Toledo Paid Large Sum By Two Different Schools To Humiliate Mississippi State In Starkville

The Toledo Rockets not only embarrassed the Mississippi State Bulldogs in their own stadium, but they also got paid a a large fortune — by two different schools — to do it.

Toledo was originally scheduled to play Maryland this season, but last year the Terrapins paid the university $575,000 to move the game to 2029. That opened up the schedule for the Rockets to add another "buy game" in 2024, and Mississippi State offered them a cool $1.2 million to make the 750-mile trip to Starkville.

"I thought it was a great opportunity when (head coach Jason Candle) and I talked about it," Toledo athletic director Bryan Blair said. "I think he thought it was a great opportunity because we felt like whether it was Maryland or Mississippi State, we were going to show up and compete. And then, financially, for us to have some benefits there, that’s pretty sweet."

Pretty sweet, indeed.

The Rockets outscored the Bulldogs 28-3 in the first half and never looked back, cruising to an easy 41-17 victory. Toledo dominated the time of possession on Saturday night, holding the ball for more than 30 minutes. They had more than 420 total yards of offense, and the Mississippi State defense couldn’t find any solutions for Rockets' QB Tucker Gleason. Gleason completed 23 of 28 passes for 285 yards, while tossing three touchdowns and no interceptions.

"It’s kind of a surreal feeling," Gleason said. "I mean, you come into their place, and we’re able to put up 41 points on offense."

Toledo improved to 3-0 with Saturday's upset of Mississippi State.

(Matt Bush / USA TODAY Sports)

In the first season under head coach Jeff Lebby, Mississippi State fell to 1-2. Toledo, on the other hand, improved to 3-0 on the season with the school's second-ever win over an SEC program.

And taking home an extra $1,775,000 is pretty cool, too.