Everything came crashing down with five losses in a row to end the regular season, falling to SMU, Virginia, Clemson, Louisville and Boston College.
The Panthers (7-5) will be without starting quarterback Eli Holstein, who suffered a lower leg injury in the penultimate game of the regular season, for the GameAbove Sports Bowl on Thursday against Toledo football at Ford Field in Detroit.
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Holstein became the first Pitt quarterback to win his first seven career starts since Dan Marino in 1979-80, but he isn't healthy enough to play in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.
Backup quarterback Nate Yarnell entered the transfer portal, as did fellow quarterback Ty Dieffenbach, leaving Pitt with redshirt freshman walk-on David Lynch as the starting quarterback and true freshman Julian Dugger as the backup quarterback.
Pitt is coached by Pat Narduzzi, who worked as the Michigan State football defensive coordinator from 2007-14. He has been the head coach of the Panthers since December 2014.
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Toledo is coached by Jason Candle, who has worked for the program since 2009 but has been the head coach since December 2015. No team in the Mid-American Conference has won more games than the Rockets (7-5) during Candle's tenure.
Check out Pitt-Toledo updates with highlights below.
The GameAbove Sports Bowl ended in the sixth overtime. Toledo scored first on a completion from quarterback Tucker Gleason to wide receiver Junior Vandeross III; Pitt failed to score on its opportunity, as quarterback Julian Dugger threw an incomplete pass, targeting wide receiver Kenny Johnson. With the stop, Toledo earned a 48-46 win in the six-overtime bowl game.
Pitt scored first on a completion from quarterback Julian Dugger to tight end Gavin Bartholomew in the corner of the end zone; Toledo scored second on a completion from quarterback Tucker Gleason to wide receiver Jerjuan Newton. The game almost ended with a sack, but Gleason avoided pressure long enough to find an open receiver in the end zone. The back-to-back scores forced a sixth overtime.
The same rules applied in the fourth overtime that were in place for the third overtime, only this time, Toledo received the ball first. The Rockets scored first on a completion from quarterback Tucker Gleason to tight end Anthony Torres; Pitt scored second on a sneak from quarterback Julian Dugger. At first, Dugger was ruled down short of the goal line, but replay review reversed the call on the field. The back-to-back scores forced a fifth overtime.
In the third overtime, each team gets the ball at the 3-yard line with one play for a two-point conversion. Pitt scored first with a completion from quarterback Julian Dugger to wide receiver Kenny Johnson; Toledo scored second with a completion from quarterback Tucker Gleason to wide receiver Terrell Crosby. The back-to-back scores forced a fourth overtime.
After Toledo's field goal, Pitt answered with a field goal of its own. Kicker Ben Sauls converted a 19-yard field goal to force a third overtime. But a third overtime shouldn't have happened, as Pitt lineman Isaiah Neal dropped a wide-open pass from tight end Gavin Bartholomew in the end zone on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line. Pitt had to settle for a chip-shot field goal, rather than a game-winning touchdown.
Toledo took a 40-37 lead with kicker Dylan Cunanan's 33-yard field goal, but the Rockets failed to score a touchdown. They were shut down on three plays in the row -- rush for no gain, incomplete pass, incomplete pass -- to set up third-and-10 from the Pitt 15-yard line. The third-down situation forced Toledo to settle for a field goal.
Toledo quarterback Tucker Gleason delivered a 1-yard rushing touchdown -- just like Pitt quarterback Julian Dugger -- on the Rockets' first drive of overtime. The touchdown (and the ensuing extra point) tied the score, 37-37. The biggest play occurred on fourth-and-3 from the Pitt 18-yard line, in which Gleason connected with wide receiver Jerjuan Newton for six yards. That completion kept the drive intact for the Rockets.
Pitt quarterback Julian Dugger kept the ball and ran up the middle for 2-yard rushing touchdown. It was his first rushing touchdown and his third total touchdown. The Panthers took a 37-30 lead with the score on their first drive of overtime.
