TOLEDO, Ohio - Junior quarterback Tucker Gleason threw for one touchdown and ran for two more while the defense forced five turnovers as Toledo rolled to a 37-10 victory over Central Michigan at the Glass Bowl on Tuesday night.
The victory keeps Toledo (7-3, 4-2 MAC) in the hunt for its third consecutive MAC Championship Game appearance. The Rockets are tied with Western Michigan and Buffalo for fourth place, a game behind first place Bowling Green (5-1) and a half-game behind Ohio and Miami (4-1), who both play on Wednesday.
"I'm proud of our football team for getting the win tonight," said Jason Candle, who won his 72nd game as the Rockets' head coach, one shy of the mark set 24 years ago by Gary Pinkel.  "Really good job by our defense creating turnovers. I thought the tale of the game was getting turnovers and capitalizing for points. We did a good job capitalizing on our red zone opportunities as well. We also ran the ball well, especially in the first half, and have found some good balance there the last couple of weeks, supplemented by Tucker Gleason."
Gleason scored from nine and 30 yards out in the first half as the Rockets built a 27-3 halftime lead. Toledo scored 10 points in the final 22 seconds of the half on a pick-six by Nasir Bowers and a 32-yard field goal by Dylan Cunanan following a fumble recovery.
Gleason completed 13-of-23 passes for 123 yards and rushed for 66 more before coming out of the game in the fourth quarter. Senior Jacquez Stuart rushed for a season-high 65 yards while Jerjuan Newton led 10 Rocket receivers who caught a pass with three receptions for 40 yards.
Toledo's defense was dominant, holding the Chippewas to 236 yards of total offense and forcing five turnovers. Senior linebacker Dan Bolden led the Rockets with nine tackles, while junior defensive end Anthony Dunn had a career-best 3.5 tackles for loss.
First Quarter
·      Central Michigan got on the board first, converting an 11-play, 62 yard drive into a 34-yard field goal.
·      Toledo marched down the field, moving 71 yards in 10 plays to take a 7-3 lead. Tucker Gleason called his own number for a nine-yard TD run.
Second Quarter
·      Toledo made it 10-3 on a 30-yard field goal by Dylan Cunanan early in the second quarter.
·      Gleason put together runs of 32 and 30 yards, the second of which was good for his second TD run of the game, giving Toledo a 17-3 lead with 4:48 left in the half.
·      Toledo made it 24-3 on a 45-yard pick-six by Nasir Bowers with 22 seconds left in the half.
·      The Rockets then recovered a fumble and converted it into a 32-yard field goal by Cunanan to give UT a 27-3 halftime lead.
Third Quarter
·      Toledo increased the lead to 34-3 on a nifty touchdown catch by freshman Zy'Marion Lang, who kept one foot in bounds along the edge of the end zone on a 27-yard strike from Gleason.
Fourth Quarter
·      Toledo tacked on three more points on a 40-yard field by Cunanan, his third of the game.
·      The Chippewas scored their lone touchdown on a short run with 1:28 remaining.
Up Next
     The Rockets host Ohio on Wednesday, Nov. 20.
Post-Game Notes
- Toledo won its seventh game of the season, clinching its 15th consecutive season without a losing record.
- Toledo is now 4-2 in MAC play, tied with Buffalo and Western Michigan for fourth place, a game behind first-place Bowling Green (5-1) and a half-game behind Ohio and Miami (4-1), who both play on Wednesday.
- Toledo has now won 13 of the last 15 meetings vs. CMU, including seven in a row in the Glass Bowl.
- Jason Candle won his 72nd game as the head coach of Toledo, one shy of the school record set by Gary Pinkel (1991-2000).
- Junior quarterback Tucker Gleason completed 13-of-23 passes for 136 yards and one TD. Gleason also rushed for 66 yards, including TD runs of nine and 30 yards, as well as a 32-yard run in the second quarter that matched his season best.
- Senior Jacquez Stuart ran for a season-high 65 yards. It was his most yards rushing since he ran for 99 vs. Wyoming in 2023 Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl.
- Toledo forced five turnovers (three fumble recoveries, two interceptions), its most since forcing five vs. Ball State Oct. 31, 2018. The all-time Toledo record is 10 vs. Ball State in 1984.
- Nasir Bowers' pick-six in the second quarter was Toledo's first since Chris McDonald took one 25 yards vs. San Jose State on Sept. 1, 2023. It was the second interception of his career, with his first coming in Toledo's last game vs. EMU.
- Junior defensive end Anthony Dunn had a career-best 3.5 tackles for loss.
- Freshman Dylan Cunanan made three field goals for the second time this season.
