CFB: The Rockets' Top Moments

The Toledo Rockets had one of their best seasons in recent memory. Their 10 wins, including victories over No. 18 Arkansas, Iowa State, Bowling Green, and No. 24 Temple were enough to bring some attention to the football program. Here is a season review for the 10-2 Boca Raton Bowl Champions.

September 3rd vs. Stony Brook: Toledo opened up the 2015 campaign with a home game against a lower tier program. The Rockets held a halftime lead, but were never able to complete the game as mother nature held it back from being completed. Both teams settled on a week one cancellation, looking forward to the next week.September

September 12th at No. 18 Arkansas: UT traveled to Little Rock, Arkansas to play one of the top teams in the country. The Razorbacks were coming off of a big win the week before, and yet Toleo was not the least bit afraid. The big and bad SEC foe, was no match for the Rocket defense. Toledo was able to lock down in the redzone, forcing the Arkansas offense to come away empty on multiple occasions. Quarterback Phillip Ely threw for 237 yards as the Rockets were able to put up just enough points to score a 16-12 upset.

September 19th vs. Iowa State: Most people expected a let down by Toledo, coming off of such a big victory. Hosting another power conference team in Iowa State, the Rockets came prepared once again. The crowd at the Glass Bowl cheered their team along, as Iowa State missed a chip shot field goal that would have won the game. UT stepped up in overtime and won 30-23, before the fans poured on to the field.

September 26th-October 24th: After a 2-0 start to the season, the Rockets had a feeling that the 2015 year could be extremely special. They reeled off five straight victories following the Iowa State game, with wins over Arkansas State, Ball State, Kent State, Eastern Michigan, and UMASS. The team scored at least 37 points in each game, including a season high 63 points against the Eagles. The average score for the five contests were 42.6-15.8 in favor of UT. The Rockets were clicking on all cylinders, as their record reached 7-0 and they debuted at No. 24 in the College Football Playoff rankings.

November 3rd vs. Northern Illinois: The dream season finally came to a screeching halt, as the Northern Illinois Huskies came into the Glass Bowl and left with a 32-27 win. Toledo led by one at halftime and seemed in control throughout but were not able to make enough plays down the stretch. NIU outscored UT 13-3 in the final quarter, giving the Rockets their first blemish of 2015. The loss ended a shot for a perfect season, but a MAC championship was still up for grabs if the Rockets could put together more wins.

November 10th-November 17th: Coming off of a tough loss against a division rival, most teams would have folded. The perfect season was lost and the chance of winning the MAC was all of a sudden doubtful. But the Rockets were able to put together two of their most impressive games over the next two outings. The first coming against Central Michigan. Phillip Ely threw for two touchdowns, and running back Kareem Hunt added 113 yards and a pair of scores on the ground. The defense allowed less than 24 points for the seventh game in nine tries. The following week, UT traveled to Bowling Green to face their biggest rival. Toledo jumped all over the Falcons and never let up. Racing out to a 17-0 lead after the first quarter, helped the Rockets win their sixth conference game. The 44-28 victory was mainly due to Kareem Hunt running wild for 153 yards, and the defense forcing five turnovers.

November 27th vs. Western Michigan: The Black Friday matchup with the Broncos, had everything on the line for Toledo. A win meant they would win the West division, and travel to Detroit for a rematch with Bowling Green for the MAC title. A loss would send Northern Illinois to Ford Field. Toledo outplayed Western Michigan in virtually every facet of the game, gaining more yards (481-416) and achieving more first downs (22-16), both teams only had a single turnover, yet the Broncos came out on top. A fourth quarter rally was not enough as the Rockets could not recover a late onside kick. The defeat was just their second of the season, as UT went down 35-30. The loss ended all hopes of a MAC championship.

December 22nd vs. No. 24 Temple: The Marmot Boca Raton Bowl was a sneaky good matchup between two programs who had at least nine wins. Both Toledo and Temple were coming off of successful seasons, looking to cap off their campaigns with a championship trophy. The winner was also almost guaranteed a spot in the final Associated Press poll. After a scoreless first 15 minutes for the Rockets, UT outscored Temple 12-0 in the second period. A safety, combined with an Ely to Jones touchdown, followed up with a Jameson Vest 38 yard field goal capped off the first half. The Rockets held the Owls to just 335 yards of total offense, including just 67 (a team low) in the first half. Kareem Hunt put an exclamation point on the game as he scored from 41 yards out in the closing minutes to stop a Temple rally. Ely finished with 285 yards and two touchdowns, as he won Offensive MVP. The Rockets closed out the 2015 season with their second ranked victory of the season, winning the Boca Raton Bowl against Temple.

Recap: The 10-2 season, including a 6-2 record in the MAC, was the most wins since 2001 for Toledo. They were 9-4 the last three seasons, before taking an extra victory this year. Phillip Ely totaled 2,965 passing yards, and 23 touchdowns to just 10 interceptions in his final season. Kareem Hunt and Terry Swanson both ran for over 800 yards, combining for 19 rushing touchdowns. Alonzo Russell, Cody Thompson, and Corey Jones all caught over 35 balls and at least five receiving scores. The defense was stellar all season, allowing less than 21 points on average, including 17 or less points on five different occasions. The 2015 team saw ups and downs including huge upsets and overtime thrillers to coach Matt Campbell departing for Iowa State and crushing loses. All in all, the 10 wins is something to hang their hat on, and a Boca Raton trophy will do just fine heading into next season.

Photo Credit: Associated Press.