Michigan
2-4 , 1-1
Toledo
2-4 , 1-1
Turnovers Plague Michigan in Loss to Toledo
10/11/2008 12:00:00 AM | Football
Score: Toledo 13, Michigan 10
Records: U-M (2-4), Toledo (2-4)
Attendance: 107,267
Next U-M Game: Saturday, Oct. 18 -- at Penn State (State College, Pa.), 4:30 p.m.
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Trailing by three with eight seconds remaining in the game, the University of Michigan football team missed a 26-yard field goal and the Wolverines fell 13-10 to the Toledo Rockets on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 11) at Michigan Stadium. U-M's loss is the first to a Mid-American Conference school in program history.
Michigan's defense held on a critical fourth-and-two play deep in Wolverine territory, giving the ball to the offense down three with 1:32 on the clock. Michigan drove from its own 32 to the Toledo nine-yard line with eight seconds to spare, converting a fourth-down play at midfield to junior wide receiver Greg Mathews (Orlando, Fla./Edgewater) and using a hard-nosed 29-yard reception by freshman running back Sam McGuffie (Cypress, Texas/Cy-Fair) to give fifth-year senior K.C. Lopata (Farmington, Mich./Farmington) a chance to send the game into overtime. Lined up on the right hash mark, Lopata pushed the 26-yard attempt wide left and Toledo earned the upset.
Three critical U-M turnovers led to 10 of Toledo's points, including the Rockets' game-winning field goal in the fourth quarter. Michigan found itself on the receiving end of a Toledo air attack, giving up 257 passing yards, including a Michigan opponent record 20 catches by Toledo's Nick Moore who finished with 162 yards. U-M tried to counter with the ground game with McGuffie carrying the ball 25 times for 105 yards, but three Wolverine interceptions, including Toledo's 100-yard interception return for touchdown in the first quarter, sealed the upset.
Michigan's defense held Toledo to a pair of field goals on the day, pitching a shutout for the first 36 minutes and allowing just 70 yards on the ground, including 15 in the first half. Special teams standout senior/junior punter Zoltan Mesko (Twinsburg, Ohio/Twinsburg) handed the Rockets terrible starting field position all afternoon, booming a pair of kicks over 60 yards, including a season-long 63-yard punt, and placing three inside the 20 for a 49.6-yard average on the afternoon.
On Toledo's opening drive, a fumbled direct snap on a fake punt attempt was recovered on the Rocket 33 by senior safety Brandon Harrison (Dayton, Ohio/Chaminade-Julienne), but sophomore/freshman quarterback Steven Threet (Adrian, Mich./Adrian/Georgia Tech) was intercepted in the end zone by safety Tyrell Herbert who returned the pick a Michigan Stadium record 100 yards for a touchdown, putting the Rockets up 7-0.
Threet made amends with his next opportunity, passing for 42 yards in a 55-yard scoring drive, capped by a 27-yard touchdown pass to junior running back Brandon Minor (Richmond, Va./Varina) to tie it up at 7-7.
Michigan converted a fourth-down try at the Toledo 45 to open the second quarter and tacked on a 26-yard field goal to go up 10-7. Toledo responded by crossing midfield for the first time all afternoon and advancing to the U-M three, but the 21-yard field goal went wide right to keep Michigan ahead.
Toledo held the ball for 10:11 of the third quarter, moving 69 yards in 6:03 to open the second half with a game-tying field goal to make it 10-10. Toledo turned a U-M turnover into three more points to take a 13-10 lead in the fourth when second-half quarterback replacement junior/sophomore Nick Sheridan (Saline, Mich./Saline) was intercepted in Michigan territory and the Rockets converted a 48-yard field goal.
Michigan drove to the Toledo 43 late in the fourth quarter, but Sheridan threw his second interception of the half and Toledo took over on their own 27 with 3:44 left in the game. The defense then held on a Rocket fourth-and-two attempt at the U-M 32, giving the ball to the offense a chance to tie.
Michigan -- 1-1 in the Big Ten -- takes on Penn State next Saturday (Oct. 18) at 4:30 p.m. at Beaver Stadium in State College, Pa.
Team Stats
TOLEDO 7, MICH 0
TOLEDO - HERBERT, T. 100 yd interception (STEIGERWALD, A. kick)
TOLEDO 7, MICH 7
MICH - Minor, Brandon 27 yd pass from Threet, Steven (Lopata, K.C. kick) 4 plays, 55 yards, TOP 1:36
TOLEDO 7, MICH 10
MICH - Lopata, K.C. 26 yd field goal 9 plays, 45 yards, TOP 3:23
TOLEDO 10, MICH 10
TOLEDO - STEIGERWALD, A. 29 yd field goal 15 plays, 69 yards, TOP 6:03
TOLEDO 13, MICH 10
TOLEDO - STEIGERWALD, A. 48 yd field goal 6 plays, 9 yards, TOP 3:09
