Tag: Toledo

Louisville holds off Toledo in Boca Raton Bowl; Jeff Brohm declines comment on Michigan

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Miller Moss threw for two touchdowns and Isaac Brown added two more on the ground to lead the Louisville Cardinals to a 27-22 victory over the Toledo Rockets on Tuesday in the Boca Raton Bowl.

On the field for the first time since Nov. 1, Brown scored twice in the fourth quarter. His first, an 11-yard run, gave the Cardinals (9-4) a 21-3 lead seven seconds into the final period. The sophomore added a 53-yarder with 5:03 remaining. However, Toledo’s Avery Smith blocked the extra-point attempt by Cooper Ranvier and returned it for a two-point conversion to make it 27-16.

Brown, a sophomore running back, ran for 102 yards on just 10 carries. Keyjuan Brown, who also missed the final two weeks of the season, added 112 yards on 15 rushes. The Cardinals accumulated 180 yards on the ground, 100 coming in the final quarter.

“We found a way to run the ball,” Louisville coach Jeff Brohm said during the trophy presentation ceremony. “We were a little more physical in the second half. We gave up a couple of big plays here and there in the second half, but that’s football.”

Louisville started the game with an eight-play, 75-yard drive that Moss capped with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Treyshun Hurry. After that score, which came with 10:26 left in the first quarter, the Cardinals gained just more 70 yards in the first half.

Toledo (8-5) managed only 126 yards in the half, with its only points coming on a 41-yard field goal by Robert Hammond III with 11 seconds left in the opening quarter. Penalties hurt the Rockets in the first half as they were assessed eight penalties totaling 65 yards.

The Rockets committed 14 penalties for 100 yards for the game.

Moss, a senior, completed 16 of 24 passes for 153 yards. He also threw a 5-yard scoring pass to Antonio Meeks with 3:40 left in the third quarter to make it 14-3. That drive came after Hammond missed a 41-yard field goal on the Rockets’ first drive of the second half.

Kalieb Osborne, making his first start for the Rockets, threw for 167 yards and a score on 17-of-28 passing. He added a team-high 77 yards on the ground.

Chip Trayanum’s 3-yard scoring run cut the Louisville lead to five points, 27-22, with 2:24 remaining. However, the 2-point pass was incomplete. Louisville rattled off four first downs to run out the clock.

Afterward, Brohm was asked whether the clock has run out on his three-year run as his alma mater’s head coach. Specifically, he declined to comment on whether he or his representatives have had any contact with Michigan regarding its coaching vacancy.

“I don’t speak on other jobs,” he said. “I’m happy with this one and happy about the victory. We’re going to enjoy that.”

Brohm has been tied to the Wolverines’ job since the school fired Sherrone Moore with cause earlier this month after an investigation found evidence of an inappropriate relationship with an employee of the football team.

With Tuesday’s win, Brohm is 28-12 in his three years at Louisville. While he has directed several high-profile wins, such as a victory at then-No. 2 Miami earlier this season, his Louisville teams have also had several questionable losses, including stumbles at Pitt in 2023 and at Stanford last season.

This season, Louisville suffered a three-game losing streak in November that knocked the team out of College Football Playoff contention. That losing streak coincided with several key injuries on offense.

–Field Level Media

Report: Toledo QB Kalieb Osborne to start vs. Louisville

Posted on | by Field Level Media

Toledo freshman quarterback Kalieb Osborne will be under center to start Tuesday’s Boca Raton Bowl against Louisville, On3 Sports reported.

Osborne will get the nod in place of traditional starter Tucker Gleason, who sustained what he labeled as “a couple fractures in (his) back.” He reportedly sustained the injury during the Rockets’ 21-3 victory over Central Michigan in the regular-season finale on Nov. 29.

Gleason, who has started every game this season for Toledo (8-4), has completed 64.7 percent of his passes for 2,515 yards with 21 touchdowns and nine interceptions.

Osborne has completed 15 of 24 passes for 260 yards and two touchdowns during spot duty this season.

While the Rockets are riding a four-game winning streak, Louisville (8-4) enters Tuesday’s contest having snapped a three-game losing streak with a 41-0 shellacking of Kentucky on Nov. 29.

–Field Level Media

Toledo hires Mercer’s Mike Jacobs as head coach

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Mike Jacobs was named the head coach of the Toledo Rockets on Wednesday, replacing Jason Candle.

Jacobs, 46, spent the past two seasons as the coach at Mercer, compiling a 20-6 record (9-3 in 2025) with two trips to the FCS playoffs.

