Avery Smith breaks up a 2-point attempt on the final play of the game and Toledo beats EMU 28-29
Ypsilanti, MI – The Toledo Rockets escaped Ypsilanti with a 29-28 win over the Eastern Michigan Eagles after Avery Smith intercepted a 2-point conversion attempt with no time left on the clock. It was the second win in as many weeks for the Rockets, who now stand at 2-2 overall.
The Eagles, who had previously upset the Purdue Boilermakers the week before, came out firing in the first half and built a 14-0 lead, highlighted by a beautiful touchdown pass from quarterback Samson Evans to tight end Jaylen Smith, who made an acrobatic catch near the back of the endzone.
Toledo entered the second half needing to generate offense, which is exactly what they did. Quarterback Dequan Finn connected with tight end Jamal Turner for a touchdown, the Rockets also forced two turnovers.
Coming into the fourth quarter, Toledo was only trailing by a score of 21-14, but EMU pulled away with another touchdown, this time from wide receiver Hassan Beydoun to take a 28-14 lead and put Toledo on the ropes.
But Toledo would fight back. After being called for pass interference on an attempted field goal, Toledo got the ball back inside EMU’s 10-yard line and were able to punch it in for the score to make the game 28-21 with just under five minutes to play in the game.
On the ensuing drive, Toledo went for it on 4th and 4. Dequan Finn got the ball to wide receiver Jerjuan Newton who picked up a key first down, getting Toledo to EMU’s 20-yard line with under a minute to go. The Rockets would go on to tie the game on a touchdown pass from Dequan Finn to wide receiver Matt Landers, who took the pass across the middle and dove into the endzone with only a few seconds remaining in the game.
That set up the final play. After an incredible game, Evans looked to pass it to Beydoun, but Toledo’s Avery Smith jumped the route and got an interception, ultimately sending the Rockets home with a huge win.
It was Toledo’s first win against EMU since 2019. With the win, the Rockets look to gain some momentum as they return home to take on the Ohio Bobcats in what promises to be a very heated rivalry game next week.
