Fresh off its big upset of No. 18 Arkansas, Toledo now shifts its focus on another school from a “Power Five” conference, Iowa State of the Big 12.
The Rockets will host the Cyclones in the Glass Bowl Saturday, Sept. 19, at 8 p.m. The game will be carried by ESPNews.
The contest could be another chance for Coach Matt Campbell’s squad to make a national statement. A victory over Iowa State would mark the first time in school history that Toledo has defeated two teams from one of the “Power Five” leagues in the same season.
This will be the fourth meeting between Toledo and Iowa State, with the Cyclones holding a 2-1 edge in the series. Iowa State won in Ames last year, 37-30.
The two schools split a pair of exciting games in the 2000s, with Iowa State winning 45-43 in triple-overtime in Ames in 2006, and the Rockets triumphing a year later in Toledo, 36-35.
Iowa State (1-1) opened the season against two in-state foes, a 31-7 triumph over Football Conference Subdivision opponent Northern Iowa Sept. 5 and a 31-17 defeat to Iowa last Saturday.
The Cyclones are led by senior quarterback Sam Richardson, who completed 37 of 53 passes for 351 yards in a 37-30 win over Toledo in Ames last year. So far in 2015, Richardson has completed 62 percent of his passes for 480 yards.
Stingy defense and a clutch performance by senior quarterback Phillip Ely were the biggest keys to Toledo’s win over Arkansas in Little Rock. Ely completed 21 of 38 passes for 237 yards and one touchdown. He did not throw an interception and was not sacked. Perhaps most impressive of all, he converted seven third-down passes and one fourth-down throw.
Toledo’s defense controlled the Razorback running game, holding them to 103 yards on 31 carries. The Rocket secondary chipped in with an interception and eight pass breakups. Senior cornerback Cheatham Norrils had three breakups, including two in Arkansas’ final drive of the game that sealed the victory.
The Rockets’ win over Arkansas was its first ever over a team from the Southeastern Conference. The victory was Toledo’s first over a Top 25 team since a 29-23 win over No. 18 Cincinnati in the Glass Bowl in 2012. The highest ranked team defeated by Toledo was No. 9 Pittsburgh in 2003.
Toledo was named the AutoNation National Team of the Week by the Football Writers Association of America and the U.S. Sports Academy following the Arkansas win.
Tickets for the game can be purchased at the UT Athletic Ticket Office at Savage Arena, online or by calling 419.530.4653.