He has an overall record of 94-23 (.803) including stints at Lenoir-Rhyne from 2020-23 and Notre Dame (Ohio) from 2016-19.

“Mike Jacobs is one of the winningest active head coaches in the nation and an extraordinary fit for Rocket Football,” Toledo athletic director Bryan B. Blair said in a news release. “Across 10 seasons as a head coach, he has compiled a remarkable record. He has earned five conference Coach of the Year honors, won seven conference championships, and never had a losing season.”

Candle was named the head coach at UConn on Saturday after compiling an 81-44 record at Toledo since 2015.

Jacobs is an Ohio native who was an offensive lineman and long snapper at Ohio State from 1997-2001.

“My family and I are humbled and honored to lead the University of Toledo’s storied football program,” Jacobs said. “We are looking forward to being a part of Team Toledo and helping this program achieve new heights.”

He was named the Southern Conference’s Coach of the Year in both seasons at Mercer. The Bears’ season ended on Saturday with a loss to South Dakota in the second round of the FCS playoffs.

–Field Level Media

UConn hires Toledo’s Jason Candle to replace Jim Mora

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UConn named Toledo coach Jason Candle as its next football coach on Saturday.

The school announced Candle signed a six-year deal. No financial terms were disclosed.

He replaces Jim Mora, who departed last month to become the head coach at Colorado State after resurrecting the Huskies’ program.

Candle, 46, posted an 81-44 record at Toledo since 2015, leading the Rockets to Mid-American Conference titles in 2017 and 2022.

Toledo is 8-4 this season and awaiting its ninth bowl assignment under Candle’s leadership.

“Jason’s track record speaks for itself — he is the winningest coach in Toledo history with 81 victories, two MAC Championships, and a program that has consistently competed at the highest level,” UConn athletic director David Benedict said Saturday in a news release. “He has built a culture of excellence both on and off the field, developing young men who succeed at the next level. Jason’s ability to recruit elite talent, develop players, and win championships makes him the ideal leader for our football program.

Candle visited the Connecticut campus on Thursday.

Mora’s Huskies were 27-23 over four seasons, including a 9-3 mark in 2025 that gives UConn back-to-back nine-win campaigns for the first time in program history.

The Huskies qualified for bowl games three times, including this season, and are looking for their first-ever 10-win season.

Before Mora’s arrival in Storrs, Conn., the Huskies had won 10 games in their previous five seasons combined.

–Field Level Media

Aug 30, 2025; Lexington, Kentucky, USA; Kentucky Wildcats quarterback Zach Calzada (5) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Toledo Rockets at Kroger Field. Mandatory Credit: Jordan Prather-Imagn Images

Zach Calzada, Kentucky open with win over Toledo

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Dante Dowdell ran untouched for a 79-yard touchdown with 9:22 to play, and Kentucky made Zach Calzada’s debut successful with a 24-16 victory over Toledo on Saturday afternoon in Lexington, Ky.

A transfer from Nebraska, Dowdell ran for a career-high 129 yards on 14 attempts. He scored Kentucky’s third rushing TD to give the Wildcats (1-0) some breathing room when Toledo (0-1) scored with 1:55 left.

After Toledo cut its deficit to 17-9 on a 9-yard TD run by quarterback Tucker Gleason with 9:38 left, Dowdell raced untouched down the right sideline on the first play of the subsequent drive.

Calzada rushed for a short touchdown in the first half of his debut with his fourth school after stints with Auburn, Texas A&M and Incarnate Word. Kentucky’s Seth McGowan added a 6-yard rushing TD while contributing 78 yards on 18 attempts, including 27 on his team’s second TD drive.

Calzada completed 10 of 23 passes for 85 yards and often had trouble completing deep passes before Kentucky shifted to a heavier running attack in the second half.

After Calzada struggled with deep throws in a bid to expand a 10-2 lead, he guided a 12-play, 76-yard drive spanning 6:27. The Wildcats ran nine times on the drive and expanded their lead on McGowan’s TD with 12:30 remaining.

Gleason completed 23 of 40 passes for 270 yards for Toledo. Junior Vandeross III was targeted 11 times and had seven catches for 88 yards, including a 20-yard TD with 1:55 remaining to pull the Rockets to 24-16.

Toledo scored its first points by sacking Calzada in the end zone with 13:08 remaining in the second but sabotaged its upset bid by committing 11 penalties for 94 yards. The Rockets committed two crucial pass interferences to set up Kentucky’s first two TDs.

