Chevan Cordeiro had dropped back and thrown the football 117 times in 2023.
The opposing team hadn’t intercepted him once. Until 1 minute, 53 seconds remained in the third quarter on Saturday night.
Toledo cornerback Chris McDonald, Jr., stepped in front of a third-down pass along the San Jose State sideline and made his way 25 yards unencumbered to the end zone, rearranging the scoreboard in the Rockets’ favor for the first time all night en route to a stirring 21-17 victory over the Spartans.
“The first thing I did was focus on the ball,” McDonald said. “Last week, I dropped one.”
It was McDonald who, two weeks ago at Illinois, applied suffocating coverage on the decisive fourth-down play that the Illini converted. This time, the senior from Miami was the hero.
Toledo is embracing the lofty expectations it set, announcing them for the world to hear. Toledo coach Jason Candle admitted after the Illinois game that the talk inside the locker room was about going undefeated, skipping past the usual “beat Bowling Green and win the Mid-American Conference mantra.”
When 12-0 became impossible, the Rockets latched onto their Group of Five New Year’s Six candidacy. The dream is still alive after a drama-filled Saturday night.
“It didn’t go how we scripted it to start the game, but that’s part of it,” Candle said. “What are you going to do? Are you going to go quit, or are you going to go get a good plan in the second half and figure it out? That’s part of the game. I’ve been part of teams that faded and lost. I’m happy with the resolve of the team.”
Twice San Jose State went for it on 4th-and-1, twice Toledo’s defense stuffed the Spartans. Time and again, the Rockets made plays of consequence. In the second half, they limited San Jose State to 85 yards and seven first downs.
After completing 15 of 20 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown in the first half, Cordeiro was 9 of 21 with an interception in the second.
“It was a superior defensive performance in the second half,” Candle said.
Toledo finished with seven tackles for loss, including three sacks. It was one of those sacks that effectively ended the game, as UT’s defense avoided the late-game calamities of recent years.
Peny Boone rushed for 123 yards on 13 carries and helped run the clock out on the Spartans. He had 97 yards in the second half, including runs of 22 yards and 13 in the final minutes.
The Rockets had 321 total yards.
“That’s the best I’ve seen Peny get into a rhythm and play consistently throughout the entire game,” Candle said. “I thought he was really good at seeing the hole and getting in there. Just a complete game. Caught the ball out of the backfield a couple times, did a good job in pass protection.”
San Jose State was not scared of Toledo All-American cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, as Cordeiro targeted Nick Nash 11 times. It started on the game’s first play, with Nash catching a 39-yard pass. The converted wide receiver had six receptions for 80 yards, but Mitchell didn’t go home empty-handed, recording a career-best four pass breakups.
“I had to respond, stay poised, and lock in for my team,” Mitchell said.
Special teams woes nearly cost UT the game.
For the second consecutive week, San Jose State had a massive special teams play on a kickoff. The Spartans forced a fumble against Cal Poly last week.
On Saturday — for the third time this season — they pooched a kick. Unlike Oregon State and Cal Poly, Toledo reacted as if it didn’t know the rules, allowing the football to bounce on the turf.
San Jose State recovered the live ball at the 36-yard line and scored two plays later, quieting an already hushed Glass Bowl. The Rockets trailed 10-0 in the second quarter and had possessed the ball for barely three minutes.
“We made some silly mistakes in the kicking game,” Candle said.
It nearly got worse for Toledo, as Jerjuan Newton had a miscommunication issue on the ensuing kickoff and got tackled at the UT 2-yard line. Staring down a green sea of FieldTurf, the Rockets’ chances of gaining a first down, let alone scoring were minute.
In two possessions, UT had gained a grand total of 18 yards on six plays — back-to-back three-and-outs. What followed was the longest drive since 2009 against Northern Illinois.
Dequan Finn was 7 of 8 for 45 yards and a touchdown. Newton made up for his special teams blunder by catching a 15-yard touchdown pass, capping off an 18-play, 98-yard whopper to end the half and reenergize the home fans.
“It was a big momentum booster for us, capitalizing off that opportunity,” Finn said. “You could see our whole demeanor and everybody’s energy get upbeat.”
A flashback of Finn’s crippling interception at Illinois occurred at almost the same moment in the third quarter. It was a pick-six against the Fighting Illini, and it was the equivalent of a pick-six against San Jose State.
Finn passed up at least five yards on the ground to throw across his body into double coverage, with San Jose State safety Tre Jenkins intercepting the pass. Cordeiro only needed four plays to take the Spartans 35 yards into the end zone, putting Toledo in a 17-7 hole.
Finn had a moment of reclamation on an 18-yard touchdown run in the third quarter. Then came McDonald’s own heroics on a redemptive night at the Glass Bowl.
“The ball fell right in,” McDonald said.
First Published September 17, 2023, 2:56 a.m.
