LITTLE ROCK -- Phillip Ely, with the help of some stellar redzone defense, led Toledo to an away upset win over #18 Arkansas, the first win over an SEC opponent in school history.

Ely completed 21 of 37 throws for 237 yards and a touchdown in the victory, putting the Rockets at 1-0 to start their 2015 season and capping a monumental opening-game statement. The former-Alabama backup did not have as flashy a performance as Razorbacks QB Brandon Allen, but he did enough to lead his offense to 16 points that proved enough to get the job done.

Allen's 32 of 53 passes for 412 yards resulted in no touchdowns. None. You can thank Toledo's own-half defense for that. The Rockets even forced a critical interception from their own seven yardline.

After a 9-7 first half which saw Ely complete a TD pass to Corey Jones but fail a two-point conversion, the game tensed up, as did both defenses. 

Toledo scored a touchdown to go up 16-7 midway through the third quarter on a drive led by Ely and running back Damion Jones-Moore, who capped off the series with an 11-yard run. Jones-Moore rushed for 61 yards on the night.

Arkansas surged down the field on a 21-play drive that lasted over ten minutes, but it only ended in a field goal, with Toledo's D making a key third-down tackle for a five-yard Razorbacks loss to force their opponents to settle for a field goal at the eight yardline.

That made it 16-10, and after a Toledo punt, Arkansas came right back down, moving the chains and getting right back in the redzone with a first-and-goal at the Toledo 4. A holding penalty pushed the offense back to the 14, and then Toledo forced two straight Brandon Allen incompletions from the 7 on third-down and fourth to force a key turnover on downs.

The Rockets used up two Arkansas timeouts with runs by Jones-Moore, but were forced to concede a meaningless safety on a fourth down and 4 situation from their own 14.

With 52 seconds left, Allen and Arkansas drove downfield for their third-straight deep drive, this time moving two-minute style as they obviously were required to. Hunter Henry made two big first-down catches to get down to the Toledo 16, where the game was determined on the spot. 

Toledo's defense forced two more incompletions to run the clock out and be crowned upset winners in this brawl. Arkansas will surely be out of the Top 25 after this shocking defeat, while the Rockets again are off to a successful start of the season.

Brandon Allen played a hell of a game, but in any sport, if you can't finish, you can't win games.