Rockets Run Away from San Diego State, 41-16

Saturday, September 26

Toledo, Ohio

12:00 p.m.

University of Toledo

3-1 , 0-0

San Diego State

1-3 , 0-0

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
San Diego St.	3	0	6	7	16
Toledo	7	10	17	7	41

Final Stats (PDF)

Junior wide receiver Bryson Hammer caught touchdown passes of 78 and 38 yards, the first two TD catches of his career in Toledo's 41-16 victory over San Diego State on Saturday.

9/26/2026 3:49:00 PM | Football

Box Score Mike Jacobs press conference transcript

Toledo scores 34 unanswered for ninth consecutive home victory

TOLEDO, Ohio – The University of Toledo football team stormed out to a 14-point halftime lead on Saturday and kept its foot on the gas in the second half, defeating San Diego State 41-16 at the Glass Bowl.

Toledo (3-1) trailed 3-0 and then scored the next 34 points – seven in the first quarter, 10 in the second and 17 in the third to put the game out of reach. The Rockets had three touchdown drives of three or fewer plays, and sophomore linebacker Isaac Zay had a 67-yard pick-six.

San Diego State's offense drove 68 yards on the first possession of the game but were put into hibernation by the Rockets' defense the rest of the afternoon. UT forced two turnovers and limited the Aztecs to just 48 rushing yards and 3 for 14 on third down. The Rockets had three sacks, six tackles for loss and forced two turnovers.

Senior safety Armorion Smith finished with 11 tackles, two pass breakups and 0.5 sacks. Zay added eight stops to his pick-six. Junior safety Nicholas Thompson had 1.5 tackles for loss, while Smith, Zay, sophomore defensive end Zach Johnson, junior defensive end Andrew Zock were each credited with one TFL.

Junior quarterback John Alan Richter completed 16 of 22 passes for 284 yards and two touchdowns. He had six passing plays of more than 15 yards, accounting for 222 yards of offense. Junior wide receiver Bryson Hammer was the recipient of two touchdown passes (78 yards and 38 yards), finishing with six receptions for 133 yards. Junior Autavius Ison (89 yards) and senior Connor Walendzak (61 yards) led on the ground, with Walendzak supplying the Rockets' lone rushing score.

How It Happened

The Aztecs opened the game with a 10-play, 68-yard field goal drive.
A shanked punt gave the Rockets the ball at the Aztecs' 45, and Toledo capitalized with a three-play touchdown drive, with Adjatay Dabbs catching a 19-yard TD pass.
Reice Griffith knocked through a 38-yard field goal for a 10-3 Toledo lead in the second.
John Alan Richter found Bryson Hammer on a 78-yard catch-and-run for a touchdown, putting Toledo up 17-3 heading into halftime.
San Diego State could not pull off an onside kick attempt coming out of halftime, and Richter found Hammer for a 38-yard TD on the first offensive play out of the locker room for a 24-3 edge.
Griffith knocked through a 49-yarder for a 27-3 advantage with 9:55 left in the third.
Isaac Zay intercepted Aztec QB Jayden Denegal and returned it 67 yards for a pick-six and a 34-3 lead.
After an Aztec TD, Toledo drove seven plays for 73 yards, finishing off the drive with a 1-yard touchdown rush by Connor Walendzak to go up 41-9 early in the fourth. Dabbs' 34-yard reception set up the score.

Game Notes

Toledo earned its ninth-straight win at home. The Rockets are 19-2 at home since 2023 and have two nine-game winning streaks in that span.
In the current home winning streak, Toledo has averaged 47.6 points per game and has an average margin of victory of 34.2.
The Rockets won their first game against the PAC-12 (formerly PAC-10).
Toledo reached the 600th win in program history with today's victory.
Bryson Hammer caught the first two receiving touchdowns of his career. His 78-yard strike was Toledo's second-longest play of the season and third TD of at least 60 yards in its first four games.
Hammer's 133 receiving yards were just two yards away from the most for a Rocket receiver this season (Rico Bond – 135 yards vs. CCSU, Sept. 12).
Connor Walendzak scored a rushing touchdown for the fourth-straight game.
Toledo's defense held the Aztecs to 48 rushing yards, the first time it's held an opponent to under 50 since holding Morgan State to 36 on Sept. 13, 2025.
Isaac Zay's pick-six in the third quarter was Toledo's first since NFL Draft pick Emmanuel McNeil-Warren against Western Kentucky on Sept. 6, 2025.

Up Next
The Rockets hit the road to begin MAC play on Saturday, Oct. 3, heading to Ball State. Kickoff from Scheumann Stadium is at 2 p.m. on ESPN+ and the Rocket Radio Network.