DALLAS (FWAA) – The Toledo Rockets exploded to a 28-3 halftime lead and maintained dominance over Mississippi State throughout in earning a rare road win over a Southeastern Conference team. For the 41-17 win, its second all-time over an SEC program, Toledo is this week’s Cheez-It National Team of the Week for games the weekend of Sept. 14, as selected by the All-America Committee of the Football Writers Association of America.
This is only the second time for Toledo to earn the national team of the week honor from the FWAA and its first since this same weekend, Sept. 12, 2015, following its first win over an SEC squad, a 16-12 victory at Arkansas. Toledo is now 2-4 all-time vs. the SEC. This also marks a second consecutive week for a Mid-American Conference school to win following NIU and its win at No. 5 Notre Dame last week.
Since the 2002 season, the FWAA has named a National Team of the Week. Each honored team receives a custom Cheez-It "care package" along with a hand-crafted game ball made in America by Dallas-based Big Game USA, the nation's leading manufacturer of custom footballs.
The Rockets held a 7-0 first-quarter lead and upped the margin to 28-3 by halftime as Toledo outgained Mississippi State 305-151 in the first half. Quarterback Tucker Gleason led the quick start on offense completing 23-of-28 passes for 285 yards to nine different receivers, and tossed three touchdowns, his third consecutive game with a trio of touchdowns.
Toledo’s defense was equally as effective, holding MSU to just eight yards of total offense in the first quarter and coming up with five sacks and forcing two turnovers overall to keep its lead at 35-10 entering the fourth quarter.
"I'm very proud of our football team," head coach Jason Candle said. "These games are not easy to win on the road. That was a good team that we just played. I'm really proud of our execution from start to finish. All we did all week long was ask the team to respond to adverse moments. I thought there would be more adversity in the first half than what we were dealt with. We did have a little bit in the second half and the response was really, really good."
The 24-point margin of victory is the largest for Toledo against any team from the Power 4 Conferences and its first since a 30-23 win at home against Iowa State the week following the Arkansas win.
Candle’s win gives him a record of 68-35 at Toledo. He needs six more wins to pass Gary Pinkel (73-37-3 from 1991-2000) as Toledo’s all-time leader.
The Rockets’ next game is Saturday at WKU with a 7 p.m. kickoff on ESPN+.
The other Cheez-It National Team of the Week nominees for the weekend of Sept. 14 were:
- Indiana (3-0): Under first-year coach Curt Cignetti, the Hoosiers raced out to a 21-0 lead at the Rose Bowl and dominated UCLA in a 42-13 win to move to 3-0. Kurtis Rourke completed 25-of-33 passes for 307 yards and four touchdowns as Indiana posted its most lopsided conference road win since 2001.
- Pitt (3-0): Derrick Davis scored on a 1-yard dive with 32 seconds remaining as the Panthers rallied past West Virginia 38-34 in the 107th Backyard Brawl. Pitt trailed by 10 points with less than five minutes to go before Eli Holstein led a stirring comeback that added another memorable chapter in a rivalry that dates to 1895.
- Washington State (3-0): The Cougars beat in-state rival Washington 24-19 in the Apple Cup at Seattle’s Lumen Field. In the earliest meeting in series history, WSU held Washington under 20 points for only the second time since 1999 and started its season 3-0 for the third straight season under head coach Jake Dickert.
ABOUT KELLANOVA
AKellanova (NYSE: K) is a leader in global snacking, international cereal and noodles, and North America frozen foods with a legacy stretching back more than 100 years. Powered by differentiated brands including Pringles®, Cheez-It®, Pop-Tarts®, Kellogg's ® Rice Krispies Treats®, RXBAR®, Eggo®, MorningStar Farms®, Special K®, Coco Pops®, and more, Kellanova’s vision is to become the world’s best-performing snacks-led powerhouse, unleashing the full potential of our differentiated brands and our passionate people. Our net sales for 2023 were $13 billion. At Kellanova, our purpose is to create better days and ensure everyone has a seat at the table through our trusted food brands. We are committed to promoting sustainable and equitable food access by tackling the crossroads of hunger, sustainability, wellbeing, and equity, diversity & inclusion. Our goal is to create Better Days for 4 billion people by the end of 2030 (from a 2015 baseline). For more detailed information about our commitments, our approach to achieving these goals, and methodology, please visit our website at kellanova.com.
ABOUT FLORIDA CITRUS SPORTS
Florida Citrus Sports is a not-for-profit event management organization dedicated to positively impacting the Orlando region while enhancing the quality of life in Central Florida through world-class events, including the Camping World Kickoff, the Cheez-It Citrus Bowl, the Pop-Tarts Bowl, the Florida Blue Florida Classic and the Florida Cup & FC Series. For more information, visit FloridaCitrusSports.com.
Founded in 1941, the Football Writers Association of America consists of 1,100 men and women who cover college football. The membership includes journalists, broadcasters and publicists, as well as key executives in all the areas that involve the game. The FWAA works to govern areas that include game-day operations, major awards and its annual All-America team. For more information about the FWAA and its award programs, contact Steve Richardson at tiger@fwaa.com.
For more information, follow @CheezIt and @CitrusBowl on your favorite social media platform, and stay tuned to see what absurdly satisfying antics Cheez-It has in store this season.
2024 FWAA All-America Committee
Kirk Bohls, Houston Chronicle (Chair)
Frank Bonner, Daily Memphian
Travis Brown, KBTX.com
Ken Capps, Freelance
Angelique Chengelis, Detroit News
Brett Ciancia, Pick Six Previews
Scott Dochterman, The Athletic
Bryan Fischer, FOX Sports
John Hoover, All Sooners
Mike Huguenin, Freelance
Shehan Jeyarajah, CBS Sports
Emily Leiker, Syracuse.com
Ben Portnoy, Sports Business Journal
Sean Reider, Albuquerque Journal
Tony Siracusa, Last Word on College Football
Phil Steele, Phil Steele Magazine
Dusty Thibodeaux, Rivals: Warhawk Report
John Wagner, Country News Review (Minn.)
Jon Wilner, Bay Area News Group