AMHERST, Mass. — Buckets of rain never made their way to McGuirk Alumni Stadium on Saturday, but that didn’t change the University of Toledo’s game plan.

Facing one of the nation’s worst rush defenses, the Rockets chose to run the ball. Again and again and again.

When all was said and done, UT had a 41-24 victory over Massachusetts and 375 rushing yards, its most since 2019. The Rockets averaged 9.6 yards per carry.

“We had a good rushing plan leading into the game,” Toledo coach Jason Candle said. “I’m excited to be able to have the offensive performance we had and get a road win.”

In the third quarter, Toledo flexed its run game muscles, with game-changing touchdown runs on consecutive possessions. On the opening drive of the second half, UT faced 3rd-and-1 near midfield and quarterback Dequan Finn sold a zone-read handoff to Peny Boone that fooled the entire UMass defense. Finn raced around the right edge to finish off a 52-yard sprint to the end zone, untouched.

Finn and Boone have been backfield running mates since their high school days at Detroit Martin Luther King, giving them a unique on-field connectivity. Boone noticed that UMass’ defense was creeping toward the line and told Finn to keep the ball.

“I just want to thank the O-line. They've been doing a great job,” said Finn, who set a school record for quarterbacks with 172 rushing yards. “They’re bringing their own energy and getting the whole team rallied. We’re on the type of level of execution so we can dominate each time we step on the field.”

The Rockets faced an almost identical scenario on the next possession — 4th-and-1 from the UMass 49-yard line. This time, Finn handed the ball to Boone, who had his own mad dash to the end zone.

Suddenly, Toledo’s 21-17 halftime deficit had vanished and re-emerged as a 31-21 advantage.

“When you have two big plays in short-yardage situations, those kill you,” UMass coach Don Brown said.

Finn (one TD) and Boone (129 yards, two TDs) combined for 301 yards on 30 carries. The offensive line did not allow a sack.

For Finn, it was a record-setting day, as he became Toledo’s all-time leading rusher at quarterback and set the single-game QB rushing record. He was 15-of-23 passing for 139 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Jerjuan Newton caught both touchdown passes.

Toledo had 514 yards, converting more than half of its third downs (9-15) and turning its only fourth-down attempt into a touchdown. The Rockets gained 289 of its 375 rushing yards on 13 plays, five of which went for at least 20 yards.

Finn had six runs of 10 or more yards.

“Any time you can supplement the running game with the quarterback, it’s very beneficial,” Candle said. “Sometimes on the 2nd-and-long, 3rd-and-medium, and 3rd-and-long situations, they were playing coverage. That opened up some run lanes and they were able to get into the second level of the defense, and they made some guys miss.”

The greatest pre-game concern — a soggy weather forecast — proved to be misplaced for UT, as the stadium was, at times, bathed in sunshine. Instead, the Rockets should have been worried about their surprisingly porous defense.

Western Michigan and Northern Illinois gashed Toledo the previous two weeks, and UMass did more of the same on the game’s opening possession, breaking off 47 and 32-yard runs on 3rd-and-long. The 47-yarder resulted in a touchdown.

And the Minutemen were not done, attacking the Rockets by land and sea in the second quarter, flipping a 17-7 deficit into a 21-17 halftime lead. UMass had a 1-play, 71-yard drive, and then reeled off a 31-yard touchdown pass on its next possession.

After taking a 17-7 lead, the Rockets had seven offensive snaps the rest of the first half, gaining 13 yards and Finn threw an interception. UMass had 166 yards and two touchdowns on 14 plays.

In the second half, UMass had three points, 22 rushing yards, and 139 total yards.

“We had a bunch of leaders step up in the locker room [and say] that it was a road game, the first 30 minutes were over, and we had to work for the next 30,” said linebacker Dallas Gant, who had a game-high nine tackles.

In the first half, UMass was 4 of 8 on third down and had five rushing plays of 10-plus yards. In the second, the Minutemen were 1 of 5 on third down and they only had one rush of 10 or more yards.

Running back Kay’Ron Adams was limited to 35 yards in the second half after 122 yards and a touchdown in the first half.

UMass — which finished with 439 total yards — had the ball four times in the second half: punt, field goal, interception, missed field goal.

“You have to do a good job of making the necessary [halftime] adjustments,” Candle said. “Then it becomes a chess match between the coordinators throughout the game when there’s no video available to you.

“Making adjustments throughout the course of the game and at halftime, I give our defensive staff a lot of credit for that and getting those runs stopped that broke out on us during the first half.”

At the midway point of the season, Toledo is 5-1 and 2-0 in the Mid-American Conference. A second consecutive MAC West title is within reach, and a coveted trip to Detroit is in the Rockets’ sight. But they’re thinking bigger and better.

“We’re still not at the pinnacle of where we’re going to be,” Finn said. “But it just shows the potential that we can be a great team, not even in the MAC but in the whole country. We want to put teams on notice that we can become that team.”

First Published October 7, 2023, 10:33 p.m.