Hustle Belt · Sep 30, 2023
Rockets survive a late scare from NIU, win 35-33
Northern Illinois quarterback Rocky Lombardi had a chance to get NIU into field goal range and potentially steal the game from the Toledo Rockets. At midfield, with just 10 seconds remaining, he went back to pass, stepped up in the pocket and then tried to scramble. He was pulled down, in bounds and short of a first down, giving the Rockets the 35-33 win.
The Rockets took the lead late in the first quarter, after when Toledo’s quarterback Dequan Finn found Jerjuan Newton for a 42-yard touchdown pass. It would be the first of many big plays for Toledo, as Finn had five passes go for more than 20+ yards and the Rockets as a team netted six plays of more than 20-yards on the Huskies defense.