Calzada’s 1-yard plunge with 6:27 left in the first quarter opened the scoring, and Jacob Kauwe’s 45-yard field goal with 2:04 left in the second put Kentucky ahead 10-2 by halftime.

–Field Level Media

Kentucky Wildcat quarterback Zach Calzada throws during practice on Friday, August 1, 2025.

Kentucky seeks turnaround season with Zach Calzada at QB; Toledo up first

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All eyes will be on graduate transfer Zach Calzada in Kentucky’s season opener against Toledo on Saturday afternoon in Lexington, Ky.

A seventh-year senior, Calzada won a camp competition with redshirt freshman Cutter Boley to earn the starting quarterback role for the Wildcats.

“I’d say the last 10 days, (Calzada) just seemed so much more comfortable, so much more confident and played at a higher level (than Boley),” Kentucky coach Mark Stoops said.

After stints at Texas A&M (2019-21) and Auburn (2022), Calzada recorded two prolific seasons at Incarnate Word (2023-24). He finished No. 2 in the FCS last season in passing touchdowns (35) and No. 5 in passing yards (3,744).

Boley played in four games last season for Kentucky, completing just 49.1 percent of his passes for 338 yards and two touchdowns with four interceptions.

Those numbers weren’t the best, and neither are these: The Wildcats limped to a 4-8 record overall and a 1-7 mark in Southeastern Conference play.

“If we want to change the (negative) narrative (around Kentucky football), then we have to go play well, and our performance will dictate what’s said about us,” Stoops said.

As for the Rockets, they were picked to finish first in the Mid-American Conference by the league’s coaches. That said, Toledo coach Jason Candle knows his team will have a fight on its hands Saturday.

“Going on the road in the SEC is another set of challenges,” Candle said. “Really happy with our team, going through camp and where were at and what we’re looking ahead to. I think it will be a great game for us, a great measuring stick to see where we’re at.”

Toledo fared well last season, posting an 8-5 record overall (4-4 in MAC) following a 48-46, six-overtime victory over Pitt in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.

Rockets quarterback Tucker Gleason threw for 351 yards with three total touchdowns (two passing, one rushing) in that game. He passed for 2,793 yards with 31 total scores (24 passing, seven rushing) last season and has standout wide receivers Junior Vandeross III and All-MAC transfer Trayvon Rudolph from Northern Illinois as targets.

An intriguing aspect to Saturday’s game will be the presence of former Kentucky running back Chip Trayanum on the Toledo sideline. The 5-foot-11, 227-pound Trayanum transferred from Ohio State to the Wildcats last season and was projected for a big workload, but injuries limited him to three games.

–Field Level Media

Toledo Rockets quarterback Tucker Gleason (4) runs for the first down, during the first half of the 2024 GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit, Thursday, Dec. 26, 2024.

Toledo outlasts Pitt in six OTs in GameAbove Sports Bowl

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Tucker Gleason threw for two touchdowns and capped a career-best 336-yard performance with a game-winning two-point conversion pass to Junior Vandeross III to propel the Toledo Rockets to a 48-46 six-overtime victory over the Pittsburgh Panthers in the GameAbove Sports Bowl Thursday in Detroit.

Vandeross also had a career day, posting personal bests of 12 passes for 194 yards for the Rockets (8-5), who, with the win over the Panthers (7-6), beat two power conference opponents in the same season for just the second time in school history. Toledo needed to come back from a 10-point deficit early in the fourth quarter to force overtime and then had two earlier stops in the extra sessions nullified by a penalty and a replay reversal.

It appeared Toledo would have the game in hand in the first half. Gleason and Vandeross connected on a 67-yard touchdown pass to give the Rockets a 13-12 lead midway through the second quarter. Then, just 14 seconds later, cornerback Braden Awls picked off a David Lynch pass on Pitt’s first play and returned it 42 yards to extend the lead to eight points.

The loss overshadowed the debut of Pitt freshman Julian Dugger, who replaced fellow freshman David Lynch in the third quarter. The Pittsburgh native completed 7 of 13 passes for 72 yards and two scores to help the Panthers take a 30-20 early in the fourth quarter. He also ran 21 times for 88 yards and a touchdown in the first extra period but his throw for Kenny Johnson was incomplete in the sixth OT as the Rockets prevailed.

However, he also threw an interception that Darius Alexander returned 58 yards for a touchdown that cut the Panthers lead to 30-27 with 7:49 left in regulation. Dylan Cunanan tied the game with 1:45 left on a 51-yard field goal.

Desmond Reid, an all-purpose All-American, ran for a season-high 165 yards on 32 carries, also a season-high, for the Panthers, who collected 301 of their 438 yards on the ground.

