FINAL SCORE: Toledo 29, Eastern Michigan 28
EMU battled back and gave itself a chance to win after a Hail Mary touchdown was made with zero seconds left on the clock. But a pass breakup on the following 2-point play left EMU hanging at the end.
Another week, another fourth-quarter letdown.
Eastern Michigan was up by two scores to enter the fourth quarter, but that’s when the Toledo Rockets you were warned about finally showed up. It was 19-7 Eastern’s way in the third quarter. EMU saw its lead slip away in the fourth quarter then gave itself a chance after a successful Hail Mary throw in the end zone, caught by Terry Lockett in the middle of six Toledo defenders as time expired.
With no time left on the clock and down 29-28, EMU had to make a choice. Do you kick the PAT to go to overtime, or go for it all with a 2-point try?
The decision: try to win the ball game.
Lockett was isolated as the lone receiver to the left side of the field. He faded to the back corner of the end zone and Cole Snyder’s pass was well within his wheelhouse, but the pass was broken up at the last second by a Toledo defender.
EMU (5-4, 2-3 MAC) had its opportunities throughout the game and fell too many times as Toledo (6-3, 3-2 MAC) started taking advantage of its late chances. In a game decided by one point, those opportunities are fairly easy to point out. Had the two-point try gone differently, we might’ve had a different result to talk about.
Had Oran Singleton not caught a pass in the end zone in the second quarter, who knows?
Had EMU’s 2-point attempt in the third quarter been successful, who knows?
Had Jesus Gomez not missed his first of four field goal attempts, who knows?
This game had its moments for EMU, things broke just enough to finish in Toledo’s favor.
Here’s how Saturday’s action unfolded for Toledo to become bowl-eligible on EMU’s gray turf:
SCORING DRIVES
First Quarter
1Q, 1:41, 6-YARD CATCH BY MARKUS ALLEN, FROM COLE SNYDER. EASTERN MICHIGAN 7, TOLEDO 0.
Weird, long pass connection from Cole Snyder to Joey Mattord helped keep this drive alive. Snyder, on 3rd & 7, escaped a sack, rolled to his left and very awkwardly got his pass off down the left sideline. The pass looked like it went over Snyder’s intended target, but landed in the hands of the Mattord.
Four plays later from inside the 10-yard line, Markus Allen was hit with an accurate throw from Snyder to put EMU on the board first after an 11-play, 89-yard drive.
This was a necessary swing EMU’s offense needed to see from itself after it failed to score on its first two possessions, from 50 and 41 yards away.
Second Quarter
2Q, 11:30, 3-YARD RUN BY TUCKER GLEASON. TOLEDO 7, EASTERN MICHIGAN 7.
With its best field position of the game so far (own 46), Toledo pieced together its cleanest drive of the afternoon to tie the game up. Gleason had passes of 11, 12, and 13 yards on the drive, then got through the middle of EMU’s defense on a QB run play for the 3-yard touchdown.
2Q, 7:13, 45-YARD FIELD GOAL BY JESUS GOMEZ. EASTERN MICHIGAN 10, TOLEDO 7.
Another big, play on third down helped set the tone for EMU’s scoring drive. Snyder scrambled for 29 yards on a third and long to get into Toledo territory, then a Lockett run almost helped out by another 17 yards, but his play was wiped run wiped away by a holding penalty. On 2nd & 18 from midfield, running back Elijah Jackson-Anderson received a screen pass and had to have extra efforts through Toledo’s defense to get ahead of the chains.
Snyder’s pass two plays later to Singleton was on-point, but the receiver dropped the ball as he fell down to the turf with it. On fourth down, Gomez returned to the field to attempt his second 45-yard field goal try of the game, and made it this time to put his team ahead by three points.
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Third Quarter
3Q, 8:10, 32-YARD FIELD GOAL BY JESUS GOMEZ. EASTERN MICHIGAN 13, TOLEDO 7.
Mattord has gotten more game time this week at the running back position due to Delbert Mimms’ III limited time on the field (listed as questionable before the game). Mattord had a 17-yard pickup on a 3rd & 5 to move across midfield, then had a 13-yard run later on in the drive to help set up Gomez’s 32-yard field goal.
