“Pitt Panthers establish new program, bowl records”

DETROIT – The Pitt Panthers set new bowl and program records with their loss to Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field.

The Panthers and Rockets fought to six overtimes, with the Rockets emerging victorious 48-46. This is the longest bowl game ever and also the longest game in Panthers history.

The NCAA made changes to overtime ahead of the 2021 season that were aimed at speeding up overtime games and not letting them drag on as long as before.

The first overtime period continued as before, with both teams starting at the 25-yard line with a chance to score and win or tie the game.

Changes occur starting in the second overtime, with both teams having to go for a two-point conversion on a touchdown. If each team reaches the third overtime period or beyond, they must attempt to score two points until one team emerges victorious.

Pitt appeared to have taken the win by ten points in the fourth quarter, but a pick-six and a late field goal allowed Toledo to tie the game and send it to overtime.

Both teams scored touchdowns in the first overtime and then failed to score a touchdown in the second overtime, leading to field goals.

Pitt and Toledo scored quickly in the third overtime to send the game into the fourth overtime, and then Toledo took an early lead.

The Rockets thought they had won it twice, and each time the bench was cleared to celebrate on the court. The first time was a sack on fourth down that the referees called a hold on the defense.

The second time came when the referees called Julian Dugger, the Panthers’ freshman quarterback, short of the goal line. The referees then reviewed the play and reversed the decision, sending the game into the fifth overtime period.

Both teams then scored in the fifth overtime, making it six overtimes, and Toledo eventually overtook Pitt as they scored first, forcing Dugger to make a bad throw and winning the game.

This was the first overtime game for Pitt since they faced then-24th ranked Tennessee at home in Week 2 of 2022 and lost 34-27 in the first overtime period.

It was also the first multi-overtime game for the Panthers since they lost 51-48 in overtime to Duke on Nov. 1, 2014. The previous record for longest game in Pitt history was a 36-33 victory over rival Notre Dame played in four overtimes on November 1, 2008.

This game surpassed the previous bowl record of five overtimes, which occurred on December 24 in the Hawai’i Bowl when USF defeated San Jose State 41-39.

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