The Panthers finished the season losing six straight thanks to injuries decimating the roster. That included Eli Holstein, a freshman quarterback who threw for 2,228 yards but was unable to play in the bowl due to an ankle injury he suffered at Louisville on Nov. 23. Lynch, a walk-on freshman quarterback who threw just nine passes in the regular season, got the start.

–Field Level Media

Pitt head coach Pat Narduzzi

Toledo, Pitt wrap season of bigger dreams in GameAbove Sports Bowl

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One day after Christmas, Pittsburgh and Toledo meet in Detroit in the GameAbove Sports Bowl hoping to put a bow on a 2024 season that began with bigger wishes.

The Panthers (7-5) were No. 18 in the initial 2024 College Football Playoff rankings on Nov. 5, three days after suffering their first loss at SMU. However, that 48-25 defeat to the Mustangs was the start of a five-game skid that ran the rest of the regular season.

Injuries plagued Pitt in November. Quarterback Eli Holstein missed the Nov. 16 game against Clemson after suffering a head injury the week prior in the loss to Virginia. The freshman returned to start against Louisville on Nov. 23, but he didn’t make it out of the first quarter after injuring his left ankle. That caused him to miss the last game against Boston College.

Several offensive line injuries also affected the team during the skid, and an undisclosed ailment kept Desmond Reid, the Panthers’ second-team All-American all-purpose back, out against Boston College.

“I would imagine on the 26th we’re going to be a heck of a lot healthier than we were coming out of that BC game,” coach Pat Narduzzi said to reporters during a press conference for the bowl earlier this month. “I promise you that.”

Narduzzi hopes Holstein can play. In 10 games, the signal caller completed nearly 62 percent of his throws for 2,228 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions. It could become an issue since Nate Yarnell, who threw for 1,056 yards and 10 TDs with five picks, entered the transfer portal.

David Lynch, who threw just nine passes this season, would back up, the coach said.

Reid ran for 797 yards and four touchdowns and caught 47 passes for 564 yards and four scores. He also averaged 12.3 yards on a dozen punt returns, one of which was returned for a TD. Pitt also has an All-American on defense. Linebacker Kyle Louis registered 16 tackles for loss, including seven sacks. He also picked off four passes, scoring on one.

The Rockets (7-5), who ended the season with consecutive losses, are bowl bound for the fourth straight season.

Toledo sports the best passing attack in the Mid-American Conference, averaging 246.2 yards a game. Tucker Gleason threw for 2,457 yards and has a 22-to-7 touchdown-to-interception ratio. Jerjuan Newton caught 64 passes for 949 yards and a MAC-leading 11 scores. The defense, led by safety Maxen Hook (107 tackles, two interceptions), allows an average of five yards a play. That ranks 27th in the country.

Coach Jason Candle, who is one win away from matching Gary Pinkel for the most victories in school history (73), said at the press conference the game gives the seniors one last chance to celebrate their careers, many of which will end this week, while giving underclassmen additional practices that can pay off next season.

“This is a reward for having a great year,” the ninth-year coach said. “You want to finish it off the right way, and you want to do a great job of balancing what it looks like for the future of your program. I think if this is handled the right way, it kind of sets the culture and the tempo for what your offseason starting point is in January or February.”

–Field Level Media

Sep 14, 2024; Starkville, Mississippi, USA; Toledo Rockets quarterback Tucker Gleason (4) looks to pass against the Mississippi State Bulldogs during the first quarter at Davis Wade Stadium at Scott Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Bush-Imagn Images

Tucker Gleason tosses 3 TDs as Toledo stuns Mississippi State

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Tucker Gleason completed 23 of 28 pass attempts for 285 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions to lead unbeaten Toledo to a 41-17 upset victory Saturday against Mississippi State at Starkville, Miss.

Mississippi State (2-1) was a 10-point favorite in the first meeting between the programs.

Toledo (3-0) achieved its second road victory against an SEC school. The Rockets, 2-4 against the SEC, beat Arkansas at Little Rock, Ark., in 2015.

Toledo established control in its first possession when it drove 70 yards in 12 plays, capped with Gleason’s 4-yard touchdown pass to Junior Vandeross III.

The drive took 6:13 off the clock and gave the Rockets a 7-0 lead with 6:35 left in the first quarter.

After having to punt on its next possession, Toledo scored a touchdown the next three times it had the ball.

Gleason threw another touchdown pass, a 6-yard connection with Jerjuan Newton, and Connor Walendzak and Willi Shaw III each had rushing touchdowns to give Toledo a 28-3 lead with 1:09 left in the first half.

