Ball State head coach Bill Lynch said he was impressed with Toledo's offensive dominance in Saturday's game.
The Rockets racked up 518 yards of total offense and tallied 37 points, but Lynch wasn't sure whether the numbers should reflect Toledo's offense or Ball State's defense.
Lynch first indicated that the Cardinal defense was at fault.
"We didn't stop them all night," Lynch said. "We were grabbing at them from the start."
In a later comment, Lynch credited Toledo's offense rather than blaming his defense.
"They took it to us right from the start. They had a week off and usually you're a little sluggish after a week off, but they were like a machine starting out," he said.
The only way to settle the dispute is to look at the numbers.
On the season the Cardinals are giving up 31.8 points per game. The 37 that Toledo allowed was five above the season average. The Rockets were averaging just over 37 points going into the contest, meaning they reached their season average.
The Ball State defense is also giving up 414 yards of total offense on the season. In Saturday's contest, Toledo racked up 518 yards. before this game, Toledo averaged 435.2 yards per match.
Lynch was said he was amazed with how balanced the Rockets' offensive attack was.
"One thing I've always been impressed with Toledo is their balance on offense," Lynch said.
Its balance continued this weekend. Toledo's quarterback Brian Jones threw for 258 yards, and four rushers combined for 260 more on the ground.
Those numbers are above Toledo's season average. Prior to Saturday, the Rockets rushed and passed for an average of 207 and 227.8 yards respectively.
The Cardinals' poor defensive numbers were uncharacteristic of their previous performances. Ball State has been allowing 188.3 yards on the ground this season, and 225.8 through the air.
Furthermore, Toledo did not punt all night. The Cardinals have forced 20 punts on the season, or four per game. Toledo, though, is averaging just over two punts per contest.
Regardless of where the blame lies - in Ball state's defense or Toledo's offense - Lynch said there is one certainty.
"That is a good football team who outplayed us all night long."
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