By Jesse Swafford | CSwaff Media
Photography by Cole Swafford | CSwaff Shots
TOLEDO, Ohio — The scoreboard said Toledo 41, San Diego State 16.
Somehow, even that margin didn’t quite capture how thoroughly the Rockets controlled Saturday afternoon at the Glass Bowl.
After San Diego State opened the scoring with a field goal on its first possession, Toledo took over. The Rockets scored the next 34 points, controlled both sides of the football and turned what entered the day as an intriguing nonconference matchup into a convincing 41-16 victory.
The win improved Toledo to 3-1 and marked the 600th victory in program history.
San Diego State struck first, moving 68 yards on its opening possession before settling for a 25-yard Cooper DiLeva field goal.
It would be a long time before the Aztecs scored again.
Toledo answered with a three-play, 45-yard drive capped by John Alan Richter’s 19-yard touchdown pass to Adjatay Dabbs. Reice Griffith added a 38-yard field goal in the second quarter before the Rockets delivered their first explosive blow of the afternoon.
With less than two minutes remaining in the half, Richter connected with Bryson Hammer for a 78-yard touchdown, sending Toledo into the locker room with a 17-3 advantage.
Then the Rockets wasted virtually no time putting the game away.
San Diego State attempted an onside kick to begin the second half. Toledo recovered, and on the Rockets’ very next offensive snap, Richter found Hammer again — this time for a 38-yard touchdown.
Six seconds of game time had elapsed in the second half, and Toledo’s lead was 24-3.
Griffith connected from 49 yards later in the third quarter before linebacker Isaac Zay provided the defensive exclamation point. Zay intercepted San Diego State quarterback Jayden Denegal and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown, pushing the advantage to 34-3.
By then, there was little doubt about the outcome.
San Diego State eventually ended Toledo’s run of 34 unanswered points with a touchdown late in the third quarter, but Connor Walendzak answered with a one-yard touchdown run early in the fourth to make it 41-9. The Aztecs added another touchdown with 2:44 remaining to produce the final margin.
The numbers reinforced just how much Toledo controlled the afternoon.
The Rockets piled up 494 yards of offense while San Diego State finished with 296. Toledo rushed for 210 yards and held the Aztecs to only 48 yards on the ground. San Diego State converted just 3-of-14 third downs and committed two turnovers, while Toledo did not turn the ball over.
Richter delivered another efficient performance at quarterback, completing 16-of-22 passes for 284 yards and three touchdowns without an interception.
Hammer was his biggest target, catching six passes for 133 yards and two touchdowns. His scoring catches covered 78 and 38 yards and were the first two touchdown receptions of his Toledo career.
The Rockets were balanced on the ground as well. Autavius Ison rushed for 89 yards on 15 carries, while Walendzak added 61 yards and a touchdown on 16 attempts.
Defensively, Toledo never allowed San Diego State to establish a running game. The Rockets recorded three sacks and six tackles for loss while forcing two turnovers. Zay finished with eight tackles in addition to his 67-yard interception return.
The Aztecs had some success moving the football through the air, but much of it came after Toledo had already built a commanding advantage.
For long stretches Saturday, the difference between the teams felt larger than the final 25-point margin.
Toledo was more explosive offensively, more physical against the run and opportunistic defensively. After falling behind 3-0, the Rockets spent the rest of the afternoon firmly in control.
And on the day the program collected win No. 600, Toledo didn’t leave much doubt about it.
The Rockets will take a 3-1 record into MAC play, traveling to Ball State on Saturday, Oct. 3.
