TOLEDO, Ohio — Dequan Finn threw two touchdown passes and ran for a score to help Toledo hold off Northern Illinois 35-33 on Saturday.
Toledo (4-1, 2-0 Mid-American Conference) took a 7-0 lead on Finn's 42-yard touchdown pass to Jerjuan Newton with 2:52 left in the first quarter. Northern Illinois (1-4, 0-1) pulled even after Antario Brown's 80-yard run set up a 1-yard sneak by Rocky Lombardi.
Finn directed an eight-play, 70-yard drive early in the second quarter — capped by his 13-yard scoring run — and the Rockets took a 14-7 lead into halftime.
Jacquez Stuart's 7-yard touchdown run pushed the Rockets' lead to 21-7. The Huskies used Kanon Woodill's 32-yard field goal and Nate Valcarcel's 50-yard fumble-return score to close to within 21-17. Toledo answered with Connor Walendzak's 2-yard touchdown run to take a 28-17 lead into the final quarter.
Woodill kicked a 49-yard field goal, but Finn fired a 68-yard scoring strike to Junior Vandeross III and the Rockets led 35-20 with 11:17 left to play. Lombardi followed with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Jalen Johnson but the two-point conversion pass fell incomplete and the Huskies trailed 35-26. Lombardi and Christion Carter hooked up for a 12-yard score with 2:24 remaining, but their final drive ended at their 48-yard line as time expired.
Finn completed 16 of 20 passes for 281 yards, adding 61 yards on seven rushes. Peny Boone carried 16 times for 113 yards. Vandeross finished with four catches for 147 yards.
Lombardi had 258 yards on 21-of-31 passing with two touchdowns for the Huskies. Brown finished with 152 yards on 16 carries.
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