Box Score

LEXINGTON, Ky. – The Toledo football team fell in its 2025 season opener to Kentucky, 24-16, at Kroger Field on Saturday afternoon.

The Rockets scored on a 20-yard TD reception from Junior Vandeross III to make it a one-score game with 1:55 left. But Toledo's on-side kick attempt did not go the required 10 yards and UK ran out the clock to claim the win.

Senior quarterback Tucker Gleason completed 23-of-40 passes for 270 yards with one touchdown, adding a nine-yard rushing score on the ground. Vandeross finished with seven receptions for 88 yards and a touchdown. Chip Trayanum rushed for 41 yards on 14 carries in his first game in a Rocket uniform.

Senior safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren led with 11 tackles, eight solo, with a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Junior linebacker K'Von Sherman added eight stops, four solo, while senior cornerback Avery Smith totaled six tackles including five solo stops.

Quoting Head Coach Jason Candle

"Ultimately, we have to start better and be better in the first half, especially offensively. We made a lot of mistakes that looked like Week 1 things today. We tried to guard against those in preseason practice, but today some of those things bit us in the backside. That can't happen against a quality opponent."

First Quarter

• Kentucky turned an early interception into seven points when QB Zach Calzada finished off a 29-yard drive with a one-yard TD plunge.

Second Quarter

• Toledo was stopped on fourth down at the UK three-yard line but converted on a safety on the very next play when linebacker Langston Long tackled Calzada in the end zone, cutting the UK lead to 7-2.
• Kentucky extended the lead to 10-2 on a 45-yard field goal with 2:04 left in the half.

Third Quarter

• No scoring as the teams exchanged punts.

Fourth Quarter

• Kentucky made it 17-2 on a 12-play, 76-yard drive that was finished off on a six-yard run by Seth McGowan.
• Toledo answered with a nine-yard TD run by QB Tucker Gleason to trim the lead to 17-9 with 9:38 left.
• The Wildcats scored on the very next play from scrimmage, a 79-yard run by Dante Dowdell.
• After a 39-yard reception to Javon Brown, Gleason found Junior Vandeross III on a 20-yard strike to pull Toledo back within a score, 24-16 at the 1:55 mark.
• A penalty on the ensuing onside kick gave Kentucky the ball, and the Wildcats converted on the ensuing set of downs to seal the game.

Post-Game Notes

• Toledo led in total offense, 329-305, but the Wildcats led in rushing, 220-59, with all three of their touchdowns coming on the ground.
• Toledo's safety in the second quarter was the Rockets' first since Dec. 30, 2023 against Wyoming.
• Toledo totaled 180 of its 329 yards and 10 of its 17 first downs in the fourth quarter.
• Nasir Bowers earned his third-career interception while Emmanuel McNeil-Warren earned his seventh-career forced fumble and first fumble recovery on their respective takeaways.
• McNeil-Warren's 11 tackles marked his fourth effort of double-digit tackles. K'Von Sherman also notched his career high in tackles with his eight stops.
• Junior Vandeross III now has caught a reception in 28-straight games.
• The defeat denied Toledo consecutive victories against the SEC and a third-straight victory against Power Four opponents (wins over Mississippi State and Pitt in 2024).

Up Next
Toledo returns to the Glass Bowl for the 2025 home opener on Saturday, Sept. 6 against Western Kentucky. Kickoff is at 7:00 p.m. on ESPN+.