Coming off an emotional double-overtime victory over Iowa State in the Glass Bowl Sept. 19 and an upset of No. 18 Arkansas in Little Rock Sept. 12, Toledo now has defeated Power Five conference teams in consecutive weeks. But another big challenge awaits Saturday, Sept. 26, when Arkansas State comes to town.
The Rockets will take on the Red Wolves at 7 p.m. in the Glass Bowl. The game will be carried on ESPN3.
Toledo (2-0) and Arkansas State (1-2) met in last year’s GoDaddy Bowl, a 63-44 shootout that saw UT come out on top, thanks to 271 yards rushing and five touchdowns by star running back Kareem Hunt.
Hunt was instrumental in Toledo’s 30-23 victory over the Cyclones last week, too. He rushed for a game-high 129 yards in his first appearance of the season; his first carry was a 39-yard run.
But it was teammate Damion Jones-Moore who saved the day with a 10-yard touchdown run in the second overtime. Toledo’s defense then sealed the win with a sack by senior defensive end Tre James on the game’s final play.
Arkansas State is coming off a 70-7 shellacking of Football Championship Subdivision opponent Missouri State last week. The Red Wolves’ losses came at then-No. 8 USC and a 27-20 home defeat to Missouri. ASU racked up 624 yards of total offense, including 255 yards and three TD passes from redshirt freshman quarterback James Tabary. Tabary, who connected on 21 of 24 passes, replaced injured senior Fredi Knighten. Knighten threw for 403 yards vs. UT in the 2015 GoDaddy Bowl. His status for Saturday’s game is not known.
This will be the fourth meeting between Toledo and Arkansas State, with the Rockets holding a 3-0 edge in the series. The two schools also will meet in Jonesboro next season.
Toledo has 30 points in the latest AP poll and two points in the coaches poll. The Rockets rank an unofficial 30th in the AP poll.
With back-to-back victories over Bowl Championship Series Power Five conference teams Arkansas and Iowa State, UT is only the third Mid-American Conference program to record two wins against Power Five conference squads in the same season. Ball State beat South Florida (Big East) and Indiana (Big Ten) in consecutive weeks during the 2012 season, while Northern Illinois defeated Big Ten foes Iowa and Purdue in 2013.
Toledo has won its last three overtime games dating back to 2013 and is 6-3 all-time in extra-period contests.
In the first two games, UT opponents have just one touchdown and two field goals in nine chances inside the red zone.
Tickets for the game can be purchased at the UT Athletic Ticket Office at Savage Arena, online or by calling 419.530.4653.
