Toledo Rockets Overcome Slow Start to Trounce Akron 48-17 On the Road

Dear Mid-American Conference,

Logan Woodside would like everyone to know that last week’s loss against Ohio is a fluke that will not be happening again this season. Woodside threw for 327 yards and three touchdowns without playing roughly the last 10 minutes of this game, and Toledo’s receivers were repeatedly either finding huge holes in the Akron secondary to sit in, or catching short screens and exploding through said holes (and tackles) for big gains.

Speaking of exploding through big holes, Kareem Hunt and Terry Swanson also found the space necessary to romp for 203 rushing yards and two scores on only 27 carries, bringing the Rockets up to a whopping 622 yards of offense by the time the game was over.

It didn’t seem like this was how the game would start when Toledo opened with a punt and Akron responded by launching an absolute bomb from Thomas Woodson to Jerome Lane for a 91-yard touchdown. The Zips already had 162 yards of offense and 10 points by the time the game was 11 minutes old, and what was then a 10-3 lead looked like it might be a headstart on an entertaining shootout.

The Zips’ next four drives accumulated only 96 yards and four consecutive punts including their opening drive of the second half. By the time the Rockets had finished their first drive if the second half, they had 403 yards of offense and a 27-10 lead, and that was all she wrote. Akron tried to mount a comeback with a score on their next drive, but they just had no answers for Toledo’s short-to-intermediate passing game and also no luck with basic things like tackling and not getting picked on rub routes.

This was just the rebound Toledo needed heading into next week’s matchup against Northern Illinois, which they should handle with ease if they click on offense like they did tonight. Akron, on the other hand, have lost back-to-back games and three of their last four, but will look for both revenge and bowl eligibility against a pretty hopeless Bowling Green team next week. Both games will again be on Wednesday night.