TOLEDO, Ohio - It was billed as "The Biggest Party in Toledo" and the Toledo Rockets obliged by supplying a full evening of entertainment for a delighted crowd of 24,138 and dominating Western Kentucky from start to finish in a 45-21 victory at the Glass Bowl on Saturday night.

The party's guest of honor was Jason Candle, who won his 74^th career game as Toledo's head coach, moving him ahead of Gary Pinkel to become the Rockets' all-time victory leader.

"To get tonight's win, especially in front of our home fans and our family, is special," said Candle. "Toledo is a special place to me. I've put a lot of time and energy into my job here, not just as the head coach but as an assistant coach before that. I've had a lot of great players come through here that have impacted my career in a positive way, many of which were here tonight. To have those guys back and be around the program creates a special feeling all around. It was a great night for me and for our team."

Senior running back Chip Trayanum paced the running attack with a career-high 163 yards and two touchdowns on 14 carries. His previous career best of 108 yards came in 2020 when he was with Arizona State. He also caught his first career TD reception.

Senior quarterback Tucker Gleason completed 7-of-12 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns before leaving the game late in the second quarter with an injury. Senior wide receiver Junior Vandeross III led UT receivers with five receptions for 122 yards and one score.

The Toledo defense dominated the Hilltoppers, containing WKU's passing attack, which came into the contest averaging 400 yards per contest, and holding it to just 59 yards on the ground while forcing two turnovers and sacking Hilltopper quarterback Maverick McIvor two times.

The Rockets were up 14-0 barely three minutes into the contest thanks to a fumble recovery and a 37-yard pick-six by senior safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren. After a Western Kentucky touchdown, Toledo reeled off 17 more points to take a 31-7 lead into the locker room at halftime and never looked back.

"Very proud of our football team against a very tough football team in Western Kentucky," said Candle. "I thought it was a great home environment tonight. Great to be back in the Glass Bowl. Good to take some Week 1 mistakes off the videotape, obviously aided by a hot start and two turnovers. When you can turn those turnovers into points, those are some massive momentum swings that occur in the course of a football game. We were able to ride that wave, found some rushing yards and found some consistency in that area offensively, and we did a good job in the yardage battle on special teams and in the kicking game. Great win for our team."

First Quarter

• Toledo forced a WKU fumble on the game's second play from scrimmage, then moved 34 yards in three plays to take a 7-0 lead. Chip Trayanum had a 17-yard run and then crossed the goal line from one yard out for his first touchdown as a Rocket.
• Moments later, safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren picked off a pass and ran 37 yards into the end zone to make it 14-0 barely three minutes into the contest.
• Western Kentucky punched back with a seven-play TD drive that was highlighted by a 39-yard pass play to the UT two-yard line.
• Toledo made it 21-7 with a nine-play drive that was capped by a 10-yard TD pass from Tucker Gleason to Trayanum.

Second Quarter

• Toledo tacked on 32-yard field goal by Dylan Cunanan to extend the lead to 24-7.
• Toledo's defense then stopped WKU on first-and-goal from the two-yard line on its next possession.
• The Rockets made it 31-7 on a 71-yard bomb from Gleason to Junior Vandeross III with 1:25 left in the half.

• Toledo scored on the first play of the third quarter, a 75-yard bolt down the sidelines by Trayanum.
• The Rockets made it 45-7 on a 10-play, 60-yard drive, capped by a five-yard TD pass from John Alan Richter to Connor Jones.

Fourth Quarter

• Western Kentucky supplied the final two scores of the game on a one-yard rush by Jaden McGill and an 11-yard touchdown reception by Cameron Flowers.

• With the victory, Jason Candle earned his 74^th career win as head coach, moving him past Gary Pinkel (73-37-3 from 1991-2000) as Toledo's all-time leader. Candle's record is now 74-41.
• Toledo evened the series with Western Kentucky at 1-1.
• Chip Trayanum rushed for a career-high 163 yards on 14 carries. His previous high was 108 vs. UCLA in 2020 when he was with Arizona State.
• Trayanum scored his first two rushing touchdowns as a Rocket, a one-yarder in the first quarter and a 75-yard sprint in the third quarter. The two rushing TDs tied his career high, which he accomplished twice at Arizona State, and the three total touchdowns marked a career high.
• Trayanum now has 15 career rushing TDs. He had 13 rushing TDs prior to transferring to Toledo, 10 at Arizona State and three at Ohio State. He added a TD reception in the first quarter, the first of his career.
• Trayanum's 75-yard TD run was Toledo's longest run from scrimmage since Jacquez Stuart went 80 yards for a score vs. Wyoming at the 2023 Barstool Sports Arizona Bowl on Dec. 30, 2023.
• Emmanuel McNeil-Warren's pick-six was his first career touchdown. It was his fourth career interception. McNeil-Warren also recovered a fumble for the second consecutive week.
• Tucker Gleason's 71-yard TD pass to Junior Vandeross III in the second quarter was the second-longest catch of Vandeross' career and third-longest completion of Gleason's career.
• Vandeross' 122 yards marked the sixth time in his career with a 100-yard receiving effort.
• Senior tight end Connor Jones caught his first career pass, a five-yard TD reception in the third quarter.
• Toledo's 31 points in the first half marked its first 30-point half since scoring 35 in the first half against Eastern Michigan on Nov. 8, 2023.