Bowling Green, Toledo bring winning streaks in Battle of I-75

Bowling Green and Toledo are bowl eligible and the Rockets have already wrapped up the Mid-American Conference West Division title. But the Battle of I-75 still means plenty for these familiar rivals. "Up in Toledo, they talk about this every day," BGSU coach Scot Loeffler said. "This is a big game for both programs. That's why it's a rivalry game, and I know they emphasize it, we emphasize it and that's why this game is special. You know, both teams are working 365 days a year to play in this and to perform well. So yeah, it's an exciting rivalry game. And that's what makes college football awesome. "It is not just a normal game. And we don't approach it that way whatsoever." Toledo has won 11 of the last 13 meetings but the Falcons pulled an upset last year in the Glass Bowl. BGSU will try to make it two straight when the teams meet at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Doyt Perry Stadium (ESPN2). The Falcons (6-4, 4-2 MAC) are coming off a 49-19 rout of Kent State last Wednesday, but have questions at running back. Sandusky graduate Terion Stewart, who leads BGSU with 762 yards rushing and eight touchdowns, sat out last week's game with a lower leg injury. He had his right foot in a boot during the game. Ta'Ron Keith, the MAC East Offensive Player of the Week, became the first BGSU player to record more than 100 rushing yards and 100 receiving yards in the same game in last week's rout of Kent State. Keith also is nursing an injury. "Both of them will be game-time decisions," Loeffler said earlier this week. "We'll see where we're at with them," Loeffler said in his weekly news conference last Thursday. Keith scored on a tackle-breaking 42-yard catch-and-run with nine seconds to play to lift BGSU past Toledo last year, 42-35. Four different Falcons carried five times or more in last week's game, including backup quarterback Cam Orth. Harold Fannin Jr. had 117 total yards and caught a touchdown pass. "We put Harold back there to run the ball even a little bit, and we're going to find creative ways with Terion being out," Loeffler said. "That's normally a buck and half (150 yards) that you've got to make up, and he's a really good football player, hard to tackle. So, we had to find different ways to make up for the yardage that we lost without Terion." Toledo (9-1, 6-0 MAC) has clinched a spot in the MAC Championship Game on Dec. 2, but wants to beat its rival and keep its hopes alive for the Group of Five New Year's Six bowl game slot. The Rockets will be attempting to win back-to-back league titles for the first time since winning three straight MAC crowns from 1969 through 1971. The Rockets are coming off a 49-23 win over Eastern Michigan. It was Toledo's ninth straight win, its longest winning streak in 40 years. "It's what college football's all about," said Toledo coach Jason Candle. "It has the feel of a high school rivalry in the sense that it's so close, the communities are mixed and it's in your face, it's hard to avoid." Toledo junior quarterback Dequan Finn was 23-for-27 passes for a season-high 407 yards and three touchdowns. BGSU has won four straight games to reach bowl eligibility for the second straight season. Loeffler would rather play Toledo on a Saturday instead of as part of the midweek MACtion TV package. "I know Jason agrees with this. I really wish this thing was on Saturday and it had a full week of preparation, but obviously he and I don't make the schedules," Loeffler said. "It's way above our pay grade, but I wish it was a regular seven-day week. I remember I think we've only played one on Saturday since I've been here, and it was just an unbelievable atmosphere. "It's what college football looks like, and it's good for the Toledo businesses. It's good for the Bowling Green businesses, but you know, we had a great crowd up there at Toledo last year. I'm hoping that the stadium is full of brown and orange and Toledo scholars."