EMU needed to convert on third downs three times on the drive (once by defensive pass interference) to move the ball 64 yards on its 12-play drive.
3Q, 1:25, 1-YARD RUN BY JOEY MATTORD. EASTERN MICHIGAN 19, TOLEDO 7.
After EMU’s defense wiped Toledo off the field with a turnover on downs, the Eagles marched on for its second straight score of the half. At one point, Toledo thought it was going to get away with a scoop and score after a team tackle against Jackson-Anderson, but the officials ruled that the running back was down before the ball came out of his grasp. Mattord caught Snyder’s pass to convert on a third down to get near the goal line, and Mattord got in on a 1-yard carry two plays later.
For Mattord, that was his first touchdown of his career after making a 2-point conversion reception last week at Akron.
Speaking of 2-point conversions, Snyder’s throw on the ensuing 2-point play wound up being intercepted by the Rockets.
Fourth Quarter
4Q, 12:55, 78-YARD CATCH BY TOLEDO’S ANTHONY TORRES, FROM TUCKER GLEASON. EASTERN MICHIGAN 19, TOLEDO 14.
Eastern’s defense came through with a lot of big plays, but it got gassed by its tight end for a very long score early in the fourth quarter. Gleason unloaded on a deep pass to the left from third and long and found Anthony Torres wide open for the easy catch and run for the score.
4Q, 9:51, 25-YARD CATCH BY TOLEDO’S JUNIOR VANDEROSS, FROM TUCKER GLEASON. TOLEDO 22, EASTERN MICHIGAN 19.
Snyder’s third intercepted pass of the season came at a crucial time for the Rockets. Toledo’s Nasir Bowers brought the intercepted pass to EMU’s 27-yard line and scored just two plays later with a throw from Gleason to Junior Vandeross.
4Q, 7:08, 28-YARD FIELD GOAL BY JESUS GOMEZ. EASTERN MICHIGAN 22, TOLEDO 22.
EMU kept battling in the fourth quarter after Toledo took the late lead. Snyder put a 42-yard pass right in Singleton’s breadbasket to get the Eagles in the red zone for its fifth time of the game. Four downs later, Gomez came back on the field for a 28-yard field goal try and was successful in tying the game up.
4Q, 1:56, 25-YARD CATCH BY TOLEDO’S THOMAS ZSIROS, FROM TUCKER GLEASON. TOLEDO 29, EASTERN MICHIGAN 22.
Another third and fourth-down cruncher for Toledo as EMU’s defense kept making plays, but let another crucial play slip by. On 4th & 1, Gleason’s play action pass to Thomas Zsiros was successful to his right, and the tight end got all the way inside the endzone for the 25-yard score. Initially, officials rule Zsiros out inside the 5-yard line and had to check the tape to see if he actually scored or not.
4Q, 0:00, 36-YARD CATCH BY TERRY LOCKETT, FROM COLE SNYDER. TOLEDO 29, EASTERN MICHIGAN 28.
“Oh, wow!” turned into “Oh, bummer” in short time.
With less than a minute left, Singleton had receptions of 13 and 18 yards for EMU to get to midfield. With seven seconds left on the clock Snyder tossed up a Hail Mary ball to the right side of the end zone where Lockett jumped up and caught the pass in the middle of six Toledo defenders also in the area.
With no time left on the clock, EMU elected to go for the 2-point play to decide the game on one final snap. Four receivers were planted on the right side for Lockett to be isolated on the left. Lockett faded to the back corner of the end zone and needed Snyder’s pass to be well-timed and on the money. At first, it looked like the connection was perfect, but the Toledo defensive back defending Lockett broke the ball out of his grasp at the end of the play to force an incompletion.
Ball game.
KEY PLAYS, MOMENTS, TURNOVERS
DRAMARIAN MCNULTY MAKES EARLY INTERCEPTION
Two plays into the game, Eastern Michigan’s defense came away with an early interception. Toledo’s Jacquez Stuart began the game by taking the opening return to UT’s 24-yard line, then the first-down handoff to the 44. QB Tucker Gleason was pressured on the play action pass play, and his low pass was intercepted by Dramarian McNulty, his first with the team, to give EMU’s offense the ball at midfield.
