TOLEDO - Senior quarterback Aaron Opelt threw for 319 yards and four touchdowns and ran for two scores to lead Toledo to a convincing 54-38 victory over Colorado at the Glass Bowl Friday night. The win was the first for rookie head coach Tim Beckman, who also defeated Colorado as a defensive coordinator at Oklahoma State last year.

            Toledo outgained the Buffaloes, 624-451, to gain its third consecutive home victory over a Big 12 foe. The Rockets defeated Kansas in 2006 and Iowa State in 2007 in the Glass Bowl.

            Toledo (1-1) held a 23-3 lead at halftime and extended it to 30-3 early in the second half before Colorado fought back to make the score respectable.

            With Toledo senior star wide receiver Stephen Williams seeing very limited action due to injury, the Rockets needed Opelt to step up and he did. Opelt, who entered the game leading the nation in passing yardage, controlled the game in the air and on the ground. He completed 15-of-23 passes with no interceptions and also ran for 109 yards on eight carries. He totaled 428 yards of offense, 319 in the air and 109 on the ground. His 109 rushing yards was a career high and the first time a Toledo quarterback gained at least 100 yards since Tavares Bolden gained 115 yards vs. Central Michigan in 1999.

            In addition to Opelt, Toledo had numerous heroes on both sides of the ball. Senior DaJuane Collins rushed for 160 yards on 20 carries and one TD. Freshman Eric Page caught three passes for 138 yards his second 100-yard receiving effort in as many games. Sophomore Danny Noble caught a career-best five passes and his first career TD reception.

            Williams, who caught 15 passes in a loss at Purdue last week, played in only two series and did not catch a pass.

            Defensively, the Rockets forced four Buffalo turnovers, had three sacks and effectively contained Colorado when the game was on the line. Junior linebacker Archie Donald, senior safety Barry Church and freshman cornerback Daxton Swanson led the Rockets with eight tackles a piece. Church added an interception while junior defensive end Douglas Westbrook picked off his third pass of the season.

            Toledo got off to a quick start, jumping out to a 14-0 lead in the first quarter on a pair of TD throws from Opelt. The first was an eight-yard scoring strike to Noble which was set up two plays earlier by a 60-yard heave to  Page. Page struck again on UT's next possession, hauling in a pass over the middle, changing direction and bolting 70 yards into the end zone.

            Following a Colorado field goal, Toledo scored twice more to take a 23-3 lead into the locker room at the half. Senior Alex Steigerwald nailed a 50-yard field goal with 9:59 to play, then Opelt scrambled for a 27-yard score with just 36 seconds left.

But Colorado (0-2) rallied with five touchdowns in the second half, four on short passes by junior QB Cody Hawkins, and the final score on a 12-yard run by Hawkins with 1:53 to play.

The contest was still in doubt when CU's Riar Greer caught a four-yard TD pass to make the score 37-24 with 1:23 to play in the third quarter.

But Toledo shut the door on Colorado's comeback hopes when Opelt dashed up the middle for a career-long 61-yard TD run. C.ollins followed with a 23-yard TD run and Steigerwald nailed a 43-yard field goal to make the score 54-24 with 4:01 to play.

            The Rockets will have an extra day to prepare for their next opponent, Ohio State. Toledo hosts the Buckeyes at Cleveland Browns Stadium on Sept. 19.