A better showing, but the same result. The Rockets lost their fourth straight game, falling 27-17 to Western Michigan. The Rockets put up some impressive offensive numbers, but couldn't match the Broncos in the scoring column. At 2-8 and 1-5, the Rockets have little to play for but pride and sending out coach Tom Amstutz with a few more victories. Still, the Rockets battled the powerful Broncos, who beat Illinois last week, to the final minute.

"I felt like we had some down times," said UT wide receiver Nick Moore. "But we definitely showed that we had character and kept fighting throughout the whole game. The defense came up with big turnovers, we just tried to punch it in for them. We just had to keep our confidence up, keep our heads high and go out and play confident every play."

The Rockets recorded 358 total yards and took some gambles to stay in the game. The Rockets converted four of their five fourth down attempts, but failed to score in the second and third quarters. Meanwhile, Western Michigan scored 20 of its 27 points in the two key quarters.

The Rockets had a chance to enter halftime with the lead, but couldn't move the ball late in the first half. Western Michigan seized the opening and scored a touchdown as the clock expired. Armed with the momentum, the Broncos never looked back in handing Amstutz a loss in his final road game as Toledo's head coach.

"We just had a little collapse on defense," said UT safety Barry Church. "Everyone was doing their part, we just had a little collapse. It proved to be fatal because I believe that gave them momentum going into the second half. Our defense played a pretty good game, but that play right there gave them momentum."

Give the Rockets some credit. The defense held Western Michigan to 27 points and the offense attacked the Broncos.

Amstutz explained UT's aggressive offensive philosophy against the Broncos.

"We're doing whatever we can to try to get the ball down the field, try to get more points on the board," he said. "We took some risks to do that, to get the ball down in there to see if we can get some more points. That's what our philosophy was, and we went for it."

The Rockets had trouble stopping WMU quarterback Tim Hiller, who threw for 225 yards and three touchdowns. Hiller picked apart UT's defense with intermediate passes, hitting Jamarko Simmons for eight receptions.

"He's a good football player," Amstutz said of Hiller. "He's the No. 6 passer in the country for a reason. He's got a good arm and got a lot of good receivers to throw to. It was a little bit windy out there, and their timing might have been off some, but he made the plays when they needed them."

SEASON RECAP

Arizona 41, Toledo 16: Toledo's offense stalled early, not scoring a touchdown until the fourth quarter and struggling mightily in the red zone.

Toledo 41, Eastern Michigan 17: The rain did not slow down the Rockets, who were lead by tailback DaJuane Collins' career-high 168 yards rushing and two touchdowns.

Fresno State 55, Toledo 54: Coach Tom Amstutz decided to go for a two-point conversion and the victory against No. 25 Fresno State at the end of two overtimes. It didn't work, as Nico Herron knocked down Aaron Opelt's pass and the Bulldogs held on to beat Toledo 55-54 in a wild game at the Glass Bowl.

Florida International, 35, Toledo 16: The Rockets led 16-14 at halftime, but three third-quarter FIU touchdowns were the difference in the home defeat.

Ball State 31, Toledo 0: MiQuale Lewis rushed for 157 yards and two touchdowns and Ball State broke away from a 3-0 game at the half to beat Toledo 31-0.

Toledo 13, Michigan 10: Tyrrell Herbert took an interception 100 yards for a touchdown, and the Rockets pulled the stunning upset at Ann Arbor.

Northern Illinois 38, Toledo 7: Chandler Harnish threw for 175 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Northern Illinois Huskies to a 38-7 victory over the Rockets. Toledo was paced by Morgan Williams, who rushed for 50 yards and one score in the loss.

Central Michigan 24, Toledo 23: Ontario Sneed capped a 68-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown run and Andrew Aguila kicked the extra point as Central Michigan edged Toledo 24-23.

Akron 47, Toledo 30: The Rockets allowed the most points in regulation this season to the Zips. The Zips looked like the best offense in the country against the Rockets, netting 458 total yards and 47 points after a 17-day layoff.

Western Michigan 27, Toledo 17: Tim Hiller threw for 225 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Western Michigan Broncos to a 27-17 victory over the Toledo Rockets in a Mid-American Conference tilt at Waldo Stadium.

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