Junior Logan Woodside threw for a school record 505 yards and five touchdowns, but it wasn’t enough as Toledo fell to BYU, 55-53, in Provo, Utah, Friday night.
The Cougars won the game on the final player of the game, a 19-yard field goal by Rhett Almond. Toledo had taken the lead with 1:11 to play on a seven-yard TD by Kareem Hunt and a two-point conversion from Woodside to tight end Michael Roberts.
Junior quarterback Logan Woodside threw for a school record 505 yards at BYU.
BYU scored on the very first play from scrimmage, a 75-yard bomb from Taysom Hill to Jonah Trinnaman. Toledo answered with a 75-yard drive that took seven plays. Hunt had 27 rushing yards on three carries on the drive, while Terry Swanson hit pay dirt from eight yards out to make the score 7-7.
The two teams exchanged punts before the Cougars struck again, this time on a seven-play, 72-yard drive capped by a one-yard run by Jamaal Williams to give BYU a 14-7 edge. On Toledo’s next possession, a deflection off a Woodside pass resulted in a BYU interception that was returned to the UT 13-yard line. Two plays later, Williams scored again to make it 21-7 with 47 seconds left in the first quarter.
Running back Terry Swanson scored Toledo’s first touchdown in the first quarter with an 8-yard run.
Toledo’s defense stepped up in the second quarter, forcing back-to-back three-and-outs. The Rockets’ offense took advantage as Woodside hit Corey Jones in stride for a 26-yard TD to tie the score 21-21. Toledo had a chance to extend the lead late in the half, but Jameson Vest’s 40-yard field goal attempt was blocked.
The back-and-forth nature of the contest continued in the second half. The Rockets took the opening kickoff in the second half and methodically marched down the field, going 83 yards in nine plays to take a 28-21 lead. Woodside scrambled to his left and hit Johnson for a 12-yard score, his second TD catch of the night.
Toledo’s lead was short-lived, however, as Williams scored two plays later on a 45-yard touchdown run. But the Rockets answered with a 28-yard field goal by Vest to regain the lead, 31-28. BYU then countered with a 62-yard TD run by Williams down the left sideline to make the score 35-31 in favor of the Cougars. Moments later, Woodside hit Johnson for his third TD catch of the night to give Toledo a 38-35 with less than a minute left in the third quarter.
BYU opened up the fourth quarter with a 17-yard touchdown run by Squally Canada to put the Cougars up 42-38. But once again, Woodside came up big, hitting Thompson for a 78-yard heave to give UT a 45-42 margin with 10:57 left.
Williams scored his fifth TD of the game with 3:00 left, a 14-yarder to make the score 52-45. Hunt countered with a seven-yard score with 1:11 left. Toledo Head Coach Jason Candle opted to go for two. Woodside fumbled the snap, but he was able to find Roberts in the end zone to give UT a 53-52 lead.
BYU used up all the clock on its final possession, moving 71 yards in eight plays before Almond finished it off with the game-winning field goal.
The Rockets return to action in Mid-American Conference play next Saturday at Eastern Michigan.
