Toledo: 2022 Boca Raton Bowl Champions

BOCA RATON, Fla. – Quarterback Dequan Finn threw for one touchdown and ran for another to rally Toledo to a 21-19 victory over Liberty at the Roofclaim.com Boca Raton Bowl at FAU Stadium on Tuesday.

The win marked the first bowl victory for Toledo since a 31-17 win vs. No. 24 at the 2015 Marmot Boca Raton Bowl. Tuesday's win is also only the second time in Toledo history and the first time since 2001 that the Rockets won both the MAC Championship Game and a bowl game in the same season.

Finn, who was briefly knocked out of the game after being sacked in the first quarter, hit tight end Lenny Kühl for a four-yard touchdown in the third quarter, then ran it in himself in the fourth quarter to put the Rockets up 21-7 with 10:35 to play. UT withstood two fourth-quarter touchdowns from the Flames and stopped a two-point conversion attempt with 3:40 to play to hang on and win. For his efforts, Finn was named Offensive MVP.

Toledo's stout defense once again turned in a solid performance, holding Liberty to just 253 yards of total offense, including just 91 yards in the first half. Senior Nate Givhan was named Defensive MVP after contributing perhaps the biggest play of the game, a third-quarter strip sack that set up the Rockets inside the Liberty 10-yard line on the ensuing drive. Junior kicker Thomas Cluckey was named Special Teams MVP after going 2-for-2 on field goal attempts.

The Rockets controlled the pace in their victory, controlling the ball for 40:03 and holding Liberty to a time of possession of just 19:57.

First Quarter

      Liberty got on the board first, taking advantage of a short field, moving 53 yards in five plays after stopping Toledo for an eight-yard loss on fourth-and-eight from the LU 39-yard line. Shedro Louis capped the Flames' drive with a nine-yard run. On Toledo's next possession, Dequan Finn was helped off the field after a sack with an apparent injury.

Second Quarter

      Tucker Gleason stepped in for Finn on Toledo's first possession of the second quarter and led the Rockets' on a 10-play, 68-yard drive that led to a 41-yard field goal by Thomas Cluckey, trimming the Liberty lead to 7-3. Finn returned to the game on Toledo's next drive but the Rockets' drive was stopped on the LU 38-yard line, forcing a UT punt. Finn moved the Rockets down to the LU 31-yard line in the waning seconds of the half but the drive ended when Finn's third-down pass to Jacquez Stuart lost six yards, forcing Toledo to punt with 17 seconds left.

Third Quarter

      Toledo took the second-half kickoff and marched 75 yards in 13 plays to take a 10-7 lead. The drive, which

ate up 6:15 on the clock, culminated with a four-yard TD catch by redshirt freshman tight end Lenny Kuhl. Toledo's defense then came up with a big play when Nate Givhan forced a fumble that was recovered by Jamal Hines on the LU eight-yard line. Liberty's defense forced Toledo to settle for a Thomas Cluckey 29-yard field goal, increasing the Rockets' lead to 13-7. Liberty missed an opportunity to trim the lead following a Toledo fumbled punt that the Flames recovered on the UT nine-yard line. The Rockets forced Liberty to settle for a 32-yard field goal, which sailed wide left.

Fourth Quarter

      Toledo made it 21-7 on a one-yard dive by Finn that capped a 16-play, 80-yard drive with 10:35 to play. Finn hit Jacquez Stuart with a shovel pass for the two-point conversion on the play. Liberty cut the lead to 21-13 on a 29-yard touchdown pass with 7:24 left. The missed extra point by the Flames kept Toledo's cushion at  eight points. Liberty nearly tied the game with some trickery on its next drive, scoring on a 67-yard wide receiver pass to make it 21-19. The ensuing two-point conversion attempt was no good, keeping the Rockets' lead at two points with 3:40 to play. Quinyon Mitchell fittingly broke up the Flames' two-point attempt to keep UT ahead. Stuart rushed for 53 of his 111 yards on the final drive to run out the clock and seal the win.

Eastern Michigan: 2022 Famous Idaho Potato Bowl Champions

BOISE, Idaho (EMUEagles.com) – The Eastern Michigan University football team is officially bringing home a championship trophy after defeating the San Jose State University football team, 41-27, in the 26th Annual Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, played today, Dec. 20, inside Albertsons Stadium in Boise Idaho.

