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Toledo Secures The MAC West Title With A Convincing 49-23 Win Over Eastern Michigan

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Football

Toledo clinched the MAC West Division title in convincing fashion in its 49-23 victory over Eastern Michigan at the Glass Bowl on Wednesday night.

Toledo (9-1, 6-0 MAC) overwhelmed the Eagles from the outset to cruise to its ninth consecutive victory, its longest winning streak in 40 years. The Rockets closed out the home portion of their season with a perfect 6-0 record, their first undefeated home season since 2017 and just the second since 2004.  

"I'm obviously very proud of our football team," said Head Coach Jason Candle. "We were very resilient tonight and played very sound complementary football and were very efficient in all three phases of the game. It's been a tough week for us because we have guys who are out with injuries and some who have been sick and in and out of practice. It's a credit to our senior class that went undefeated in the Glass Bowl this season."
 
The Rockets delivered an early knock-out punch, scoring touchdowns on all five of its first-half possessions to take a 35-3 into halftime. For the game, Toledo outgained EMU, 508-255, with most of the Eagles' yards coming long after the outcome had been decided.
 
Junior quarterback Dequan Finn was brilliant, connecting on 23-of-27 passes for a season-high 407 yards and three touchdowns. Junior Vandeross caught two of Finn's TD passes, while Jerjuan Newton set season highs in receptions (six) and receiving yards (108). Junior Peny Boone gained 168 all-purpose yards, including a career-high 116 receiving yards. He rushed for 52 yards and three touchdowns, moving him past the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in his career.
 
Toledo's defense put together perhaps its most complete performance of the season, forcing a turnover and four consecutive punts on EMU's first five possessions. The Eagles were held to just 255 yards of total offense, and completed just 10-of-25 pass attempts. Junior safety Maxen Hook led the Rockets with eight tackles, while junior cornerback Quinyon Mitchell had an interception and broke up one pass, giving him 42 breakups for his career and tying Samuel Womack (2017-21) for the all-time Toledo standard.
 
Toledo's win clinches an outright MAC West Division title with two games left in the regular season. The Rockets will play the East Division champion in the MAC Championship Game at Detroit's Ford Field on Saturday, Dec. 2.

This is Toledo's second straight MAC West Division crown and 13th overall, moving the Rockets past Northern Illinois for the most division crowns of any MAC school. The defending MAC champion Rockets will be attempting to win back-to-back league titles for the first time since winning three straight MAC crowns from 1969 through 1971.

First Quarter

  • An interception by Quinyon Mitchell on EMU's opening drive set up a 10-yard touchdown pass from Dequan Finn to Dalton Andrews.
  • Peny Boone made it 14-0 with a nine-yard touchdown run that capped an eight-play, 82-yard drive with 1:34 left in the quarter.
  • After a quick three-and-out by the Eagles, Devin Maddox returned a punt 36 yards to the EMU 28-yard line, setting up a 28-yard TD pass from Finn to Junior Vandeross on the very next play to make it 21-0.

Second Quarter

  • Finn hit Vandeross in the end zone for a second time, this time from 11 yards out, giving Toledo a 28-0 cushion early in the second quarter.
  • Jacquez Stuart made it 35-0 with a five-yard TD dash that finished off a nine-play, 87-yard drive.
  • Eastern Michigan kicked a 25-yard field goal on the final play of the first half.

Third Quarter

  • Toledo put together its longest drive of the game, moving 92 yards in six plays. Boone had the big play, a 47-yard reception, and then finished it off with a seven-yard score to make it 42-3.
  • Eastern Michigan scored its first touchdown on a 28-yard TD reception by Elijah Jackson-Anderson to trim the lead to 42-9.

Fourth Quarter

  • Boone rushed for a two-yard touchdown, his third of the game, to increase the lead to 49-9.
  • The Eagles closed out the scoring with a pair of touchdowns in the final seven minutes.

Up Next
      The Rockets travel to Bowling Green on Tuesday, Nov. 14 in the annual Battle of I-75. The contest will be televised nationally on ESPN2 and kick off at 7:00 p.m.