The GameAbove Sports Bowl, formerly the Little Caesars Bowl, Motor City, or QuickLane Bowl, often pits one of the best of the MAC against a Power 4 foe. To date, this marks the fourth time Toledo has played in a Detroit-based bowl and this will be the third time Pitt has faced off against a MAC team in Ford Field. The Panthers have yet to lose at Ford Field while Toledo is winless.
The GameAbove Sports Bowl is the fourth time Toledo and Pitt will have faced off with the Panthers winning the first and third meetings. It has been 18 years since the last matchup, of course.
Toledo and Pitt Face Off in Detroit in the GameAbove Sports Bowl
How We Got Here
In 2022, Toledo won the MAC. Last year, it came up just short in the MAC Championship game in a close loss to Miami (OH). This year, with the MAC eliminating divisions, the Rockets finished 7-5 and missed out on making the title game. After dispatching Duquesne (FCS) and former and future MAC rival UMass, Toledo took a trip south to Mississippi State and came away with a win on SEC soil. Then, Toledo dropped three of its next five including a 15-point loss in the Battle of I-75 to Bowling Green. Toledo seemingly righted the ship against two of the three directional Michigan teams before dropping the final two games to Ohio and Akron.
Pitt is also coming into this one with seven wins but it has been quite an up-and-down season. Out of the gate, the Panthers won all seven scheduled games. They tore through the non-conference slate with wins over a pair of Big 12 foes. Then, Pitt won its first three ACC games, capped off by the infamous Kyle McCord five-interception (three pick-six) game. Then, the wheels didn’t just come off, the entire wagon imploded. Pitt comes into this bowl game on a five-game losing streak and has one last chance to end the season on a high note.
When Toledo Has the Ball
Losing Dequan Finn was even more detrimental than initially thought. Year over year, Toledo’s offense was about 50 yards worse off this year compared to last. Despite that, this offense does have a few playmakers. Jerjuan Newton led the MAC with 11 touchdown catches and tallied 14.8 yards per reception on the year. Normally a strength for Toledo, the rushing attack has taken a step back this year. Local product Connor Walendzac took over duties and ran for 457 yards and a score off 122 carries.
The leading tackler for the Panthers is safety, Donovan McMillon. For the second year in a row, McMillon finished with over 100 tackles. However, the strength of this defense lies in the front seven. Four defenders finished the year with double-digit tackles for loss. As a unit, it held opponents under 100 yards rushing five times.
When Pitt Has the Ball
The primary architect of that strong start was Alabama transfer quarterback Eli Holstein. The redshirt freshman was lost in the Louisville game due to injury and is a game-time decision. In his nine complete games, Holstein threw for 2,228 yards and 17 touchdowns while completing 61.9 percent of his passes. If he can’t go, it won’t be Nate Yarnell to take over as he did at the tail end of the season since he transferred to Texas State. Head coach Pat Narduzzi said that walk-on David Lynch would be the backup, so either freshman Julian Dugger or redshirt junior Jake Frandl will lead the way.
As with Pitt, someone from the safety position led Toledo in tackles. Maxen Hook tallied 107 take-downs and led a unit that had six different players with at least seven tackles for loss. Overall, the defense was the strength of this team. It has a bend-don’t-break defense. While the Rockets are 51st in total defense, it is 29th in scoring defense. With so much uncertainty at quarterback for Pitt, Toledo’s defense could be the difference-maker.