Down 13-0 to begin the game, Eastern (9-4, 5-3 MAC) scored an incredible 33 unanswered points between the mid-first and early third quarter to take control of the game and earn its ninth win of the season and first bowl game win since 1987.

Quarterback Taylor Powell (Fayetteville, Ark.-Fayetteville-Troy) earned the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl's Most Valuable Player honor after going 18-for-30 for 298 yards, accounting for two touchdowns in the victory. 

Senior running back Samson Evans (Crystal Lake, Ill.-Prairie Ridge-Iowa) totaled 82 rushing yards on 25 carries, notching two touchdowns for the Green and White. Fellow back Jaylon Jackson (Burleson, Texas-Centennial-Lamar) totaled 54 rushing yards including a 31-yard touchdown run to help push Eastern past SJSU.

On the outside, junior Darius Lassiter (Chandler, Ariz.- Lawrence Free State (Kan.)-Butler) hauled in six passes for 108 yards and two touchdowns to lead the receiving corps. He is just the 16th player to go for more than 100 yards through the air in the bowl game's history.

Defensively, defensive back Joshua Scott (Antioch, Calif.-Deer Valley- City College of San Francisco) totaled four pass break ups, the second most in EMU single-game history, and an interception for the Eagles. Furthermore, senior Russell Vaden IV (Louisville, Ky.-Moore) grabbed an interception to seal the game for the Eagles while  senior linebacker Luke Cameron (Kokomo, Ind.-Kokomo) added an interception for the Green and White defense. 

How it Happened

Down 13-2, the Eagles engineered four touchdown drives before intermission, including a bowl-record 96-yard drive that spanned 13 plays and concluded with a one-yard touchdown pass from Powell to Lassiter.

Two of Eastern Michigan's scoring series began courtesy of an interception, one each Cameron and Scott. Evans punched in a pair of touchdowns on the ground in the opening half.

San Jose State marched 59 yards in just over a minute to score the game's first points. Junior quarterback Chevan Cordeiro found the end zone on a 27-yard scamper to cap the three-play opening possession.

The Spartans outscored the Eagles 14-11 in the second half, as Cordeiro tossed a pair of 17-yard touchdowns to senior wide receivers Nick Nash and Isaiah Hamilton. Cordeiro finished 26-for-44 for 366 yards and four touchdowns (three passing, one rushing).

 

Game Notes

» Down 13-0 with just over seven minutes on the clock, EMU's special teams came up big. Junior Sterling Miles (West Bloomfield, Mich.-West Bloomfield-Cincinnati) busted through to block his third PAT attempt of the season, his and the team's first since it blocked a point-after at Ball State, Oct. 22. He has the only three PAT blocks for the team this season, and three of the four during the Chris Creighton era (2014-Pres.).

» Miles' blocked kick was returned 97 yards for a touchdown by Junior Tristin Hines (Milan, Mich.-Milan). It was the first PAT returned for a score for Eastern Michigan since Ryan Downard also ran a blocked PAT back for a 97-yard score against the University of Michigan, Oct. 6, 2007.

» The Eastern Michigan offense used the momentum from the special teams unit to pull itself back in the game during its third offensive possession of the game. The Eagles used a seven-play, 74-yard drive capped by a one-yard Evans touchdown to find the pay dirt. The touchdown was Evans' career-best 14th of the season.

» The EMU scoring unit put together another scoring drive in its first touch of the ball in the second quarter. The Eagles used 13 plays to march 96 yards to find the end zone yet again. That score, the longest of the season for Eastern Michigan in terms of yards, gave EMU its first lead of the game, 15-13.

» EMU's 96-yard scoring drive was capped by a one-yard Lassiter touchdown reception. The catch was Lassiter's third touchdown of the season, and capped a four-reception drive for the first-year Eagle. The four receptions tied for the second-best single-game total for Lassiter this season.

» The Eastern Michigan defense came up big in numerous spots in the first half. After a critical fourth-down stop to begin the second quarter, it was Cameron that hauled in his first career interception. Just one possession later, Scott added his third interception of the season. The three interceptions give EMU multiple picks in a game for the fourth time this season, the most four any Chris Creighton-led team (2014-Pres.). The trio of picks ties a season-high for the Eagles (3 - Akron, Nov. 8; 3 - Central Michigan, Nov. 25). 

