DETROIT — It took six overtimes, 4 hours and 38 minutes, and two premature celebrations, but the University of Toledo finally got its moment on Thursday night at the GameAbove Sports Bowl.
Linebacker Jackson Barrow and edge rusher Dashawn Holt forced Pittsburgh quarterback Julian Dugger into an incomplete pass, bringing the longest-ever college football bowl game to a conclusion and setting off a celebration for the victorious Rockets.
Toledo 48, Pitt 46.
● 6: Number of overtimes in Thursday’s 2-point thriller against Pittsburgh at the GameAbove Sports Bowl in Detroit.
● 3: Pittsburgh quarterbacks (Julian Dugger and David Lynch) threw a total of three interceptions. Dugger had one while Lynch had two.
● 194: Junior Vandeross III finished with 194 yards receiving and a touchdown on 12 catches. It was the most receiving yards and receptions he’s had all season.
“I’m proud of our response,” said Toledo coach Jason Candle, who tied Gary Pinkel at 73 for the most wins in program history. “I’m proud of the understanding that you’re ultimately going to be defined by making the last play and throwing the last punch. And we were able to do that.”
UT joined UNLV and Memphis as the only Group of Five programs to beat at least two power conference opponents this season.
“That’s the standard,” wide receiver Junior Vandeross III said. “If you come to Toledo, you’re going to work hard. People know when they play Toledo, we’re going to come out and play.”
The Rockets executed at a near-impossible level in the four overtime sessions that required 2-point conversions, converting all four as head coach Jason Candle had first-rate play calls and QB Tucker Gleason executed at the highest level of his career.
Gleason completed 2-point passes to Terrell Crosby, Jr., Anthony Torres, Jerjuan Newton, and Vandeross. In the first two overtimes, Gleason ran for a 1-yard touchdown and Dylan Cunanan kicked a 33-yard field goal.
The game-winning pass to Vandeross was a quick strike to the right flank at the goal line.
“Coach basically told us we work on this every week, which is true,” Vandeross said. “It just comes down to the detail at that point, and I felt like we just wanted it more.”
Gleason finished 26-of-50 passing with 336 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. He rushed nine times for 34 yards and one TD.
Vandeross caught 12 passes for 194 yards, including a 67-yard touchdown reception. Newton had eight catches for 84 yards.
Toledo finished with 416 total yards. The Rockets were 3 of 16 on third down and 3 of 4 on fourth down.
“It’s been a long road,” Gleason said. “A roller coaster of emotions. Even throughout the season, it’s been tough. There have been times that I’ve gotten down on myself, but I just try to keep going and put my best foot forward every day and put a smile on my face. And then you go out here and win a bowl game and it kind of makes everything feel OK.”
When UT jubilantly swarmed the Ford Field turf after Dugger’s incomplete pass, it was the third time the Rockets celebrated an apparent victory. On consecutive plays in the fourth overtime, Toledo sacked Dugger and stopped him short of the goal line. But cornerback Avery Smith was flagged for holding on the sack, and upon review, the football crossed the plane on the second play.
The swings in emotion and momentum were nothing new for Toledo and Pitt, though. That’s how the entire first 60 minutes unfolded, as the game featured two pick-sixes, a 67-yard touchdown pass, a 57-yard field goal, a 51-yard field goal, and a blocked extra point returned for two points.
The excitement meter surpassed levels reached during UT’s 2003 upset of No. 9 Pitt at the Glass Bowl.
On back-to-back second-quarter plays Thursday, Vandeross broke loose for a 67-yard touchdown reception and Braden Awls intercepted a pass, returning it 42 yards for a touchdown to flip a 12-6 deficit into a 20-12 advantage in just 14 seconds.
The momentum carried over into the second half for UT, which intercepted Pitt QB David Lynch again and moved all the way to the 28-yard line, where the Rockets got stuffed on fourth-and-1.
Momentum was soon on the side of the Panthers, who benched Lynch in favor of Dugger, a true freshman who had never taken a snap before Thursday.
Trailing 20-12, Pitt scored on an 11-yard touchdown pass, tied it on a successful 2-point conversion, and got the ball back when Gleason fumbled on UT’s first offensive play.
Pitt made the Rockets pay with a 37-yard field goal to reclaim the lead 23-20. The Panthers widened it to 30-20 and were poised to claim victory until Darius Alexander intercepted Dugger and rumbled 58 yards down the Pitt sideline for a game-changing pick-six.
“This is something that we work on all week, all year, in the winter, in the summer. Even when we have off days, we still work,” said Alexander, who had one sack and a pick-six. “That’s just believing in coach Candle and defensive coordinator Vince Kehres and what [they] have planned for us. That’s us believing in each other. We’re 11 as one. We play for each other and the name on our jerseys. We got the job done.”
Toledo still needed another stop, and the defense delivered. With 4:39 left, the Rockets took over at their own 20. Gleason made perhaps the biggest play of the game on fourth-and-6, throwing a 27-yard dart to Vandeross for a first down. The drive stalled, though, and Cunanan was called on to send the game to overtime.
He missed three field goals at Akron and faced considerable scorn on social media. Then he had an extra point blocked and returned for two points during the first quarter against Pitt. But from 51 yards in the final minutes of regulation, Cunanan booted the ball right down the middle.
“It was definitely a tough month,” Cunanan said. “But I had teammates and coaches and people help me get through it. Every single battle that I had mentally, they were there for me and I could lean on them. I owe it all to my unit, I owe it all to my team because I’m nothing without them.”
Pitt finished with 438 yards of offense, with 301 coming on the ground. All-American running back Desmond Reid had 165 yards and a touchdown on 32 carries and Dugger had 88 yards and a TD on 22 carries.
Despite the amount of points, the Rockets made massive defensive stops throughout the game. None were more important than the second overtime when Pitt failed to score twice from the 1-yard line.
“You’ve got to give the hats off to the defense because they’re the ones that kept us in this game. They’re the reason we won that game,” Gleason said. “I mean, two pick-sixes is 14 points. If we don’t have that, the game might get away from us. The momentum shifts were huge.”
First Published December 27, 2024, 2:28 a.m.
