Toledo Notes- Bowl Game

2014 Toledo Football BOWL HISTORY2010 Little CaesarsPizza BowlFIU 34, Toledo 32Florida International capped a second-halfcomeback with a 34-yard fieldgoal as time expired to give the Panthersa dramatic 34-32 victory over Toledo at theLittle Caesars Pizza Bowl at Ford Field in Detroit.FIU’s game-winning field goal overshadowed Toledo’s owncomeback that gave the Rockets a 32-31 lead with 1:14 to play.Redshirt freshman quarterback Terrance Owens scrambled in for a14-yard TD and then completed a pass to sophomore wide receiverEric Page for the two-point conversion.But on its final possession FIU converted a fourth-and-17from its own 41-yard line to keep its drive alive and set up the eventualgame-winning field goal by Jack Griffin.Toledo held a 24-7 lead early in the second half before FIUscored 24 unanswered points to take a 31-24 lead with 3:18 to play.Junior Adonis Thomas led the Rockets with a career-high193 yards rushing and two touchdowns. Thomas’ second TD runwas an 87-yard bolt in the second quarter, the longest run of hiscareer.2011 Military BowlToledo 42, Air Force 41Toledo used its powerful offense andthe defense came up with a big play in anexciting 42-41 victory over Air Force in theMilitary Bowl. The Rockets never trailed ina see-saw affair in which there were threeties and UT’s largest lead was 14 points.With 52 seconds left in the game, AirForce scored what appeared to be the game-tying touchdownwhen Falcons receiver Jonathan Warzeka caught a wide open 33-yard pass from quarterback Tim Jefferson.Air Force lined up for the extra-point but opted to go for twopoints on a trick play. Holder David Baska took the snap and headedfor the end zone, but sophomore defensive end Jayrone Elliottstripped the ball loose from Baska. The ball bounced in the directionof Parker Herrington, who tried to scoop up the loose ball butending up kicking it out of the end zone leaving the Rockets witha 42-41 advantage and their first bowl victory since 2005.The victory was a great vindication for a Rocket team that hadsurvived numerous injuries—including three key injuries to its defensein this game. It was also a dramatic debut for head coachMatt Campbell, the Rockets’ offensive coordinator who was namedhead coach just 16 days prior to the game.2012 Famous Idaho Potato BowlUtah State 41, Toledo 15Despite the loss of two stars, Toledo gave No. 18 Utah State all itcould handle before losing, 41-15, at the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl inBoise, ID.Senior linebacker Dan Molls, the nation’s leading tackler, wasknocked out of the game with a concussion on the game’s openingkickoff. A short while later, junior running back David Fluellen reinjuredhis sore left ankle and never returned.Despite those losses, Toledo was in the game well into the fourthquarter, trailing just 13-9 before a 63-yard touchdown run by USU’s KerwynnWilliams put the game on ice just under the seven-minute mark.Williams then followed with two more scoring runs of five and 25 yardsto finish the game with 18 carries for 235 yards.Senior QB Austin Dantin, who played the first three quarters, completed12-of-21 attempts for 132 yards with two interceptions for theRockets. Junior QB Terrance Owens, hobbled by an ankle injury, playedmost of the fourth quarter and was 5-of-16 for 26 yards. Utah State’s Chuckie Keeton threw for 229 yards and completed21-of-31 pass attempts.Junior WR Bernard Reedy led the Rockets in both rushing and receiving, finishing with a career-high 10 carriesfor 50 yards on the ground and six catches for 62 yards through the air. He was honored following the game asToledo’s Most Valuable Player.