John Alan Richter threw touchdown passes to Connor Walendzak, Rico Bond and Adjatay Dabbs in Toledo’s 63-10 win over Central Connecticut. He finished without an interception or a sack. After converting just one of eight third downs at Michigan State, the Rockets gave fans something concrete to build on.
Temple visits Saturday, September 19, at 3 p.m. ET on CBSSN. Fan Watch gives Toledo an 87% chance to win. The Rockets have won seven straight at the Glass Bowl, so expecting another home victory is entirely reasonable. Root for the offense to keep possessions alive and finish them with touchdowns.
Toledo hired Maumee native Mike Jacobs after he won seven conference championships in 10 seasons as a head coach at lower levels. Those titles give fans reason to believe he can win here, but in his first FBS season, his staff still has to get Toledo sustaining drives against tougher opponents. Jacobs disliked the running game against Michigan State and emphasized reestablishing the line of scrimmage, using a running-back committee against Central Connecticut. Toledo produced 256 rushing yards, led by C.J. Miller’s 56.
In his postgame assessment, Jacobs credited offensive coordinator Cris Reisert, better early-down situations and Richter’s critical-down play for the offensive improvement. That gives Saturday a specific watch point. Can the backs and blockers keep Richter out of long-yardage situations, and can he extend drives when third down arrives?
Temple has already punished mistakes. The Owls forced three turnovers against Rhode Island and returned two interceptions for touchdowns. They also twice kept Penn State out of the end zone after it reached inside their five, despite losing 27-9. Protecting the ball and converting scoring chances would make Toledo’s offensive progress more convincing. Jacobs acknowledged an opening-kickoff fumble even amid last week’s improvement; the Rockets still have preventable mistakes to eliminate.
Toledo was favored by roughly 36 points against Central Connecticut, so the 53-point victory exceeded an already substantial expectation. MAC coaches picked the Rockets third in the preseason, so contending for a championship is a reasonable expectation for Jacobs’ first team. But the nonconference rout supplied no MAC win, and neither would beating Temple. Conference play begins at Ball State in Week 5.
The defense has its own work to repeat. Against Central Connecticut, Andrew Zock recorded three quarterback hurries and shared a sack with Zach Johnson, while Isaac Zay intercepted Brett Griffis. Julian Fox credited coordinated work by the defensive line and linebackers for the run defense. Temple brings at least 176 rushing yards from each of its first two games, with Keveun Mason totaling 234. Root for Toledo’s front to keep those runs from sustaining possessions. Michigan State answered Toledo’s fourth-quarter lead with a touchdown drive and then a possession lasting 5:55 that ended in a field goal; closing a competitive game remains unfinished business.
Western Michigan at Rice: root for Rice
Saturday, September 19, 7 p.m. ET, ESPN+.
Rice has a 16% chance to win, making this a pleasant upset to pull for rather than something Toledo needs. The benefit is 2.0 percentage points in MAC title-game odds. Toledo reaches the game in 72.6% of simulations where Rice wins, compared with 70.6% where Western Michigan wins.
Rice cannot hand Western Michigan a MAC loss in this nonconference game. Instead, a Rice win would signal vulnerability in a conference opponent Toledo hosts in Week 8. Enjoy the bonus if it comes.