MOUNT PLEASANT, Mich. — Toledo got a big lift from Jaden Dottin, and then Peny Boone took over.
Boone rushed for 186 yards and two touchdowns, and No. 23 Toledo beat Central Michigan 32-17 on Friday.
The Rockets (11-1, 8-0 Mid-American Conference) have won 11 in a row since their 30-28 loss at Illinois in their season opener on Sept. 2. It’s the longest win streak for the program since 1971.
Toledo is the first team to go through the MAC regular season unbeaten since 2016.
“This team has left a legacy here and you can’t ever take that away from them,” coach Jason Candle said. “Just super happy for them, super excited for them, and really more excited about what lies ahead to be honest with you.”
Next up for Toledo is Miami (Ohio) in the MAC championship on Dec. 2 at Ford Field in Detroit. Another win and the Rockets could be in line for a New Year’s Day bowl game, possibly as the highest-ranked team from a Group of Five conference.
Jase Bauer passed for 182 yards and a touchdown for Central Michigan (5-7, 3-5).
Toledo scored 10 points in the final 1:26 of the first half, shaking off a lackluster start.
Dottin made a one-handed catch as he was falling out of bounds for a 23-yard TD with 1:26 remaining. After holding CMU to a three-and-out, Toledo made it 10-0 on Luke Pawlak’s 38-yard field goal in the final seconds of the half.
Dottin entered with just eight catches on the season.
“Jaden’s catch was a huge play,” Candle said. “It’s a touchdown catch and those are always big plays, but the style of the catch, that ignited our sidelines and really put life into us when we needed some.”
The Rockets used the MAC’s No. 1 offense — and a little help from their defense, which registered four sacks — in asserting control with long scoring drives on their first two possessions of the second half.
Boone set up a short touchdown with a 64-yard run, and then Jacquez Stuart scored from 11 yards out to make it 24-3 early in the fourth quarter.
“Obviously the rushing statistics offensively would be a shining point,” Candle said. “Defensively, (we had) a lot of havoc plays where they got the quarterback flushed out of there. We really disrupted the passing game a lot.
“Not every game is won that way but the ones in late October, November, and early December when you want to play for a championship, those ones are won at the line of scrimmage.”
The Rockets finished with 358 total yards, including 261 on the ground. That ground-game domination led to a six-plus minute advantage in time of possession for Toledo.
Central Michigan finished with 335 yards in total offense, but fumbled away its best chance to remain in the game inside the Toledo 10-yard line on its first drive of the third quarter.
The Rockets then went on a 93-yard touchdown drive to go up 17-0.
“(Toledo) kind of put a nail in it with that drive,” Central Michigan coach Jim McElwain said. “Defensively, obviously, we got worn down a little bit. We had enough opportunities to do something with the ball offensively, and we weren’t able to do that.”
