Toledo’s Opelt throws 4 TDs in Toledo’s 54-38 win over Colorado, Buffaloes drop to 0-2

Toledo rolls past Colorado 54-38, Buffs now 0-2

TOLEDO, Ohio — Toledo’s Aaron Opelt took apart Colorado’s defense through the air and on the ground, throwing four touchdown passes and running for two more as he rolled up 428 yards of offense in Toledo’s 54-38 win over the woeful-looking Buffaloes on Friday.

Colorado (0-2) simply couldn’t stop the Rockets (1-1), who averaged just under 10 yards per play. Toledo amassed 624 yards on an overmatched, tired-looking Buffs defense that was pushed around by archrival Colorado State just five days earlier in a 23-17 loss.

The Buffs scored a pair of quick touchdowns to make it 37-24 late in the third quarter, but Opelt scampered 61 yards early in the fourth to thwart the rally and put the Rockets back up by 20.

Colorado quarterback Cody Hawkins, the son of coach Dan Hawkins, completed 30 of 64 passes for 356 yards and four touchdowns — but also threw three interceptions.

About the only bright spot for the Buffaloes was sophomore tailback Darrell Scott. After carrying the ball only once in the opener for 1 yard, he ran for 85 yards on 12 rushes — all in the first half.

Hawkins was shaken up after diving in for a meaningless late TD, when Toledo’s Archie Donald popped lose the quarterback’s helmet on a helmet-to-helmet collision at the goal line.

Toledo recovered the onside kick and knelt the ball to bring the game to an end just before 1 a.m. local time.

Rockets running back DaJuane Collins ran for 162 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries.

Opelt finished with 319 yards passing a week after throwing for 423 yards in a loss at Purdue. He completed 15 of 23 and ran for 109 yards.

His 27-yard run with 36 seconds left in the first half put the Rockets up 23-3, and he opened the second half with a 26-yard TD pass to Kenny Stafford.

The Rockets now are 3-0 at home against the Big 12, having beaten Kansas in 2006 and Iowa State in ‘07.

Toledo, which plays Ohio State next week in Cleveland, has seven victories over teams from BCS conferences in the last nine seasons, including last year’s win at Michigan.

It’s the first time the Buffaloes have lost to a Mid-American Conference school. They beat Kent State in 1977 and Miami in 2007.