It's the first overtime game in bowl history at Ford Field.
A 10-play, 47-yard drive -- the longest drive of the game for the Rockets -- covered two minutes, 54 seconds. The drive was capped by a 51-yard field goal from Toledo kicker Dylan Cunanan with 1:45 remaining in the fourth quarter. The field goal tied the score at 30 points apiece, but Pitt has plenty of time to respond with a field goal of its own.
On fourth down, Toledo quarterback Tucker Gleason completed a clutch 27-yard pass to wide receiver Junior Vandeross III to the Pitt 33-yard line for a first down with less than three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter. A field goal will tie the game, but a touchdown could win the game for the Rockets. The final two-plus minutes is shaping up to be a test for Pitt's defense.
For the first time, Pitt quarterback Julian Dugger made a mistake. He was intercepted by Toledo defensive tackle Darius Alexander, who returned the interception 58 yards for a touchdown. The defensive score from Toledo cut the Rockets' deficit to 30-27 with 7:49 remaining in the fourth quarter. The Pitt quarterback combination of Dugger and David Lynch have combined for three interceptions.
The University of Pittsburgh is located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and Toledo University is located in Toledo, Ohio, but the college football fans at Ford Field chanted for the quarterback of the Detroit Lions. A brief but loud "Jared Goff" chant broke out at Ford Field, home of the Lions, before Toledo punted to Pitt with less than 12 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.
Everything has changed since Julian Dugger replaced David Lynch as the primary quarterback in Pitt's offense. The Panthers have scored three touchdowns. Sure enough, Dugger has been on the field for all three of them. He threw a 16-yard touchdown -- his second touchdown pass of the game -- to Raphael "Poppi" Williams Jr. with 13:11 remaining in the fourth quarter. The touchdown from Dugger to Williams provided a 30-20 lead over Toledo.
An interception by Pitt defensive back Cruce Brookins has the Panthers nearing the red zone. The Panthers have been leaning more on backup quarterback Julian Dugger -- rather than starting quarterback David Lynch -- in the second half. Pitt controls a 23-20 lead over Toledo at the end of the third quarter.
Pitt kicker Ben Sauls connected on a 37-yard field goal for a 23-20 lead with 3:23 remaining in the third quarter. After the game-tying touchdown, Pitt linebacker Brandon George forced a fumble that was recovered by defensive back Phillip O'Brien Jr. on the first play of Toledo's ensuing drive. The forced fumble and fumble recovery led to Sauls' second field goal of the game, which put Pitt in the lead for the first time in the second half.
Pitt quarterback Julian Dugger -- the backup to David Lynch and the quarterback-sneak specialist -- threw his second pass of the game for an 11-yard touchdown to tight end Jake Overman for a touchdown. It was the first touchdown pass of Dugger's college career. The Panthers had a choice: kick the extra point for a one-point deficit or try a two-point conversion to tie the score. Pitt went for a two-point conversion and was successful, as Lynch completed a pass to tight end Gavin Bartholomew. The Pitt touchdown and two-point conversion evened the score, 20-20, with 6:55 remaining in the third quarter.
The Rockets have a 20-12 lead over the Panthers at halftime. For Toledo, quarterback Tucker Gleason has completed 13 of 21 passes for 197 yards and two touchdowns, running back Jacquez Stuart has rushed three times for 35 yards, and wide receiver Junior Vandeross III has caught five passes for 113 yards and one touchdown. For Pitt, quarterback David Lynch has completed 9 of 16 passes for 63 yards with one interception, running back Desmond Reid has rushed 16 times for 95 yards and one touchdown, and wide receiver Juelz Goff has caught three passes for 32 yards.
On the next play from scrimmage, Pitt quarterback David Lynch was intercepted by Toledo safety Braden Awls over the middle of the field. Following the interception, Awls returned the ball 42 yards to the end zone for a Toledo touchdown. The Rockets boosted their advantage to 20-12 with 7:24 remaining in the second quarter. It was the first turnover for either team in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.
