University of Toledo
0-1 , 0-0
Michigan State
1-0 , 0-0
| Team | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | Final F |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Toledo | 0 | 7 | 7 | 6 | 20 |
| Michigan St. | 10 | 9 | 0 | 11 | 30 |
Players Mentioned
Team Stats
TOL 0, MSU 7
MSU - Edwards,Cam 2 yd run (Boyd,Liam kick), 13 plays, 63 yards, TOP 07:14
TOL 0, MSU 10
MSU - Boyd,Liam 32 yd field goal 11 plays, 56 yards, TOP 05:34
TOL 0, MSU 13
MSU - Boyd,Liam 42 yd field goal 5 plays, 16 yards, TOP 02:45
TOL 7, MSU 13
TOL - Dabbs,Adjatay 60 yd pass from Richter,John Alan (Griffith,Reice kick) 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 03:47
TOL 7, MSU 16
MSU - Boyd,Liam 48 yd field goal 7 plays, 15 yards, TOP 03:32
TOL 7, MSU 19
MSU - Boyd,Liam 35 yd field goal 10 plays, 46 yards, TOP 02:33
TOL 14, MSU 19
TOL - Dabbs,Adjatay 6 yd pass from Richter,John Alan (Griffith,Reice kick) 6 plays, 60 yards, TOP 02:08
TOL 20, MSU 19
TOL - Walendzak,Connor 71 yd run (), 2 plays, 71 yards, TOP 00:49
TOL 20, MSU 27
MSU - Bullard Jr.,Rodney 5 yd pass from Milivojevic,Alessio (Bullard Jr.,Rodney pass) 7 plays, 70 yards, TOP 03:10
TOL 20, MSU 30
MSU - Boyd,Liam 51 yd field goal 11 plays, 43 yards, TOP 05:55
Game Leaders
Rockets’ Second-Half Rally at Michigan State Halted, 30-20
9/4/2026 11:35:00 PM | Football
Adjatay Dabbs scores two receiving touchdowns in 2026 season opener
Â
The Rockets took a 20-19 fourth-quarter lead on Connor Walendzak's career-long 71-yard touchdown run. Walendzak totaled 76 yards on seven carries with the late score on the evening.
Â
Toledo wide receiver Adjatay Dabbs, who finished with two touchdown catches – a 60-yarder and a 6-yarder to cut the margin to a one-score game in the third quarter, finished with 101 yards on four catches to lead Rocket receivers. John Alan Richter was 12-for-21 through the air with two touchdowns and one interception.
Â
Isaac Zay carried the Rockets' defense with a career-high 12 tackles, a sack and a pass breakup. Julian Fox and Mo Conteh each recorded double-digit tackle performances with 10. Conteh's double-digit tackles were a career high. Toledo's special teams included a blocked kick by Tyrell Russell.
Â
This was only the second all-time meeting between Toledo and Michigan State, and the first in over 100 years.Â
Â
How It Happened
- The Spartans opened the scoring with a 2-yard touchdown run to cap a 13-play, 63-yard drive that consumed more than seven minutes. But the Rockets kept Michigan State out of the end zone on two more threatening drives, with Liam Boyd field goals putting the Spartans up 13-0.
- In the second quarter, Richter tossed a beautiful high-arching pass to Dabbs, who caught the ball at the Michigan State 25-yard line and tiptoed down the Toledo sideline for the touchdown, trimming the deficit to 13-7. It was the longest completion of Richter's career and would have been the third-longest UT completion last season.Â
- The Spartans led 19-7 at halftime, tacking on two more field goals after the Rockets' score.
- Tyrell Russell blocked a 54-yard field goal attempt on Michigan State's first possession of the second half, and the Rockets turned it into another Richter-to-Dabbs touchdown. This time Dabbs had an acrobatic grab in the back corner of the end zone.Â
- On the first play of the fourth quarter, Toledo's defense stuffed Michigan State on fourth-and-1 from the Rockets' 29-yard line.Â
- The second play from scrimmage on the ensuing drive bursted the Rockets into the lead, with Connor Walendzak exploding for a 71-yard touchdown run down the sideline to put Toledo ahead, 20-19 with 13:47 left to play.
- The Spartans then retook the lead after a five-yard touchdown pass on 4th & 1 by Rodney Bullard, Jr. Bullard then caught the two-point conversion to put MSU up 27-20. After a Rockets' punt, Michigan State drove 43 yards and chewed up 5:55, with another Boyd field goal just after the two-minute timeout.
The Rockets will play the first home game in the Mike Jacobs' era when the Toledo returns to the Glass Bowl for a matchup with Central Connecticut State on Saturday, Sept. 12 at 3:30 p.m. Tickets for 'The Biggest Party in Toledo' are available at UTRockets.com/tickets. Streaming will be on ESPN+ and the Rocket Radio Network.
