TOLEDO, Ohio - The Toledo Rockets used a record-setting second quarter to bulldoze their way to a 60-0 victory over Morgan State in "Senior Day" at the Glass Bowl on Saturday.
 
After leading by just a field goal in the first quarter, Toledo (2-1) rolled up 43 points against the Bears in the second quarter to take a commanding 46-0 lead into the locker room. The 43 points were the most scored by a Toledo squad in one quarter in its 109-year history.

"It was good to be back in the Glass Bowl to honor our seniors today," said Head Coach Jason Candle. "Lots of these guys have been here four or five years, and happy to get them a win. We got lots of guys involved in the game, and had lots of key players involved in the game."
 
The senior running back duo of Chip Trayanum and Kenji Christian each scored two touchdowns in the second quarter as Toledo outgained Morgan State 233 yards to minus-21 in the period, and 334-24 in the first half. Senior wide receiver Junior Vandeross caught two touchdown passes from Tucker Gleason in the quarter. Gleason, who sat out the second half, was 13-of-17 for 174 yards and one TD. Gleason's backup, John Alan Richter, completed 10-of-14 passes for 93 yards and two scores, before Kalieb Osborne finished the game behind center, completing 4-of-6 passes for 30 yards, while adding 49 yards and a TD on the ground.
 
The Rockets' defense dominated all afternoon, allowing just 56 yards of total offense, 12 shy of the school record, and four first downs to the Bears. Junior linebacker K'Von Sherman led the way with a career-high nine tackles, including a career-best 4.0 tackles for loss, one shy of the school record of five (held by four players). Jeremiah Peters added six stops and one sack.
 
Toledo's special teams were also strong throughout the game, with Bryson Hammer returning six punts for 112 yards, including a 41-yarder. The tandem of Dylan Cunanan and Anthony Ruggles combined to make all eight of its attempted kicks – seven extra points and one field goal, while Emilio Duran averaged 46.7 yards on three punts.

"A product of our great defense today was communication," said Candle. "If you can't communicate at a high level, explosive plays don't come out. I'm sure we weren't perfect, but we made up for our mistakes with our havoc plays and they were 0-of-12 on third down. There was good communication and good effort by our defense. K'Von Sherman was in the backfield all game, getting pressure on the quarterback and making havoc plays. I credit Robert Hammond on kickoffs – the ball was flying out of the back of the end zone every time. A multitude of running backs, quarterbacks and receivers got in and made plays on offense, and it led to a good team win."

First Quarter

• Toledo went 65 yards on its opening drive to set up a 28-yard field goal by Dylan Cunanan.

Second Quarter

• Bryson Hammer set up Toledo's first touchdown with a 41-yard punt return to the MSU 12-yard line. Tucker Gleason then hit Junior Vandeross for a 12-yard score and Connor Jones ran in the two-point conversion to make it 11-0 early in the second quarter.
• Chip Trayanum scored on a one-yard run on a short drive set up by a fumble recovery to increase the lead to 18-0 with 11:09 to play in the half.
• Kenji Christian capped a five-play, 36-yard drive with a 10-yard TD run to make it 25-0.
• Moments later, Trayanum made it 32-0 with a one-yard plunge on another short drive.
• Christian scored his second touchdown of the day, a two-yarder that made it 39-0.
• John Alan Richter entered the game on the final drive of the half and threw a seven-yard TD pass to Junior Vandeross III with seven seconds left to make it 46-0.

Third Quarter

• Richter connected with tight end CC Ezirim for a two-yard TD to make the score 53-0.

Fourth Quarter

• Reserve quarterback Kalieb Osborne scampered for a seven-yard score to make it 60-0 early in the fourth quarter.

Up Next
The Rockets travel to Western Michigan to open up Mid-American Conference play on Saturday, Sept. 20 at 3:30 p.m. Streaming will be on ESPN+ and the Rocket Radio Network.
 
Toledo Post-Game Notes

• Toledo has now won 25 straight games against FCS schools and is 30-1 overall since the NCAA split Division I into two divisions in 1978.
• Toledo has outscored its last two opponents, 105-21.
• Toledo's 43 points in the second quarter set a program record for most points in one quarter (previous record was 34 points in first quarter vs. Davis & Elkins in 1951). The 46 points in the first half ranks fourth all-time for points in a half (the record is 50 in first half vs. Texas Southern in 2023).
• The 60-point differential was the sixth-largest margin of victory in Toledo history and largest since the 68-point victory against Texas Southern. The record is 88 (88-0 vs. Davis & Elkins in 1951).
• The 56 yards allowed is just 12 more than the program record for fewest yards allowed, when Toledo allowed just 44 vs. Dayton in 1970.
• Toledo secured its first shutout since a 37-0 win over Long Island on Sept. 1, 2022.
• Junior linebacker K'Von Sherman led the defense with a career-high nine tackles, including a career-best 4.0 tackles for loss, one shy of the school record of five (held by four players).
• Senior running back Chip Trayanum rushed for two touchdowns for the second straight week. He is the first Rocket to rush for multiple TDs in consecutive games since Bryant Koback did so in four straight games in 2021.
• Senior running back Kenji Christian scored his first two touchdowns as a Rocket.
• Senior wide receiver Junior Vandeross III tied his career best with two TD receptions.
• Redshirt freshman Javon Brown set season highs in receptions (5) and receiving yards (94).
• Junior tight end CC Ezirim caught his first career touchdown pass and redshirt freshman quarterback Kalieb Osborne rushed for his first career score.
• One week after catching his first career reception for a touchdown, senior tight end Connor Jones scored on a two-point conversion in the second quarter.
• Toledo has scored 105 points in the last two weeks, the most points in consecutive games at the Glass Bowl since 2013 (106).
• Thirteen different receivers caught passes for the Rockets on the afternoon.
• Toledo honored 23 seniors prior to the game for its "Senior Day" celebration.