Toledo quarterback Tucker Gleason threw a short pass to wide receiver Junior Vandeross III near the sideline. After that, Vandeross sprinted down the sideline past every defender for an explosive 67-yard touchdown. The Rockets grabbed a 13-12 lead with 7:38 remaining in the second quarter. For Vandeross, the catch and score marked his fourth reception for a total of 107 yards, while Clemson completed his 12th pass on 19 attempts for 191 yards and two touchdowns.
Pitt kicker Ben Sauls is one of the best kickers in college football. He put his leg on display in front of a national audience, drilling a 57-yard field goal. (Another thing: It would've been good from more than 60 yards.) The field goal increased Pitt's lead to 12-6 with 11:12 remaining in the second quarter. Sauls has connected on six of seven field goals from at least 50 yards this season, as well as seven of eight in his college career. Before the bowl game, Sauls was named by Pro Football Focus as the kicker for the 2024 All-America Team, which cemented him as the best kicker in the country. He should have an opportunity to be an NFL starter in 2025.
On the first play of the second quarter, running back Desmond Reid received a pitch from quarterback David Lynch, and after securing the ball, he scampered for a 3-yard rushing touchdown. The touchdown put Pitt ahead, 9-6, with 14:56 remaining in the second quarter. After two drives, Reid has eight carries for 41 yards with one touchdown, averaging 5.1 yards per attempt. Kicker Ben Sauls connected on the point after attempt.
It shouldn't be long before Pitt scores, as the Panthers offense has the ball at Toledo's 3-yard line. The combination of passes from quarterback David Lynch, sneaks from backup quarterback Julian Dugger and rushes from running back Desmond Reid has helped Pitt improve from its first drive to its second drive. But Toledo owns a 6-2 lead over Pitt after the first quarter.
After Toledo's touchdown, Pitt linebacker Kyle Louis blocked the point-after-attempt from Toledo kicker Dylan Cunanan (who can make field goals from beyond 50 yards) and returned the ball all the way to the end zone for two points. No time came off the clock, but Pitt trimmed the Toledo lead from 6-0 to 6-2 with the spectacular special teams play, all thanks to Louis.
A 31-yard run from running back Jacquez Stuart on the first play of the game set the tone for Toledo. From there, the combination of quarterback Tucker Gleason and running back Connor Walendzak marched the Rockets down the field. The dominant drive concluded when Gleason floated a 2-yard touchdown pass to wide open tight end Anthony Torres. Just like that, Toledo grabbed a 6-0 lead with 11:42 remaining in the first quarter.
It's time for kickoff at Ford Field. Players from Pitt and Toledo met at the middle of the field for the coin toss. Pitt won the coin toss and deferred. Toledo starts on offense in the first half, and Pitt starts on offense in the second half.
Game lines and odds from BetMGM:
Pitt will be without its starting quarterback and its top wide receiver against Toledo.
Holstein, a redshirt freshman quarterback, didn't play at Alabama in 2023, but he took over as the starter at Pitt upon transferring for the 2024 season. Holstein completed 62% of his passes for 2,228 yards and 17 touchdowns with 17 touchdowns, along rushing for 328 yards and three touchdowns on 81 carries. Meanwhile, senior wide receiver Konata Mumpfield is skipping the GameAbove Sports Bowl to prepare for the NFL draft. He caught 52 passes for 813 yards and five touchdowns.
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Without Holstein and Mumpfield, the Panthers will rely heavily on junior running back Desmond Reid for production on offense. He has 151 carries for 797 yards and four touchdowns, plus 47 receptions for 564 yards and four touchdowns.
Toledo isn't missing any key players.
The Rockets are led by junior quarterback Tucker Gleason and senior wide receiver Jerjuan Newton, but their leading rusher, sophomore running back Connor Walendzak, has accrued just 457 yards and one touchdown.
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