The Toledo Rockets started the season with three back-to-back wins, two of which were at home, one of which was in front of a packed house.
According to UT Athletics, 25,515 fans filled the Glass Bowl for the season home opener, the largest in the stadium since Sept. 28, 2019, when Toledo played Brigham Young University in front of 24,889 fans.
During the home opener on Aug. 29, the Rockets defeated the Duquesne Dukes 49-10. Junior quarterback Tucker Gleason completed 15 of 23 passes for a total of 205 yards and three first-half touchdowns.
Six different Rockets found the end zone that day, with a pair of rushing touchdowns – one by senior running back Jacquez Stuart and the other by junior running back Willie Shaw III. Freshman wide receiver Zy’marion Lang, senior wide receiver Jerjuan Newton, senior tight end Anthony Torres, and junior wide receiver Junior Vandeross III all snagged passes for touchdowns.
Toledo’s defense held Duquesne a total of 282 yards and forced three turnovers. Sophomore safety Braden Awls led the defense with a career-high nine tackles, a sack, and an interception.
The Rockets went on to defeat the University of Massachusetts Minutemen 38-23 on Sept. 7 in a hard-fought matchup in front of 21,668 fans at the Glass Bowl. Gleason connected with Newton for a 40-yard touchdown, scoring the first points of the game. During the game Newton continued to add to his career total of receiving yards, and surpassed 2,032, which makes him the fourteenth Rocket to surpass 2,000 receiving yards in a career.
With 2:44 left in the first half, a 98- yard kickoff return by Stuart to gave Toledo a narrow 17-13 lead going into the locker room.
In the second half, Vandeross caught Gleason’s pass over the middle and bolted to the end zone for a 73-yard touchdown, increasing Toledo’s lead to 24-16.
Toledo’s defense came through with a solid performance for the second week in a row, breaking up six passes and sacking UMass’ quarterback Taisun Phommachanh five times. With 4:23 left in the third quarter, Phommachanh’s pass was intercepted by Awls at Toledo’s 27-yard line.
The Rockets took their winning way on the road the following week and notched a 41-17 blowout victory at Mississippi State on Sept. 14. The victory was Toledo’s first win against a “Power Four” opponent in nine years and its second ever versus an SEC opponent. The last Rocket victory over an SEC opponent was a 16 to 12 victory over No. 18 Arkansas in 2015. Toledo was never seriously challenged during the game.
The Rockets took the Bulldogs for a walk, never relinquishing the lead through all four quarters. The Rockets held a 7-0 first-quarter lead and upped the margin to 28-3 by halftime. The Rockets led 35-10 headed into the fourth quarter. Gleason had perhaps his best overall game as a collegiate athlete; he connected on 23-of-28 passes for 285 yards and three TDs.
Gleason was recognized among the Manning Award Stars of the Week and the Davey O’Brien Foundation’s “Great 8” on Sept. 16 following Toledo’s victory at Mississippi State. The game marked Gleason’s third consecutive performance of three passing touchdowns. With his weekly selection, Gleason has been added to the Davey O’Brien Award Watch List.
The following week, on Sept. 21, the Rockets fell 26-21 to the Western Kentucky Hilltoppers in Bowling Green, Kentucky.
The Rockets took a 21-20 lead in the third quarter before lightning paused the game for 75 minutes.
After the delay, a safety and two rushing touchdowns by WKU quarterback Caden Veltkamp in the span of 10:23 gave the Hilltoppers the lead with 5:16 left in the game. The Rockets were unable to score, despite getting within the 10-yard line on two different drives.
The following week, Newton was named to the watch list for the 2024 Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year. This award honors one college football student-athlete who demonstrates a record of leadership through exceptional courage, integrity, and sportsmanship, both on and off the field. Twenty semifinalists for the Jason Witten Collegiate Man of the Year will be announced on Oct. 22.
The Rockets return to the Glass Bowl Oct. 5 at 3:30 p.m. in the conference opener against Miami University for the Homecoming Game. Students get free entry to all athletic events with their Rocket Card.
