Opelt’s six scores help UT embarrass Colorado 54-38

Toledo senior quarterback Aaron Opelt scored six touchdowns Friday night, helping the Rockets throttle Colorado at the Glass Bowl, 54-38.

"Right now I'm riding a pretty good high, Opelt said.

"This is an incredible offense to run and it's exciting."

Opelt finished the game with a career-high 428 all-purpose yards, completing 15-of-23 passes for 319 yards and four touchdowns through the air. He also ran for a career-best 109 yards rushing with two scores.

"Aaron's a good, good football player," Toledo Head Coach Tim Beckman said. "He's bought into the system, he's a great leader and I'm very proud of the way he played."

Opelt's performance helped Beckman pick up the first win of his head coaching career against Colorado (0-2), a team he also defeated last season as defensive coordinator of Oklahoma State.

"I couldn't be more proud of our team," Beckman said. "It's a dream come true."

Toledo (1-1) racked up 624 yards of offense against the Buffaloes despite the absence of senior wide receiver Stephen Williams, who left the game early after aggravating a right shoulder injury suffered earlier in the week.

With Williams on the bench, wide receiver Eric Page had a game-high 138 yards receiving and one touchdown on three catches. The true freshman out of Toledo has now topped the century mark in both games of his young career.

"When you don't play the game with Steve Williams, Eric has had to step up the last two weeks and he's done an exceptional job," Beckman said. "He's a young man that's 18-years-old that just plays older than he is. He plays the game with all his heart. "

Also playing key roles for the offense were sophomores Kenny Stafford and Danny Noble, who both set career-highs in receptions and yardage. Stafford caught four passes for 88 yards and one touchdown, while Noble finished with five catches for 56 yards and one score.

"We knew we had to pick it up," Noble said. "I knew we would play hard with or without Steve, knowing that he was out, knowing that everybody had to step up an extra notch and keep putting points on the board."

Senior running back DaJuane Collins led the charge on the ground for the Rockets, rushing 20 times for a game-high 162 yards rushing, just six yards short of his career-high.

 Toledo's defense held Colorado to just three points at halftime while forcing four turnovers and sacking Buffaloes' quarterback Cody Hawkins three times in the game. The Rockets now have four sacks in two games, just six less sacks than they had all last season.

Senior safety Barry Church had an interception and tied for the team-high with eight tackles along with junior linebacker Archie Donald and freshman corner Daxton Swanson. Freshman safety Jermaine Robinson grabbed his first career interception, while senior defensive end Douglas Westbrook recorded his third interception in the last two games.

"The defense is playing a lot better, flying around making plays," Donald said. "It was the whole 11 gas to the ball. That's what we really needed to come up with this win in this game."

The Rockets jumped out to an early 14-0 lead after a pair of long receptions by Page. On the opening drive, Noble caught a six-yard touchdown after UT was setup by a 60-yard reception by Page. On the following drive, the freshman receiver broke loose again, this time resulting in a 70-yard touchdown.

"[Eric's] a beast," Opelt said. "He's good. He makes plays when he has to, he's elusive and he catches the ball every time."

Following a Colorado field goal, Toledo pulled away to a 23-3 lead before the half after a career-long 50-yard field goal by senior Alex Steigerwald and a 27-yard touchdown run by Opelt with under a minute remaining.

After the half, the Rockets grabbed their biggest lead of the night at 30-3 with a 27-yard touchdown pass to Stafford, his first of the season.

The Buffaloes offense responded in the second half thanks to Hawkins' five touchdowns, four through the air, the rest of the way.

The Rockets, however, were able to keep up with three more scores of their own. After CU cut the lead to 30-10, Opelt hit tight end Tom Burzine for a 23-yard touchdown, the first of his career.

Colorado reached the end zone twice more, cutting the lead to 37-24 before Opelt sealed the game with a 61-yard run for his sixth total touchdown.

"I didn't know I could still run like that," Opelt said. "I got out into the open field and it was a shock to me too. It was awesome."

Collins later added a 23-yard touchdown scamper of his own and UT held on for a 54-38 victory. With the win, Toledo has now won three consecutive games against Big 12 teams at the Glass Bowl.

The Rockets will now prepare for their toughest challenge of the season as they will host Ohio State (1-1) next Saturday, Sept. 19 at noon in Cleveland Browns Stadium.