Mississippi State threatened to score at the end of the first half but came up short after coach Jeff Lebby elected to go for a touchdown rather than a field goal with the ball on the Rocket 12 with one second left.

Blake Shapen’s pass in the end zone was intercepted by Avery Smith.

Shapen, a fifth-year senior who is a transfer from Baylor, completed 28 of 39 pass attempts for 319 yards with two touchdowns and an interception.

Toledo increased its lead early in the third quarter after Mississippi State turned the ball over on downs at its 37.

Davon Booth was stopped for no gain by Toledo’s Lance Dixon and Cavon Butler on the fourth-and-1 attempt.

Four plays later, Gleason connected with Newton for a 15-yard score to increase the lead to 35-3 with 10:05 left in the third quarter.

Mississippi State answered on its next possession, putting together a 13-play, 72-yard drive that was capped with a 9-yard touchdown pass from Shapen to Mario Craver.

The Bulldogs cut the lead to 38-17 with 6:11 left after an 11-play, 80-yard drive that ended with Shapen’s 1-yard touchdown pass to Kevin Coleman Jr.

–Field Level Media

Mar 1, 2024; Indianapolis, IN, USA; Toledo defensive back Quinyon Mitchell (DB27) works out during the 2024 NFL Combine at Lucas Oil Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Quinyon Mitchell confident as top CB in 2024 NFL Draft

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Toledo cornerback Quinyon Mitchell overcame every doubt with emphatic answers on his path to the 2024 NFL Draft.

Critics and doubters questioned almost every area of Mitchell’s game the past 12 months but he arrives on the doorstep of the 2024 draft as the top-ranked cornerback in this class by leaving no room for naysayers along the way.

Mitchell dominated in the MAC with six interceptions and 45 pass breakups the past two seasons with the Rockets. Some wondered if he could have the same impact against Power 5 prospects. Senior Bowl director Jim Nagy, who had other top-ranked draft prospects at the position turn down invitations to the annual pre-draft showcase in Mobile, was an early supporter of Mitchell and provided the stage Mitchell needed in January.

Mitchell said he went to the Senior Bowl to compete and with a point to prove.

“That I can hang with the big dawgs,” Mitchell said.

He rapidly rose from the “best non-Power 5 prospect” in the draft to perhaps the top defensive player in the draft. Mitchell is one of 13 prospects invited to sit in the draft green room in Detroit on Thursday.

Mitchell turned heads all week at the Senior Bowl and turned his attention to preparing for the 2024 NFL Scouting Combine. He knew his on-field production and lockdown skills displayed at the Senior Bowl would earn high marks. If he could break 4.35 in the 40-yard dash, Mitchell was sure his case for top billing among cornerbacks would be closed.

He ran 4.33.

But to Mitchell, his wheels were never a question mark.

At 193 pounds he ran the 40 in 4.39 seconds at a school timing day last spring. Mitchell said he has been timed even faster since and has a track background.

“I didn’t come here to be mediocre. I came here to break records,” he said before running the 40 at Lucas Oil Stadium.

Most major publications place Mitchell in the top 20 picks before the draft, with a few projecting him in the top 10 to the Las Vegas Raiders or Atlanta Falcons.

Those teams would likely need to be convinced Mitchell has everything it takes to be a No. 1 cornerback in the NFL.

Mitchell was GPS chip-timed at the same top speed as Miami Dolphins All-Pro Tyreek Hill — 23 miles per hour. NFL Next Gen Stats uses the same technology and tracked only three scoring plays over 22 mph in the 2023 regular season: Seahawks wide receiver DK Metcalf (22.23, Week 13), Bengals running back Chase Brown (22.05 mph, Week 14) and Hill (22.01 mph, Week 5).

Already strong with long arms, the 6-foot frame of a No. 1 cornerback in the NFL with physical and competitive gold stars on his scouting report, Toledo coaches praised Mitchell most for his professional approach to football. He applies the attention to detail expected from other coaches — not necessarily 20-something players outside of the Power 5.

Mitchell said he considers himself a student of the game, a film addict who likes to tell opponents what’s coming based on down and distance before running the route for them. His dedication and desire to be the best are evident in the results. He studies and charts the technique and winning traits of Trent McDuffie (Chiefs) and the Eagles’ Darius Slay to make sure he has more answers to doubters at the next level.

“The ball will get you paid,” Mitchell said. “At the Senior Bowl, I learned every ball that’s thrown in the air is worth $2.5 million. I’m just trying to get that money.”

–Field Level Media