 TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
TOLEDOROCKETS.NETYour source for information on Rocket Football! |
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By Brian Nowicki It's Thanksgiving week. Turkey, pumpkin pie, spending time with family, watching the Detroit Lions lose another game on TV........all of that stuff can wait just a couple more days. This is also the week that Toledo and Bowling Green meet on the football field. A rivalry that dates back to 1919, the first year that Bowling Green played football. A rivalry that has seen scoreless ties, lopsided wins, fights on the field, accusations of cheating, suspension of the rivalry for a number of years, and three very close games in the last three games played in the rivalry. It's just about had it all. Accusations of fighting? Yep. It was 1924. Toledo defeated Bowling Green 12-7. The controversy started when Bowling Green accused Toledo of using an illegal player. The two schools argued their side and competition for all sports between the schools was suspended from 1925-1927. When they finally played again in 1928, Bowling Green won the game 14-0. That was the first suspension of the rivalry. It would happen a second time after the 1935 game. Toledo won the game 63-0. It was Toledo's 3rd straight victory over Bowling Green, winning 22-0 in 1934 and 26-7 in 1933. Bowling Green accused Toledo of running up the score and dropped Toledo from their football schedules. They would not meet again until 1948, a 21-6 victory for Bowling Green in the first game between the two schools at Glass Bowl Stadium. In 1929 the Rockets and Falcons played to a scoreless tie and shared the NWO League Championship. In 1969 Toledo defeated Bowling Green 27-26 at BG. The game was won on a last second field goal when the windy Doyt Perry Stadium saw the wind stop for just a few seconds, long enough for Toledo to kick the game winner in what is now known as victory number four in the famous 35 game winning streak. It's a great rivalry. Over the last 30 years, Toledo has won 15 games and Bowling Green has won 15 games. The game is often the highest attended game of the season for the home school. The last time the two schools met at the Glass Bowl, there were 31,981 people on hand to watch the Rockets overcome a 27-7 halftime deficit and win 49-41. That crowd is the 7th largest crowd in Glass Bowl history. And over the last three years Toledo has scored a total of 116 points and Bowling Green has scored a total of 113 points in this rivalry. Talk about close. Just three points seperate these two teams over the last three games played. I have received some emails from fans about this big rivalry game, and here are some of the comments: "Kick Phil Valipiano's alma mater like something fierce! I think Toledo should dump the ball off more to Richard Davis, D. Collins and Jalen and let them run in the open field." - Chris "I believe we need two keys players to step up, as in Odom and Hopkins. BG has lost keys players on their team such as Jacobs and Sharon and Pope. Our senoirs need to lead us through this game. I'll predict Rockets 38 Falcons 17." - Brad "It's the best rivalry in the MAC. Go Rockets!" - Justin "We need a great crowd at this game. The players really feed off the crowd and this game is about emotion." - Mike "We won't lose this game. Just let Parmele take control of the game and keep their quarterback from running for big gains." - Heather "This rivalry has it all. I remember going to the games when I was younger and sitting in the general admission seats and seeing all the Toledo and BG fans heckling each other. In some cases they actually broke out into fights. Our fans hate each other and this game is the most important game of the season to every player on each of the football teams." - Bryan "Kick those birds to the curb!" - Mark "It's been a rough year, but the running game is looking good and they lost to lowly Temple. Rockets 35 Falcons 10" - unsigned Well, I guess it's time for my comments and prediction. I really feel this is the best rivalry in the MAC. An ex-CMU football player reminded me that the Central Michigan and Western Michigan rivalry is pretty darn big, and I agree, but in my heart I have to put UT/BG ahead of CMU/WMU. This rivalry has had it all. Three times they have battled to a scoreless tie. There have been many close games. I remember a game at Bowling Green in 1983 when both teams made big play after big play and fought through bad weather conditions in a game that ended with a 6-3 Bowling Green victory. I remember 31,369 fans packing into Glass Bowl Stadium in 1982. Keep in mind the stadium only had about 18,000 seats back then. The aisles were crowded with people sitting and standing and the two grassy areas in the South end zone were jammed with people. The crowd was rewarded by a 24-10 Rocket victory. In 2002 Toledo had to beat Bowling Green to win the West Division and earn a berth in the MAC Championship game. The Rockets did so with a 42-24 victory by outscoring Bowling Green 28-0 in the 2nd half. In 2003 the winner of the game would win the West Division title and go on to the MACC game. Bowling Green held off the Rockets for a 31-23 victory. In 2004 they would play yet again with the West Division title and a berth into the MACC game on the line. The Rockets would come back from a 27-7 halftime deficit to win the game 49-41. Last year a bowl berth into the GMAC Bowl was on the line, and the Rockets got the bowl invite after a 44-41 double overtime victory. The game has been televised nationally 5 of the last 7 years. No other series between two teams in the MAC has been televised that many times in the last 7 years. This rivalry is everything for people in Northwest Ohio. My prediction is for a Rocket victory, 24-20. GO ROCKETS! Have a question or comment for Brian? Email |