TOLEDO, Ohio – The Toledo Rockets will look to make it four straight wins when they travel to Western Kentucky on Saturday, Sept. 21 (7:00 p.m. ET/ESPN+) in the first-ever meeting between the two schools.

Toledo (3-0) is coming off a 41-17 victory at Mississippi State on Sept. 14. The victory was Toledo's first win against a "Power Four" opponent in nine years and just its second ever vs. an SEC opponent. The Rockets dominated both sides of the ball, leading 35-3 late in the third quarter before going into ball-control mode the rest of the way.

Junior quarterback Tucker Gleason was brilliant, putting together perhaps his best overall game as a collegian. He connected on 23-of-28 passes for 285 yards and three TDs. He completed passes to nine receivers, did not throw an interception and also kept MSU off balance by running for 40 yards. Junior Vandeross III led the Rockets with seven receptions, 73 yards and one touchdown, while senior Jerjuan Newton added two touchdown grabs.

Toledo's defense was stellar for all 60 minutes. The Rockets held Mississippi State to 385 yards of total offense, much of it coming in the second half with the game out of reach. Toledo, which racked up five sacks and forced two turnovers on the evening, set the tone early by holding MSU to just eight yards of offense in the first quarter. 

Western Kentucky (2-1) is coming off an impressive 49-21 win at Conference USA rival Middle Tennessee last Saturday. Backup quarterback Caden Veltkamp came in after starter TJ Finley was injured and threw for 398 yards and five touchdowns.and also rushed for another touchdown, to highlight the performance.

Toledo vs. Western Kentucky
Saturday, Sept. 21- 6:00 p.m. CT (7:00 p.m. ET)
Houchens Smith Stadium, Bowling Green, Ky. 

• TEAM RECORDS: 
    Toledo (3-0, 0-0 MAC)
    Western Kentucky (2-1, 1-0 CUSA)

• SERIES RECORD: First meeting.

• THE COACHES: 
    Jason Candle, 68-35 (9th year) at Toledo, same overall. 0-0 vs. Western Kentucky.
    Tyson Helton, 42-27 (6th year) at Western Kentucky, same overall. 0-0 vs. Toledo.

• TV/STREAMING: ESPN+
    Play by Play: Jeff Hem
    Analyst: Terry Obee

• ROCKET RADIO NETWORK: Pregame begins at 5:30 p.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.

Rocket Launches
    • Toledo looks to start the season 4-0 for the first time since 2015 when it won its first seven games and shot up to No. 19 in the AP poll.
    • Toledo was chosen as the Cheez-It National Team of the Week for Week Three by the Football Writers Association of America (FWAA) and the Florida Citrus Bowl.
    • Toledo picked up nine points in this week's AP poll and one point in the coaches poll. The Rockets made the Top 25 last season, peaking at No. 23 after winning 11 straight games.
    • This is the first meeting between Toledo and Western Kentucky. The Hilltoppers will return a visit to Toledo next season on Sept. 6. 
    • Toledo's win over Mississippi State was its second against an SEC team (Arkansas in 2015) and first over a "Power 4/5" team since a 30-23 win over Iowa State in 2015, a week after the Arkansas win. 
    • Through three games, Toledo leads in the MAC in scoring offense (42.7) and is second in scoring defense (16.7).
    • Tucker Gleason was named MAC Offensive Player of the Week, and also was named a Manning Award Star of the Week and was chosen among the Davey O'Brien Foundation's "Great 8."
    • With the win vs. Mississippi State, Head Coach Jason Candle moved his all-time record to 68-35. He needs six more wins to pass Gary Pinkel (73-37-3 from 1991-2000) as Toledo's all-time leader.