TOLEDO, Ohio -- Five games into the season, the Toledo Rockets are having a blast.

Playing as a ranked team for the first time in three years, No. 24 Toledo recovered from an early mistake and rolled to a 38-7 win over Kent State in a Mid-American Conference game on Saturday at the Glass Bowl.

The Rockets (5-0, 2-0 in the MAC) fell behind 7-0 in the first quarter before taking command and winning their eighth straight game. Toledo is 5-0 for the first time since 2001.

Running back Terry Swanson rushed 14 times for 161 yards and a touchdown before a homecoming crowd of 23,118.

Teammate Kareem Hunt, playing in only his second game this season after being slowed by a hamstring injury, scored two touchdowns and finished with 85 yards on 16 carries.

Rockets quarterback Phillip Ely connected on 19-of-32 passes for 205 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

"I thought we were physical," Toledo coach Matt Campbell said. "Kent State is one of the most physical teams in the conference. We had to match their physicality."

Hunt's second touchdown, a 1-yard run in the third quarter, extended Toledo's lead to 31-7. Ely's second scoring pass, a 7-yard hookup with wide receiver Cody Thompson with 10:13 remaining in the game, accounted for Toledo's final points.

Toledo's dominance was reflected in the final statistics. The Rockets produced 518 total yards, including 288 yards rushing, and 27 first downs to the Golden Flashes' 257 total yards and 13 first downs.

"We have a great group of running backs and we play hard on every single play," Hunt said.

Kent State (2-4, 1-1) lost their eighth consecutive road game.

"We couldn't get anything going," Kent State coach Paul Haynes said. "We got exposed."

The game started ominously for Toledo. Diontae Johnson's apparent 89-yard touchdown return on the opening kickoff was called back because of an illegal block.

Then, a Rockets punt snap sailed into their own end zone and Kent State's Kent Seibert recovered for a touchdown that gave the Golden Flashes a 7-0 lead.

The Rockets responded later in the first quarter with a 3-yard touchdown pass from Ely to wide receiver Corey Jones to make it 7-7. From there, it was all Toledo.

"I was really proud of our kids today. Today wasn't perfect. It wasn't how you draw it up," Campbell said. "I thick our team is doing a really good job of responding to adversity.

"We played good defensively again, and it was good to see us get into a good rhythm offensively. We had a chance from some big plays on special teams, and we have to good at the film for why they're getting called back."

Swanson put the Rockets ahead to stay in the second quarter with a 23-yard touchdown run for a 14-7 lead.

Later in the quarter after a 41-yard field goal by freshman Jameson Vest, Swanson busted an 88-yard run and Hunt followed on the next play with a 2-yard touchdown that gave the Rockets a 24-7 halftime lead.

"UT is a good football team," Haynes said. "They are real good and physical. There is a reason why they are the No. 24 team in the country. On the flip side, we are not there yet."

NOTES: Toledo is ranked in the AP Top 25 for the first time since the 2012 season. ... Kent State and Toledo met for only the fourth time since 1994 despite being just two hours apart. The two teams play in opposite MAC divisions. ... Toledo QB Phillip Ely transferred from Alabama after the 2012 season. He won the Rockets' starting job last year but sustained knee and shoulder injuries that required surgery. ... Kent State entered the game ranked second in FBS with 10 interceptions. ... Toledo's offensive line has not given up a sack in the first five games.