Sellout crowd will watch Battle of I-75

BOWLING GREEN — Eddie George pulled out a page from his days as an Ohio State star player this week when the first-year Bowling Green coach referred to Toledo as "that team up north." BGSU hosts rival Toledo at noon Saturday for the Battle of I-75 at Doyt Perry Stadium. BGSU announced Friday afternoon that the game is sold out. Of course, Ohio State refers to Michigan as that "team up north." George seems to understand how intense the BGSU-Toledo game can get. "I told my staff last week, I think it's important for them to understand what they're walking into," George said. "What it means to this university, what it means to this community. You look at, nowadays, with the transfer portal, there's so much turnover in college football. Now almost nationwide, you kind of lost appreciation for the rivalries. "It's bragging rights. It's all of that. It's Toledo being an urban school and Bowling Green is in no-man's land. The better resources, all of it. I mean, it means something." The Rockets have a 43-42-4 edge in the series and have won 12 of the last 15 games in the rivalry. The Falcons won 41-26 last year at the Glass Bowl. Toledo (3-2, 1-0 Mid-American Conference) routed Akron 45-3 two weeks ago and had last week off. "This is a big game for Northwest Ohio," Toledo coach Jason Candle said. "You go down the street and there's flags from each school when you drive home." Rockets quarterback Tucker Gleason completed 16 of 19 passes in the game and was named MAC Offensive Player of the Week. Gleason has thrown for 925 yards and seven touchdowns. Toledo's Junior Vandeross ranks third in the nation with six touchdown receptions. He caught nine passes for 122 yards and two scores against Akron. The Rockets are 34th in the nation with an average of 443.8 yards per game. Toledo's defense is sixth, allowing an average of just 226 yards per game. Bowling Green also had last week off to prepare for its biggest rival. The Falcons lost 35-20 at Ohio two weeks ago. BGSU is 2-3 overall and 0-1 in the MAC. BGSU quarterback Drew Pyne has thrown for 830 yards, four touchdowns and five interceptions. It's a big game for both teams in the MAC, where four teams are undefeated. Buffalo and Western Michigan are off to 2-0 starts in league play.