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The Rockets win a thrilling 6-overtime showdown, which sets the bowl record for most OT periods.
If you storm the field in celebratory fashion enough times, you can manifest a victory.
The Toledo Rockets and Pittsburgh Panthers found themselves embedded into a moment in history. Roughly 42 hours prior, history was set in the 2024 Hawaii Bowl. South Florida and San Jose State were involved in a 5-overtime affair, setting a record for most overtime periods in bowl history.
That piece of history didn’t even last long enough to allow two full rotations of planet Earth.
In the 2024 GameAbove Sports Bowl, Toledo and Pitt one-upped the preceding bowl game, requiring a new bowl record six overtimes to determine a victory. That victor wound up being Toledo which utilized a two-point conversion to the game’s MVP Junior Vandeross III in sixth overtime, coupled with the first defensive stop of any of the six overtime periods. Toledo inside linebacker Jackson Barrow applied pressure in the face of Pitt true freshman quarterback Julian Dugger. The trajectory of Dugger’s throw was altered by Barrow and bounced on the turf of the end zone, short of wide receiver Kenny Johnson.
Toledo’s entire roster stormed the field to ring in the 48-46 sextuple overtime victory over Pitt.
That wasn’t the first time the Rockets’ decorated the field in navy blue and gold to celebrate the GameAbove Sports Bowl win. In fourth overtime ahead 44-42, Toledo thought it already secured the victory twice. Barrow and Deshawn Holt combined to sack a scrambling Dugger on the 25-yard line, but a defensive holding flag — unnoticed by the horde of celebrating Rockets — negated the game-winning play. Gifted an extra opportunity to tie, Pitt responded with a Dugger run from the 1-yard line. At first, Toledo was rewarded the stop and the Rockets once again celebrated the victory, but after further review, it was clear Dugger extended the ball across the plane before his knee collided with the turf.
Regardless of the amount of almost-wins Toledo had, the offense was never fazed, as the Rockets scored in all six overtime periods. In first overtime, they overcame a fourth and short and eventually scored on a 1-yard touchdown plunge by quarterback Tucker Gleason. In second overtime, the Rockets were stymied to a field goal, but Toledo’s defense returned the favor to Pitt. The Panthers made the surprising decision to kick a field goal from 4th and goal on the 1, sending the game into a third overtime rather than attempting a do-or-die play.
Once overtime evolved into a 2-point conversion shootout, the Rockets scored on a barrage of out quick routes in the end zone to outlast Pitt in the marathon. Gleason completed 4-of-4 passing attempts from 3OT to 6OT, hitting Terrell Croby, Anthony Torres, Jerjuan Newton, and finally, Vandeross in the deciding overtime period.
Vandeross exited Ford Field as a program legend for his performance in Detroit. The junior All-MAC wide receiver set a new GameAbove Sports Bowl record with 194 receiving yards on 12 catches, coming up clutch in numerous moments Thursday afternoon. Perhaps Vandeross’ most important play before the game-winning overtime reception transpired in the waning minutes of the fourth quarter. Trailing by three, Toledo opted to gamble on 4th and 10 from its own 40. Gleason air mailed a deep ball on the pivotal play, and Vandeross fought through Pitt defenders to secure a 27-yard contested catch and extend the drive. The possession didn’t gain another yard, but Vandeross’ fourth down heroics were enough to set up a 51-yard field goal for kicker Dylan Cunanan, and he drained it to knot the score at 30 apiece.
Vandeross also changed the dynamic of the game in the second quarter. Trailing 12-6, the receiver captured a screen from Gleason, and with a combination of speed and effective blockers, Vandeross sprinted down the right sideline of Ford Field en route to a 67-yard touchdown. It launched an impressive run for the Rockets. On the ensuing offensive snap, Pitt quarterback David Lynch threw a pick-six to strong safety Braden Awls, who raced 42 yards to the end zone. Vandeross and Awls teamed up to contribute 14 Toledo points in a 14-second span, allowing the Rockets to claim a 20-12 halftime advantage.
But the GameAbove Sports Bowl was the ultimate game of runs, and Pitt countered with its own run in the second half with 18 unanswered points. The momentum completely shifted in Pitt’s favor when it benched the starting quarterback Lynch in favor of the true freshman Dugger — whose mobility proved difficult to contain. Pitt amassed 301 rushing yards and two touchdowns on the Rocket defense, led by the escapable backup quarterback and a 165-yard outburst by tailback Desmond Reid.
Grasping onto a 30-20 advantage, Pitt nearly went for the killshot in the fourth quarter. A 17-point margin of separation would have effectively ended the game in the final eight minutes, but the Panthers committed a costly mistake which allowed Toledo to creep back into the contest. On 3rd and 6 from the Toledo 45, Dugger’s pass was picked off by Toledo defensive tackle Darius Alexander who unexpectedly dropped back in zone coverage on the play. The 6’4”, 310 pound Alexander had nothing but daylight in front of him after corralling his first career interception, and he sliced the deficit to 30-27 with a 58-yard return. That deficit would eventually turn to a deadlock when Cunanan drilled a 51-yard field goal — fully redeeming himself after Pitt blocked his extra point and returned it for a 2-point score on the opening drive of the ballgame.
After emerging in a historic track meet, Toledo improved to 8-5 and Pitt finished 7-6. The Panthers became the second team in college football history to follow a 7-0 start with an 0-6 finish, joining 2018 South Florida in that department. Meanwhile, the Rockets claimed their 10th 8+ win season since 2010, earning their third bowl victory since 2015 under head coach Jason Candle.
While Candle owns multiple bowl wins, the 2024 GameAbove Sports Bowl will rank above the rest in terms of memorable impact. It marked the first 6-overtime bowl game in college football history, and one Toledo earned the right to celebrate — not one, not two, but three times.
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