MAC preview: Thompson breaks Toledo TD catch record

Cody Thompson didn't have a touchdown catch despite playing in all 13 games as a freshman in 2014.As a sophomore, the Toledo fifth-year senior wideout had only five TD catches.However, the unheralded recruit, who received just one Division I offer after a do-it-all career at Huron, has since become one of the best at his craft in college football.Thompson, a 2014 Huron graduate, became the Rockets' all-time touchdown receptions leader with an 18-yard TD catch from Mitch Guadagni this past Saturday in Toledo's 28-26 loss at Eastern Michigan.Thompson's 26 touchdown catches move him past Lance Moore (2001-04) and Eric Page (2009-11), two of the Mid-American Conference's all-time great receivers, who each had 25 career TD catches."He's a tremendous player. A guy that's invested a ton into this program, and what he's been able to accomplish here is second-to-none," Toledo coach Jason Candle said. "I'm glad he's continuing to play at the level that he's been able to play at."In 2016, Thompson put himself on the national radar. With Logan Woodside throwing the ball, he recorded one of the best single seasons in Toledo history, pulling in 64 catches for 1,269 yards and 11 TDs. His yardage mark set the program record, until teammate Diontae Johnson broke it in 2017 with 1,278 yards.Thompson missed a majority of the 2017 season, suffering a season-ending injury in the Rockets' fifth game.This season, he has 19 catches for 287 yards and six TDs.Thompson's resilient attitude over the years hasn't been lost on his coach."There are lots of characteristics that you can measure in a player," Candle said. "A lot of those have to do with weight room numbers and measurables. But to be a great player, you have to have a certain level of trust and accountability. [Thompson] has that. He's proven that year in and year out on the football field. He's proven that year in and year out in the classroom and how he handles himself socially."That creates a level of trust not only from a coach to a player but a player to a player. It's been fun to watch him transform, and he's just been a guy who puts his head down and keeps working. At any level in any profession, we all can respect that."Thompson's 2,952 career receiving yards are the most among active players. He needs 492 yards to catch Page's 3,446 for the most in Rockets history.Here's a look at this week in the MAC:Buffalo (6-1, 3-0) at Toledo (3-3, 1-1), noonIn a game that could perhaps be a preview of the MAC championship game, the Rockets — who sit a game back of Northern Illinois in the West Division — host East-leading Buffalo. ... The Bulls, off to their best start since 1959, are bowl eligible for just the fourth time in school history after a 24-6 win over Akron. ... Buffalo is outscoring its opponents 75-16 in the first quarter this season. ... The game will pit the MAC's top scoring offense, Toledo, against the MAC's top scoring defense, Buffalo. ... Bulls linebacker Khalil Hodge ranks sixth in the nation with 86 tackles. ... Buffalo ranks first in the MAC and 10th nationally with nine interceptions. Miami (3-4, 3-1) at Army (3-1), noonAfter an 0-3 start, the RedHawks have won three of their last four to sit second in the MAC East Division just behind 3-0 Buffalo. … Army is second in the nation in rushing, averaging 313.5 yards per game on the ground. … Miami's rush defense ranks second in the MAC and 32nd nationally, allowing 123.7 ypg. … The Black Knights' lone loss was a 28-21 overtime setback at then-No. 5 Oklahoma. … The RedHawks are coming off a 31-6 win over Kent State in which they held the ball for 39-plus minutes and held the Golden Flashes scoreless until the final minute. … Army holds a nine-game home-win streak.Bowling Green (1-6, 0-3) at Ohio (3-3, 1-1), 2 p.m.Saturday marks the start of the Carl Pelini era at Bowling Green. He'll serve as interim head coach the final five games after Mike Jinks was fired this past Sunday. … Pelini was hired in 2003 as a graduate assistant by current Ohio coach Frank Solich when Solich was the head coach at Nebraska. Pelini joined Solich at Ohio for the 2006 and 2007 seasons. … Ohio has won the last two meetings with the Falcons, including a 48-30 win at BG last season. … The Falcons are coming off a 42-35 homecoming loss to Western Michigan, a game BG led 21-7 at halftime and 28-14 in the second half. … Jarret Doege threw for a career-high 379 yards and 3 TDs against the Broncos. … BG receiver Scott Miller had eight receptions for a career-high 206 yards. … BG linebacker Brandon Harris had a career-high 20 tackles against WMU. … Ohio is coming off a 24-21 loss at Northern Illinois where the Huskies scored 15 unanswered points to come from behind.Eastern Michigan (3-4, 1-3) at Ball State (3-4, 2-1), 3 p.m.The Eagles ended a 728-day drought in the month of October when they held off Toledo 28-26 this past Saturday, denying the Rockets' 2-point conversion try with 20 seconds to go. … Ball State snapped a six-game MAC road losing streak with a 24-23 come-from-behind victory at Central Michigan. … EMU QB Mike Glass is believed to be the first Eagles signal caller to rush past the century mark in back-to-back games. … Both teams have near-identical offensive marks as EMU averages 142.6 rushing yards to Ball State's 179.6. EMU averages 260.7 passing yards to BSU's 264.6 … BSU QB Riley Neal has thrown six TDs to just one interception the last five games. Neal became the third Cardinal to reach 7,000 career passing yards last week. He has 7,160 in his career. … Cardinals outside linebacker Christian Albright is tied for the national lead in forced fumbles (4) with Florida's Jachai Polite.Western Michigan (5-2, 3-0) at Central Michigan (1-6, 0-3), 3 p.m.Arguably the MAC's biggest rivalry game, the "Battle for the Cannon Trophy" also factors into the "Michigan MAC Trophy." … The teams first met in 1907, and the Broncos hold own a 48-38-2 series lead. … Since 1973, the outcome of the game has been decided by 10 points or fewer 24 times. … After losing to Power 5 Syracuse (55-42) and Michigan (49-3) to start the season, WMU has won its last five games, including this past Saturday's 42-35 win at BG. … The Broncos tallied 194 of their 277 rushing yards against the Falcons in the second half. Jamauri Bogan scored four times on the ground while LaVante Bellamy ran for a season-high 145 yards. … WMU has racked up more than 500 yards of offense in five of its seven games. … The Chippewas have lost three straight games by 11 points or fewer, falling to Michigan State (31-20), Buffalo (34-24) and Ball State (24-23). … CMU QB Tommy Lazzaro has tallied back-to-back 100-yard rushing games, becoming the first CMU QB to do that since Dan LeFevour in 2008.Akron (2-3, 0-2) at Kent State (1-6, 0-3) 3:30 p.m.The Wagon Wheel series has been split the last eight meetings. … Akron leads the all-time series 34-24-2, including a 24-14 win last season. … Kent State QB Woody Barrett ranks 19th in the nation in completions per game (22.4). Against Ohio, Barrett completed 27 of 35 passes — his highest completion rate (77 percent) of the season. … The Zips' defense ranks third in the MAC in stops on third down. … Offensively, Akron has scored on all of its trips to the red zone.Toledo's Cody Thompson, a 2014 Huron graduate, awaits a touchdown catch against Nevada on Sept. 22 at the Glass Bowl. With his TD catch at Eastern Michigan this past Saturday, Thompson became the Rockets' career leader in TD receptions with 26.Toledo's Cody Thompson, a 2014 Huron graduate, looks for running room in the Rockets' 49-24 loss to the Miami Hurricanes on Sept. 15 at the Glass Bowl. With his TD reception at Eastern Michigan this past Saturday, Thompson became UT's all-time career TD receptions leaders with 26