TOLEDO, Ohio - Senior quarterback Tucker Gleason threw for a season-high 309 yards and two touchdowns, while the Toledo defense put in another dominant performance in a 42-3 victory over Northern Illinois before 22,128 fans at the Glass Bowl Wednesday night.
 
Toledo (5-4, 3-2 MAC) started the game off with a bang – a 96-yard touchdown return by Trayvon Rudolph on the opening kickoff – and never let up.  Gleason was accurate throughout the contest, completing 25-of-31 passes. He ran for a TD and threw for another in the first half to lead Toledo to a comfortable 28-3 margin heading into the locker room. The Huskies never seriously challenged in the second half.
 
Northern Illinois (2-7, 1-4 MAC) managed just 203 yards of total offense vs. the Rockets' dominating defense, including just 78 yards in the first half. Toledo entered the game ranked No. 3 in the FBS in total defense and did nothing to hurt its national status. NIU, which rushed for 305 yards in a 21-7 win over Ball State last week, managed just 62 rushing yards on 1.7 yards per attempt. Linebackers Chris D'Appolonia and K'von Sherman and led the defense with nine and eight tackles, respectively.
 
All told, Toledo more than doubled up Northern Illinois on offense, outgaining the Huskies 443-203 without committing a turnover or taking a sack, while racking up 23 first downs on the evening.
 
Comments from Head Coach Jason Candle

"Really proud of our team and the effort that it took to get a good victory tonight. I thought we had really efficient play by our quarterback. They have a massive rushing attack and gained 315 yards rushing in their last football game. We held that in check throughout the course of the game at a really high clip and when you make the other team one dimensional, it makes things a lot easier on defense."

"The kickoff return by Trayvon Rudolph to get things started was a major spark and obviously a special moment for him being a former Husky.  It was a cool scene. We talk about momentum in football often. It doesn't get any bigger than that right from the start.

"I thought we had a great crowd with great student representation and that kind of gets you going. It gets our guys sparked up and ignited right off the jump."
 
First Quarter

• Toledo opened the game with a 96-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Trayvon Rudolph.
• NIU countered with a sustained drive that culminated in a 50-yard field goal, cutting the lead to 7-3.

Second Quarter

• Toledo took advantage of a short field, driving 44 yards for a touchdown to make it 14-3 with Tucker Gleason calling his own number from two yards out.
• The Rockets made it 21-3 on a five-yard run by Chip Trayanum with 5:08 left in the half.
• With 51 seconds left in the half, Gleason connected with Junior Vandeross III for a 19-yard TD to give UT a 28-3 cushion headed into the locker room. The touchdown capped a 92-yard drive which took just 1:03.

Third Quarter

• Kenji Christian made it 35-3 with a 10-yard TD run.

Fourth Quarter

• The Rockets added another touchdown, a 16-yard TD pass from Gleason to Kenji Christian.

Up Next
      The Rockets travel to Miami for another midweek MACtion game on Wednesday, Nov. 12 (7:00 p.m./ESPN2).
 
Toledo Post-Game Notes

• Toledo is now 5-0 at home this season.
• The crowd of 22,128 was the fourth-largest in a midweek MACtion game in Toledo history and the largest since 23,089 witnessed a battle between Toledo and NIU in 2015.
• Toledo now leads the series with NIU 36-17 and has won four straight. The 39-point margin of victory was Toledo's largest vs. NIU since a 70-21 triumph in 2007.
• Tucker Gleason completed 25-of-31 passes for a season-high 309 yards and two touchdowns, the sixth game this season he has thrown for at least 200 yards. It is the fifth time in his career that he has eclipsed the 300-yard mark. Gleason also ran for one touchdown, the 14^th rushing score of his career.
• Gleason passed two milestones, competing the 50^th and 51st touchdown passes of his career. He also became ninth Rocket QB to pass the 6,000-yard mark for passing yards, ending the evening with 6,174 yards, passing Kevin Meger (6,023 from 1989-92) for eighth place all-time.
• Junior Vandeross III caught six passes for 97 yards and one TD. He now has 191 career receptions, moving him past Donta' Greene (188 from 1999-2002) and Corey Jones (189 from 2013-16) for eighth place on Toledo's all-time list. He also moved up to ninth place in receiving yards with 2,344, surpassing former NFL star Diontae Johnson (2,276 from 2015-18).
• Senior Trayvon Rudolph's kickoff return for a touchdown was his first as a Rocket and the first by a Rocket since Jacquez Stuart went 97 yards vs. Buffalo on Oct. 31, 2023. It was the second kick return for a TD in Rudolph's career (2021 with Northern Illinois).
• Senior running back Chip Trayanum returned to the lineup after missing two games due to injury. He rushed for 36 yards and a touchdown, and caught a season-high six passes. Trayanum has now scored touchdowns in six consecutive appearances. He has eight rushing touchdowns in the stretch, dating back to Week 2 against Western Kentucky.
• Toledo's defense held its opponents to 14 points or fewer for the fourth time this season. It was also the fifth time this season that UT held its foe to less than 250 yards of total offense.
• Toledo reached 40 points for the fifth time this season, all at home. It's the first time the Rockets have scored at least 40 points in five games in a season since 2021.
• Toledo's 92-yard scoring drive to close the first half was the Rockets' second scoring drive of at least 90 yards this season. Toledo also scored on a 95-yard drive at Kentucky on Aug. 30.
• Sophomore Chris D'Appolonia's team-leading nine tackles marked a career high.
• Toledo's four sacks tied its most as a defensive unit this season (at Western Michigan, Sept. 20).