Tucker Gleason ran for one touchdown and threw for four more as Toledo defeated Pittsburgh 48-46 in a bowl-record six overtimes at the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field on Thursday.
This game broke the previous record set just two days earlier when South Florida defeated San Jose State 41-39 in five overtimes in the Hawaii Bowl.
Pitt’s freshman Julian Dugger, making his college debut, rushed for two overtime touchdowns and threw for two more. However, his incomplete pass in the sixth overtime ended the game.
After Gleason and Dugger each ran for touchdowns in the first overtime, both teams kicked field goals in the second overtime. In the third overtime, both quarterbacks threw two-point conversion passes. Gleason added another two-point pass in the fourth overtime to make it 44-42.
Dugger was sacked, seemingly ending the game, but Toledo was called for holding. Dugger was ruled short on a sneak attempt, sending Toledo back onto the field for a second time. However, replay ruled that Dugger had crossed the goal line.
In the fifth overtime, Dugger put Pitt up 46-44 with a touchdown pass to Gavin Bartholomew, but Gleason tied it again with his fifth touchdown pass. In the sixth overtime, Gleason’s touchdown put Toledo back in front, and Dugger was pressured into a bad throw, ending the game.
Pitt played without starting quarterback Eli Holstein (leg injury) and backup Nate Yarnell (transfer portal). David Lynch, a redshirt freshman walk-on, started his first game but was replaced in the third quarter after throwing two interceptions.
Dugger led Pitt to two touchdowns and a field goal on his first three drives, turning a 20-12 deficit into a 30-20 lead. However, Toledo’s Darius Alexander returned Dugger’s interception 58 yards for a touchdown, and the extra point made it 30-27 with 7:49 left. The Rockets later kicked a tying field goal with 1:45 to play.
Toledo started strong with a touchdown pass from Gleason on the game’s opening drive, but Pitt’s Kyle Louis blocked the extra point and returned it for a defensive two-point conversion.
Desmond Reid’s 3-yard run and Ben Sauls’ 57-yard field goal gave Pitt a 12-6 lead, but Gleason answered with a 67-yard touchdown pass to Junior Vandeross III to give Toledo a 13-12 lead midway through the second quarter.
On the next play, Braden Awls intercepted Lynch’s pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown, giving Toledo a 20-12 lead at halftime.
