For the 16th straight year, the Toledo Rockets will finish .500 or better. The only longer streaks in the FBS belong to Boise State (28 seasons) and Alabama (19 seasons).
Toledo extended that impressive streak Saturday with a dominant 38-9 win over Ball State on Senior Day. The Rockets (7-4, 5-2 MAC) remain in play for their third appearance in the MAC championship game in three years with the decisive victory at home.
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The Glass Bowl has been a safe haven for Toledo all year. The Rockets finished the season 6-0 at home with a goal differential of 265-46, handling the visitors by an average score of 44-8. Toledo had dominated to the point where the 38 points and 404 yards generated on Ball State this weekend – an excellent offensive performance by any means – were actually the lowest of the season inside the venue.
Sixth-year senior quarterback Tucker Gleason had 218 passing yards and tied his career high with four touchdowns on his senior day. Fellow senior receiver Junior Vandeross III contributed 127 receiving yards on seven receptions, getting two touchdowns for his 10th and 11th scores of the year – now ranking third in the FBS in the category. Rounding out the senior star offensive contribution was sixth-year veteran Chip Trayanum, who racked up 128 rushing yards and extended his touchdown streak to 8 straight games.
Toledo’s offense was sharp, but as usual with the 2025 Rockets, the defense was even better. The nation’s No. 5 and No. 2 defense held a third straight opponent to single digits, and Ball State reached its only touchdown with 3:43 left in the contest. The Cardinals’ offense was plagued by three turnovers and an ineffective passing game, completing 14 of 32 attempts against the only FBS defense that forces opponents to a sub-50 completion percentage.
The Rockets had two steals, and while it was a frequent opportunity for this team, it wasn’t the usual suspects who got the ball. Sophomore safety Dylan Hohler and freshman cornerback DJ Kelly each got their first collegiate interceptions, both sweating it out in the fourth quarter well after the game was decided.
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Toledo’s defense imposed its will in other ways as well, swarming the Ball State backfield to the tune of seven sacks and 17 tackles for loss. Outside linebacker K’Von Sherman led the pack with 3.5 tackles for loss, to go along with eight tackles, a share of a sack and a fumble recovery in one of his best all-around performances. Future NFL free safety Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, in his final Glass Bowl appearance, had eight tackles and two tackles for loss for a spectacular senior sendoff.
Ball State (4-7, 3-4 MAC) is officially denied bowl eligibility in the first year of the Mike Uremovitch era. The Cardinals are still chasing their first winning season since winning the 2020 MAC Championship, and they’ll have to wait until at least 2026 before doing so. But Ball State still has a trophy to play for, as the Redbird Rivalry in Miami (OH) awaits on Saturday, November 29 in Oxford, OH.
Toledo (7-4, 5-2 MAC) is one of four teams with a 5-2 record in MAC play – sharing the title with Ohio, Central Michigan and Miami (OH). Toledo plays a championship playoff game at Central Michigan on Saturday, Nov. 29, but the Rockets aren’t necessarily guaranteed a ticket to the MAC Championship with a win. Their best bet is to end up tied with Ohio or Miami, but not both, since the three-way tiebreakers don’t favor Toledo. So a win against the Chippewas, combined with an Ohio loss to Buffalo or a Miami loss to Ball State is the Rockets’ clearest path to Detroit.
