BOCA RATON, Fla. — Toledo’s bowl losing streak is over.
On a rainy but warm night in south Florida, the Rockets washed away any bad memories from the previous six years in a 21-19 win over Liberty in the Boca Raton Bowl.
But it sure wasn’t easy, with UT nearly squandering a two-touchdown lead in the final minutes. Ultimately, after a combined 125 plays, it was a missed extra point and a failed two-point conversion by Liberty that were most consequential.
“I thought the game tonight mimicked our season,” Toledo coach Jason Candle said. “There were some ups and downs, but at the end of the day, we found a way. Finding a way is key, to get it done, to get over the hump, to get to the ultimate goal.”
The Flames botched the snap on an extra point in the fourth quarter and then missed a two-pointer to tie the game.
Clinging to a two-point lead with 3 minutes, 40 seconds left in the fourth quarter, Toledo handed the ball to Miami native Jacquez Stuart on six consecutive plays, resulting in runs of nine, three, 11, 16, eight, and six yards to bleed out the clock.
“Jacquez did a great job reading the blocks and gaining extra yards after contact,” offensive line coach Mike Hallett said. “It carried over from our last game where there was an attitude from the offensive line and tight ends that we were going to go move people, and they did.”
And they did it without senior Mitch Berg, who was injured in the first half, and with Kendall Major replacing Devan Rogers at center.
“The offensive line, the push every single play, you could see it on their faces,” quarterback Dequan Finn said. “They were hungry. They were ready to punch them in the mouth every single play. Huge credit to them. If it wasn’t for them, we wouldn’t be in this spot right now.”
The game followed a similar script from the Mid-American Conference championship: an opportunistic offense emboldened by a dominant defense (until some shaky fourth-quarter possessions).
Finn was a difference-maker in the second half, and defensive coordinator Vince Kehres unleashed the beasts as Toledo finished with two sacks, four tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.
Liberty (8-5) was limited to 253 yards, by far its lowest output of the season. And that number was bolstered by 131 fourth-quarter yards, thanks to a prevent defense and a 67-yard trick play touchdown pass. The Flames’ previous low was 309 yards against Akron.
“We just came together as a defense and as a unit,” edge rusher Nate Givhan said. “We wanted to win. We wanted it more than they did. We just came out and played ball.”
This is the first time since 2001 and the seventh time in program history that Toledo won the MAC title and a bowl game in the same season.
Toledo (9-5) dominated the second quarter, outgaining Liberty 122 yards to nine, gaining nine first downs to the Flames’ zero, and not allowing a completed pass. But all it had to show for it was a 41-yard Thomas Cluckey field goal, as the Rockets trailed 7-3 at halftime.
Backup quarterback Tucker Gleason replaced Finn for a series while Finn was in the medical tent after taking a hard hit. Gleason led a 68-yard drive that ended with Cluckey’s field goal.
“You can’t put a price tag on [Gleason’s value],” Candle said. “I’ve watched some teams throughout the course of the last week and a half play football with their backup quarterbacks, and it’s not been very pretty. Tucker’s done a really good job for us this year. I’m really proud of him for stepping up again in another big-time moment and answering the bell.”
A statement was made on the opening possession of the second half, as Toledo marched down the field on a 13-play, 75-yard touchdown drive. The Rockets had plays of 15, 13, 12, eight, and seven yards, with tight end Lenny Kuhl catching a four-yard touchdown pass from Finn.
On the ensuing possession, Givhan batted the ball loose from Liberty quarterback Kaidon Salter and Jamal Hines recovered inside the Liberty 10-yard line. It’s the fourth consecutive game Salter has lost a fumble, but Toledo went backward and only got a field goal.
The Rockets returned the favor, with punt returner Adam Beale, one of the best in the nation, fumbling inside UT’s own 10. And again, the recipient of the turnover went in reverse. It was even worse for Liberty, which missed a chip-shot field goal, shifting momentum permanently to the Rockets.
“We came together and said, ‘We’re not going to let them score,’” Givhan said.
Candle opted to decline a third-down holding penalty because it would have essentially been an extra point on the field goal try. Then Liberty got a false start penalty to back them up even more, perhaps contributing to the miss.
“That was a huge turning point in the football game,” Candle said.
Toledo was 10 of 17 on third down, the most third-down conversions Liberty’s allowed all season. The Rockets were eight of 10 in the second half.
“The tale of the game was the third downs in the second half,” Candle said. “Guys made some key plays.”
Toledo had 356 total yards, 27 first downs, and 40 minutes of possession.
Finn completed 16 of 24 passes for 133 yards and one touchdown. Stuart had 111 yards on 23 carries.
Even more important than his yards on the last drive was a catch on a two-point conversion early in the fourth quarter that provided UT with the game-winning points.
“It feels great to come back home and show out in front of my hometown and my family,” Stuart said. “It was awesome. All I had on my mind was winning. The offensive line did great the whole game, even though we had a couple injuries.”
Liberty only had 41 offensive snaps and finished two of eight on third down. The Flames’ average yards to go was more than eight yards on third down.
“We made the cake by winning the MAC,” linebacker Dyontae Johnson said, “and we put the icing on it by winning the bowl game.”
First Published December 21, 2022, 5:27 a.m.
