For the first time since 2017, the Toledo football team dropped its season-opener, falling to Raymond-South Bend 35-20 behind a few too many big plays gone the other way.
RSB junior quarterback Austin Snodgrass went for 130 rushing yards on just six carries, scoring touchdowns from 65, 52, and 27 yards out.
“We were solid,” Toledo coach Mike Christensen said. “But they run an option scheme, and when we became undisciplined, he took it and ran it. He’s a really good athlete. He’s hard to (tackle). He’s not the guy that you want to have the ball.”
Austin Norris put up a team-high 77 yards on 13 carries in his first start under center for the Riverhawks. Zane Ranney added 64 yards, Geoffrey Glass had 58, and Ethen Carver had 43. Norris, Glass, and Ranney all scored touchdowns, but after Ranney’s cut the deficit to 22-20 in the fourth quarter, Snodgrass ripped off two backbreaking touchdown runs to ice things.
Toledo also gave the ball away once on an interception and three times on fumbles — of which Christensen said just one came off a hit, while the others were simple botched handoffs and snaps.
“Those types of things are fixable, but they hurt us tonight for sure,” he said.
Toledo (0-1) is set to play at Rainier next Friday.
