Toledo trails Northern Illinois 3-0 after one quarter, but it could have been a whole lot worse for the Rockets.
NIU had the ball inside the 1-yard line on 3rd-and-goal when a false start penalty moved them back five yards. After an incomplete pass, John Richardson missed his first field goal of the season, clanking it off the upright from 23 yards out.
On the following possession, NIU quarterback Rocky Lombardi didn’t see UT safety Chris McDonald camping in the end zone. McDonald picked the pass and returned it 32 yards to the 35-yard line.
UT’s defense has been mauled upfront, a surprising development after establishing itself as the team’s strength.