Toledo loses chance for New Year's Six bowl, MAC title in loss to WMU
No. 24 Toledo cost itself a shot to win the MAC and play in a New Year’s Six bowl in a brutal home loss to Western Michigan on Friday.
Ohio’s upset victory over Northern Illinois on Tuesday night opened the door for the Rockets to win the MAC’s West division with a win over WMU, but the Broncos played the role of spoiler in a 35-30 decision.
Things were back-and-forth to start, but late in the second quarter – on Zach Terrell’s second touchdown pass to Corey Davis of the quarter – the Broncos took a lead they would never relinquish.
WMU led 25-21 at halftime and opened up a two-score lead when freshman Jamauri Bogan punched it in on fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line, extending the lead to 32-21 midway through the third.
Toledo then put together a long drive, but stalled deep in WMU territory, settling for a Jameson Vest 19-yard field goal to cut the lead to eight, 32-24.
Toledo had other opportunities to cut into the lead, but, on a wet, rainy Ohio afternoon, crucial penalties and sloppy ball handling down the stretch doomed the Rockets, who ultimately fell short.
The loss for Toledo has implications beyond the MAC. With No. 15 Navy’s loss to Houston earlier in the day, Toledo had a huge opportunity to set itself up for a spot in a New Year’s Six bowl by finishing as the highest-ranked Group of Five team by season’s end. Of course, Toledo would have needed to win the MAC title game against a tough Bowling Green team to make that a reality, but its win over Arkansas early in the season gave the Rockets a nice resume in the College Football Playoff committee’s eyes.
Instead, the 9-2 Rockets will settle for a trip to a mediocre bowl game while wondering what could have been. Western Michigan finishes with a 7-5 record.
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Sam Cooper is a contributor for the Yahoo Sports blogs. Have a tip? Email him or follow him on Twitter!
