacquez Stuart led the rushing attack with 82 yards on 12 carries.
Toledo's defense handled Illinois for much of the game, limiting the Illini offense to just one touchdown through nearly the first three quarters of the game. The big play for Illinois came from its defense, a 48-yard pick six by safety Miles Scott midway through the third quarter that cut the Rocket lead to 19-14 and took the momentum away from UT.
After Illinois surged to a 27-19 lead early in the fourth quarter, Toledo rallied on a 44-yard field goal by Luke Pawlak and Finn's late score before Illinois pulled out the win with its last-second field goal.
First Quarter
- Illinois took the opening drive 75 yards in 10 plays to grab the early 7-0 lead.
- Toledo countered with a 27-yard field goal by Luke Pawlak to trim the lead to 7-3. Big Play: 23-yard run by Jacquez Stuart to the UI 11-yard line.
Second Quarter
- Toledo pulled to within one, 7-6, on a 25-yard field goal by Pawlak with 4:37 left in the half. Big Play: Dequan Finn rush for 24 yards to the six-yard line to set up the short field goal.
- Toledo stopped Illinois on fourth-and-one and took over from their own 27-yard line with 1:27 left in the half.
- Finn engineered a 73-yard drive, culminating on a 15-yard TD pass to Jerjuan Newton with four seconds left in the half to take a 12-7 lead at halftime.
Third Quarter
- Toledo opened the second half with a 75-yard TD drive, finished off by a diving TD by Peny Boone on a nine-yard reception from Finn to take a 19-7 lead.
- Maxen Hook stopped an Illinois drive with an interception at the UT 18-yard line.
- Illinois' Miles Scott returned an interception 48 yards for a touchdown to cut the Toledo lead to 19-14 with 8:13 left in the quarter.
- Illinois took the lead, 20-19, on a four-yard TD pass from Luke Altmyer to Pat Bryant with 1:23 left in the quarter.
Fourth Quarter
- Illinois extended its lead to 27-19 on a nine-yard pass from Altmyer to Bryant.
- Toledo pulled to within five points on a career-long 44-yard field goal by Pawlak.
- Toledo's defense forced a punt giving the ball back to Toledo with 6:54 left.
- Finn drove Toledo 60 yards in eight plays, finishing off the drive with a one-yard TD. UT's attempt at a two-point conversion failed, leaving Toledo with a 28-27 lead with 2:59 left.
- Illinois drove to the UT 12-yard line and Caleb Griffin kicked a game-winning 29-yard field goal with five seconds left.
Up Next
The Rockets host Texas Southern next Saturday, Sept. 9 in "The Biggest Party in Toledo." Kickoff is at 3:30. Tickets are available at UTRockets.com/FBTix.
