Toledo and Bowling Green gave football fans peak MACtion on Tuesday night

On Tuesday night, Toledo and Bowling Green gave football fans peak MACtion.

In the Battle of Interstate 75, the Mid-American Conference rivals squared off at the Glass Bowl, on the Toledo campus. Toledo entered the game with a 7-3 record, sitting atop the MAC West division. Bowling Green, sitting in second place in the MAC East division behind Ohio, needed a win to secure bowl eligibility.

The teams combined for five touchdowns in the fourth quarter, culminating in a stunning finish that was vintage MAC football. The fourth quarter began with the Falcons leading Toledo 27-14, but the Rockets had possession in their own territory. Toldeo put together a 12-play drive, capped off by a short touchdown throw from quarterback Tucker Gleason to tight end Jamal Turner to cut the Bowling Green lead to 27-21.

But the fourth quarter was just getting started.

Bowling Green needed just three plays to respond. On the third play of their ensuing possession, quarterback Matt McDonald stepped up in the pocket to avoid pressure and connected with wide receiver Odieu Hiliare on a shallow crossing route. Hiliare does a good job of just making the catch, but what he does after the reception is exquisite:

It was Hiliare’s seventh catch of the night, and his second scoring play. He and McDonald opened the scoring back in the first quarter on a beautiful go route from 25 yards out, where Hiliare did a tremendous job tracking the football over his shoulder.

Toledo would, as you might expect, respond. The Rockets put together a long, 11-play drive that Gleason finished by finding Jerjuan Newton in the back corner of the end zone, to cut into Bowling Green’s lead yet again:

The touchdown cut Bowling Green’s lead to 34-28, but with time ticking away in the fourth quarter, the Rockets needed a defensive stop more than anything else. They would get just that, and take over on their own 15-yard line after a Bowling Green punt, with 2:36 left in the game.

Toldeo needed some big plays, and they got one moments later from the Gleason and Newton connection on a do-or-die fourth down:

Gleason throws the corner route to Newton with pressure in his face, and the receiver makes a great adjustment to work back to the football. From there, Newton fights through multiple tackle attempts, diving for the goal line for what looked to be a game-tying touchdown.

But as the crowd at the Glass Bowl went ballistic, Newton was ruled out at the one-yard line.

Toledo would score on the next play, as the Falcons defense parted the sea for them:

Now it was Bowling Green who needed the miracle.

They got:

Facing 3rd and 10, McDonald drops into the pocket to throw. But he faces pressure from two different points, first off the right edge and later through the interior. But McDonald does just enough to buy time, before finding running back Ta’Ron Keith in a scramble drill situation.

Somehow, some way, Keith barrels through the Toledo secondary and into the end zone, sending the Bowling Green sideline into a frenzy, and teeing up ESPN play-by-play announcer Connor Onion for the absolutely perfect call.

“This is MACtion!”

If you enjoyed this game, then you might be in for a treat in a few weeks. There is a chance these teams could meet again in the MAC Championship Game. Toledo has already clinched the MAC West Division, and will square off with the winner of the East on December 3rd at Ford Field in Detroit.

Who might they face? It just might be the Falcons. By winning this game, Bowling Green kept their hopes alive for the MAC East Division title. They trail Ohio in the standings by one game, but the Falcons play the Bobcats in their season-finale.

Next Tuesday night.

Get ready for some more MACtion.