The offense threw itself off the field with three straight incompletions, and punted the ball right back to Toledo.
SECOND STRAIGHT TURNOVER BY EMU DEFENSE
First it was an interception. The next time out, Toledo’s offense fumbled the ball away to give EMU a chance to get points on the board.
After Toledo crossed midfield on a 14-yard run by Connor Walendzak, Toledo shot itself in the foot three times. Two straight false starts on first down put Toledo behind the 50-yard line, then a holding call on second down put the Rockets in an obvious passing situation. EMU’s pressure won its battle again as Dylan Shelton came away with hard-hitting sack on Gleason to cause a fumble and for Tyrell Martin to fall on the ball.
EMU, though, failed to score again. It EMU gained a first down, but Gomez’s 45-yard field goal try missed to the right.
SCARY MOMENT ON SIDELINE
If there’s any one player everybody in the stadium rooted for in this game, it was Toledo linebacker Jeremiah Peters. On the sidelines during the second quarter, Peters collapsed maybe 10 yards away from the field of play and needed immediate medical assistance. First responders came and were able to get him on a stretcher, into an ambulance truck and was taken away from the action for further care.
As Peters was moved to a stretcher, Toledo’s fanbase cheered his name when he finally showed some limited movement.
TURNOVER ON DOWNS RECEIVES THREE BIG BOOMS
Big stop that started with a necessary break for the Eagles defense. Toledo backed itself up 15 yards after it received the punt on a personal foul penalty, and then it failed to convert on 4th down 22 yards away from the end zone.
UT receiver Jerjuan Newton started the drive with a 21-yard pickup, but it was his second catch of the drive that changed things for the Rockets. He was initially given a first down gain on a 2nd & 10 catch, but officials reviewed and saw that he was actually short of the sticks by a few inches. Luke Murphy laid a big hit on Gleason to force an incomplete pass on third down, then James Djonkam and Peyton Price ganged up to stop Gleason on an option run on fourth down.
EMU’s defense came away with a turnover on downs, and the offense took over to kneel out the final 16 seconds of clock in the first half.
SECOND TURNOVER ON DOWNS
Big stops by EMU’s defense carried from the first half to the second. Toledo failed to get across the 50-yard line on its first possession of the second half and Walendzak ran into a wall on 3rd & 2 and 4th & 1. That marked two straight fourth down stops for EMU’s defense, and this stop gave EMU’s offense the ball on Toledo’s 41-yard line. And this time, EMU was able to get points on the board after the favorable field position.
SNYDER THROWS THIRD INTERCEPTION OF YEAR
Snyder’s third interception of the season couldn’t have come at a better time for Toledo. After Toledo scored to make it a 19-14 score (still EMU’s way), Snyder had a deep pass attempt intended for Lockett that wound up being intercepted by Nasir Bowers, who returned it to EMU’s 27. Two plays later, Toledo got on the board with a touchdown throw from Gleason to Vandeross, and the Rockets took a fourth-quarter lead.
NEXT GAME
EMU, technically, is coming up on another bye week, but it’s really just three extra days off between games. On Wednesday, Nov. 13, EMU will have its first weeknight MACtion game of the year with a road game against the Ohio Bobcats (5-3, 3-1 MAC).
PUBLISHING NOTE: I usually post my update league power rankings story the day after (sometimes two days) an EMU game. However, with only two MAC games going on today to transition into midweek games (four MAC games coming up Tuesday and Wednesday), I’ll publish my new list on Thursday.
While I personally would’ve played for OT, it shouldn’t have come to that. Two guys running into each other on the Torres TD leaving him wide open was brutal. Snyder looked right at the guy he threw the pick to. I think ultimately, the responsibility for this loss is on CC. Inconsistency has been a repeated stumbling block preventing this program from taking the next step. Until Eastern can consistently play four good enough quarters week in and week out, a conference title is a pipe dream.
That single pick and subsequent TD made all the difference. Not to mention surrendering 22 points in the final quarter. Oh well.. looking forward to your Ohio pre-game commentary.