Oct. 19, 2007

Ohio-Toledo Game Notes

ATHENS, Ohio - After earning their first MAC victory last weekend against Eastern Michigan, the Bobcats will face another MAC West Division team when they travel to Toledo for a game against the Rockets at 7 p.m. on Saturday. The game will be televised on GTN, ESPN's GamePlan and My ZTV stations out of Huntington and Charleston, West Virginia. In Athens, the game can be seen on Time Warner's Channel 24 and on the Ohio campus on Channel 23.

The last time Ohio (3-4, 1-2 MAC) played Toledo (2-5, 0-3 MAC) was in 2005 and the Rockets escaped Peden Stadium with a 30-21 victory on their way to a GMAC Bowl victory later that season. The Bobcats will be looking to return the favor by beating UT at its home field, the Glass Bowl, and the Ohio offense seems to be ready for the task.

The Bobcats exploded for 510 yards of total offense last weekend against Eastern Michigan in front of a Homecoming crowd. The Ohio offense was not only prolific, but balanced with the Bobcats rushing for 241 yards and passing for 269 yards.

Ohio running back Kalvin McRae (Decatur, Ga.) rushed for two touchdowns and a season high 170 yards while quarterback Brad Bower (Burr Ridge, Ill.) threw for 232 yards and a career high three touchdowns.

Tight end David Carter (Waynesboro, Pa.) caught four of Bower's 18 completions, including two for touchdowns. Wide receiver Taylor Price (Hilliard) caught five balls for 83 yards and one touchdown.

The kicking game was also firing on all cylinders, like it has been every game this season. Placekicker Michael Braunstein (Gilbert, Ariz.) tied the program record for consecutive made field with his 10^th field goal of 2007 on a 40-yard boot in the first half and then surpassed the record with 11 straight made field goal on a 38 yard attempt late in the fourth quarter. The graduate student has completed 19 straight field goal tries dating back to last season, the longest streak in the nation. Braunstein has also been perfect on extra points this season, good on all 21 attempts this season. The Ohio football record for consecutive made PATs is 44, set by Steve Green in 1977.

Toledo dropped its third consecutive MAC contest last weekend with a 43-33 loss at Buffalo.

Rocket running back Jalen Parmele ran for 171 yards and one touchdown on 29 attempts and quarterback D.J. Lenehan tossed three touchdowns and completed 32-of-50 passes for 307 yards in the road loss.

But Toledo begins a three-game homestand on Saturday against the Bobcats and the Rockets are 2-2 in the Glass Bowl this season, with wins against Liberty and Iowa State and losses to Western Michigan and Purdue.

The Rockets are led on defense by their pair of high motor safeties, Barry Church and Lester Richmond. Church and Richmond are No. 1 and 2 on the team in total tackles, with 47.5 and 45, respectively, and Church also has one of Toledo's three total interceptions this season.

Ohio will be on the road again next weekend with a game at Bowling Green. The next Ohio home contest is on Friday, Nov. 2, against Temple at 7 p.m.