» Evans added another rushing score with just under five minutes remaining in the second quarter. The touchdown was his second of the game, giving him his career-best fifth multiple-score game of the season.

» Lassiter added his second score of the game, a 28-yard grab, with just 55 seconds on the clock in the second quarter. Coming into the game, Lassiter had never recorded a multiple-score game, and had just two total touchdowns.

» EMU totaled 21 points in the second quarter of today's game. Eastern scored 21 points in a single frame just one other time this season, against Western Michigan, Oct. 8.

» Eastern scored 33 unanswered points between the first and third quarters of today's game. That number is the most for the team in any game this season.

» EMU scored its first points of the third quarter when sophomore kicker Jesús Gómez (Puebla, Mexico-Prepa Tec Puebla) drilled a 51-yard field goal with 8:23 on the clock. The kick was his second-longest of the season, just four yards behind his EMU-record 55-yard kick at Ball State. Gómez is 2-of-3 from 50+ yards this season.

» Jackson used a 31-yard touchdown run to help give EMU a 41-20 lead in the third quarter. It was Jackson's second rushing score of the season and his third total (kick return touchdown vs. University of Buffalo, Sept. 24). Jackson finished with 54 yards on the ground on seven totes.

» Vaden IV sealed Eastern's victory with his first interception of the 2022 campaign. The pick is his fourth in his collegiate career, as he earned three in the 2021 season.

» Coming into the game, San Jose State had committed just six turnovers the entire season. Tonight, Eastern Michigan forced them into three. It was the fourth game this season, and second consecutive, in which EMU has forced three turnovers. 

Historical Notes

» With today's victory, Eastern Michigan has earned its second postseason win. EMU's first bowl game victory game against the same San Jose State Spartans in the 1987 California Raisin Bowl.

» Eastern Michigan finished with exactly nine victories in a season for the first time ever in 2022, and officially finished with the school's second-best win total in the 131-year history of the program. Eastern's best season came in 1987, when the team won 10 games.

» With the victory over San Jose State, EMU defeated its eighth Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) opponent during the 2022 campaign. That number is the second-most in a single season in program history (FBS officially established in 1978); only the 1987 team took down the same amount with eight FBS wins during its nine-win regular season.

» Miles' blocked PAT marks just the second blocked kick in a bowl game for Eastern Michigan. The first was a blocked punt against Georgia Southern University, Dec. 15, 2018. Additionally, the returned PAT for a score by Hines is the first such play in EMU postseason history.

» Eastern's 96-yard scoring drive is officially the longest in the 26-year history of the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl. The previous record was a 92-yard scoring drive by Western Michigan University, which they completed against the Air Force Academy during the 2014 edition of the bowl game.

» Eastern Michigan's 30 points in the first half is a Famous Idaho Potato Bowl record. Three previous participants (San Diego State University, 2013; University of Maryland, 2008; University of Idaho, 1998) had held the previous record of 28.

» Evans' score in the second quarter was historical in numerous aspects. His second rushing touchdown of the game tied the Eastern Michigan postseason record. Prior to the score, no EMU player had rushed for multiple scores in a postseason bowl since Bob Foster scored a pair in the 1987 California Bowl. Additionally, the score was the 29th of Evans' career, moving him into second place on the all-time total touchdowns list at Eastern. He sits just two behind Gary Patton (1984-87) for the all-time record.

» Eastern Michigan added another to its list of "firsts" under Creighton. With its appearance in today's Famous Idaho Potato Bowl, Eastern officially made four consecutive bowl appearances (excluding COVID-shortened 2020 season) for the first time in program history.

» Lassiter etched his name in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl record book in today's contest. With his 108 yards on six receptions, he became the 16th player to record 100+ yards receiving in the bowl's 26-year history.

» Gómez's 51-yard field goal make in the third quarter ties the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl record. Two other players, Brandon Talton (University of Nevada, 2019), and Michael Cklamovski (Northern Illinois University, 2010), have also hit from the same distance.

» Scott finished the game with four pass break ups in today's game. That is tied for the second most in a single game in EMU history (record kept since 1998). The record, five, was recorded by Andrae Brooks, against Southeast Missouri State University, Sept. 1, 2001. Four pass break ups has only occurred once prior to today's game.