Toledo had been waiting for some playmakers on the defensive side to emerge. Through the first five games, the Rockets on the offensive unit had provided most of the fireworks.
But when defensive back Jordan Hayden took an interception back 63 yards for a touchdown in a recent win over Western Michigan, he might have been igniting a hunger among his cohorts.
The Rockets had been struggling in a Mid-American Conference showdown with Central Michigan until their defense took over and helped orchestrate a 50-35 win. Toledo trailed 21-10 midway through the second quarter, and led only 31-28 when the game moved into the fourth quarter. Then saftey Mark Singer intercepted a Central Michigan pass and returned it 39 yards for a touchdown to help the Rockets build a 12-point advantage with less than 10 minutes to play.
After the Chippewas cut the lead to five with just over three minutes left in the game, it was the Toledo defense that slammed the door closed on Central Michigan, with S Jermaine Robinson taking an interception back 31 yards for a touchdown in the final minute.
Toledo head coach Matt Campbell said the Rockets had reached one of those junctures when they just needed somebody to step up and make a play. Looking back on the win that moved Toledo to 5-1 overall and 2-1 in the MAC, Campbell said there was no surprise that the individuals who made the game-changing plays were two of his veterans.
“I really felt like in the second half of that football game the leadership of our football team took over,” Campbell said. “I don’t think there’s any coincidence that the two big plays that were game-changers were made by two seniors.”
That group of seniors, led by Robinson, Singer and LB Dan Molls on the defensive side, will have to be the ones that ultimately lead the Rockets, if a MAC West Division title, an overall MAC championship and a trip to a bowl game is in their future.