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3 takeaways from Pitt’s heartbreaking 6OT loss to Toledo in GameAbove Sports Bowl
By Andrew Olson
Published:
Pitt’s 2024 season ends in heartbreaking fashion with a 48-46 6 overtime loss to Toledo in the GameAbove Sports Bowl
The Panthers rallied from a 20-12 halftime deficit to take a 30-20 lead in the 3rd quarter. Toledo, though, had some fight left. Scoring 10 in the 4th quarter, the Rockets were able to force overtime. It ended up being 6 overtimes in Detroit, with Pitt unable to score on its final 2-point try.
Here are 3 quick takeaways from the game:
Pitt passed on a chance to win, and it came back to bite the Panthers
ESPN Analytics gave Pitt an 89.1% chance to win when the Panthers had 3rd-and-goal from the Toledo 1-yard line in the 2nd overtime trailing Toledo 40-37. Just a yard away from a walk-off touchdown, the game felt fully in Pitt’s control. Everyone assumed the Panthers would try twice for the touchdown. They did not.
On the 1-yard line, Cade Bell called for a Gavin Bartholomew pass that went incomplete to Isaiah Neal. Instead of going for a touchdown to win, the Panthers stunned many fans and media members, including the ESPN booth, by deciding to kick a field goal.
By tying the game, Pitt and Toledo advanced to a 3rd overtime. The game entered the 2-point challenge stage of overtime. The next play was Pitt ball from the Toledo 2-yard line, 1 yard further back from where the Panthers decided to kick the field goal. Pitt made that 2-point try, but Toledo would answer.
The decision to kick a field goal from the 1-yard line will haunt the Panthers all offseason.
Desmond Reid a bright spot for 2025
Earlier this month, Reid took to social media to confirm his return for the 2025 season. On Thursday, he reminded everyone why that’s a big deal.
Reid showcased his workhorse capabilities, carrying the ball 32 times for 165 yards and 1 touchdown. The Pitt passing attack was severely limited by Holstein’s absence, but Reid was also the team’s receptions leader with 5 catches for 15 yards on 6 targets.
With Reid averaging over 5 yards per carry on the day, one has to wonder if Pitt got a bit too cute in the 2nd overtime and should have given the standout running back 2 tries from the 1-yard line to end the game.
While the bowl loss is a downer, Pitt fans have a lot to look forward to with Reid returning to join Holstein and company.
Pitt showed no quit
It would have been easy for Pitt to phone it in on Thursday. After a 7-0 start, the Panthers ended the regular season on a 5-game losing skid. For the bowl game, they had lost numerous players due to transfer portal opt-outs and were without starting QB Eli Holstein.
Thursday’s game was a bit of a rollercoaster for Pitt, and not just the drama of the 6 overtimes. The Panthers had an up-and-down start, and found themselves trailing Toledo 20-12 at the break.
Where some teams might have given up, the Panthers battled back. The Pitt defense came out of halftime forcing a turnover on downs, a fumble and snagging an interception. The Panther offense did its part, turning all 3 results into scores, taking a 30-20 lead in the 3rd quarter.
Andrew writes about sports to fund his love of live music and collection of concert posters. He strongly endorses the Hall of Fame campaigns of Fred Taylor and Andruw Jones.
