Temple stunned by Toledo’s improbable last-minute 14-point comeback, 49-48
· Yahoo Sports
Toledo fought hard, but the Rockets just couldn’t compete with Temple’s offense, trailing 45-28 in the waning minutes of the contest. Or so we thought.
Right before the 2-minute timeout, Toledo stared down a 4th-and-8 from its own 19-yard line. The team was already 0-of-3 on fourth downs. Failure to convert would have mathematically solidified a Temple victory at the Glass Bowl. While the laws of probability suggested the Rockets would lose whether they converted or not, they kept their slim hopes alive as John Alan Richter delivered a 25-yard strike to Adjatay Dabbs on the do-or-die sequence.
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That conversion sparked momentum for Toledo, which steadily moved the down the field until reaching a 2nd-and-goal from the Temple 10-yard line. That’s when Richter swung a screen to CJ Miller, who trimmed the deficit to 42-35 with 1:05 remaining. Toledo had no timeouts, so the only option was to recover the onside kick.
Reice Griffith’s onside attempt skipped like a rock across the pond. Until it leaped in midair, catching Temple completely off-guard. Toledo linebacker Isaac Prince, wearing a temporary No. 64 jersey, swooped in and recovered the goods, suddenly giving the Rockets a chance to complete the comeback. Two plays later, it happened. Richter went for the jugular, delivering a deep shot to Daryl Barnett Jr. in the end zone for the tying score with 54 seconds left.
In summary, Toledo trailed by 14 with under 70 seconds remaining but two touchdowns 11 seconds apart forced overtime at the Glass Bowl.
The momentum remained in the Rockets’ favor in the extra period. Toledo picked up 24 yards on the first play of overtime, and Connor Walendzak punched in a short rushing touchdown to hand the home team a 49-42 lead. Temple also reached in the end zone in two plays, but head coach K.C. Keeler risked a chance at a win instead of extending the game.
Ajani Sheppard’s lobbed the ball to Peter Clarke in the end zone, but the Temple quarterback overshot his 6’6″ tight end. When the ball landed out of bounds, the entire Toledo sideline sprinted onto the field, celebrating an unthinkable, improbable, and unforgettable 49-48 comeback victory.
“How about those Rockets, guys?!,” Toledo head coach Mike Jacobs said in his postgame press conference. “Listen, we got a saying around here. It’s, ‘Whatever it takes for as long as it takes,’ and it took every second and every last minute of this game to accomplish the outcome that we work for. I’m incredibly proud of the fortitude that our kids showed, the resilience that they played with, the fact that they stuck together.”
Richter was the star of the show. The fifth-year senior quarterback spent the prior four seasons hidden on the depth chart, but the long wait paid dividends in his fourth career start. Richter threw for career-highs in yards (429) and touchdowns (4), completing clutch throw after clutch throw when Toledo was on the brink of defeat.
Richter wasn’t the only holdover from the previous coaching regime starring under first-year head coach Mike Jacobs. Running back Connor Walendzak produced 71 yards from scrimmage and three total touchdowns, while wide receiver Terrell Crosby Jr. led the team with 95 receiving yards on seven catches. These incumbents were complemented by Jacobs’ former Mercer players. Running back CJ Miller added two touchdowns, while Adjatay Dabbs snagged eight receptions for 88 yards.
Meanwhile, Temple’s offense countered with 425 yards in a heartbreaking defeat. The Owls initially continued their two-quarterback rotation for the third-straight game, starting Jaxon Smolik but switching to Ajani Sheppard on the second drive. Sheppard’s first five drives resulted in three touchdowns and two field goals, and Keeler decided to stick with him for the remainder of the contest.
Temple established a 17-7 lead, but Toledo responded in a back-and-forth game which featured five lead changes. The Rockets claimed their first lead of the second half thanks to defensive Andrew Zock recovering a strip sack. A Walendzak touchdown reception put Toledo ahead 28-27 with 12:29 remaining, but that advantage was short-lived. Exactly 49 seconds of gameplay later, Temple wide receiver Colin Chase beat Toledo over the top for a 69-yard touchdown reception, and the Owls converted the ensuing two-point conversion.
“I think we’re all right being uncomfortable,” Jacobs said. “I think we put them in hard situations. Like, this isn’t by any means like a country club to play for. We probably tackled more than most folks do throughout the course of spring football and training camp to put ourselves in good positions.”
Temple seemingly sealed the road victory when when Rutgers transfer Sam Brown V — making his Owl debut — punched in his third touchdown of the afternoon. But Toledo completed a 10-play, 83-yard drive, recovered an onside kick, and scored immediately after recovery to force overtime — where it ultimately prevailed. The onside kick is usually the toughest step of the comeback to execute, but Toledo prepared for such a moment with its practice habits.
“There are days we have designated for situational football,” Jacobs said. “And we kind of cycle through the four core special teams: punt, punt return, kickoff, kickoff return. And each time we’re doing kickoff, we’ll work an element of the onside. And there’s so much that goes into it, right? Like the kick has to be perfect, essentially. I thought Reese did a great job. He struck it just hard enough that it stayed in-bounds. It spun appropriately. And man, Isaac Prince just went after it and attacked it. It was really well executed.”
It marked the Rockets’ first double-digit second half comeback since 2023, and Toledo now rides an 8-game home winning streak, dating back to 2024. It was Coach Jacobs’ first win over an FBS opponent, and now Toledo has its first-ever win over an American Conference opponent.
“Listen, there’s a reason we chose to play at that end, man,” Jacobs said. “Our band was down there, they were awesome throughout the entirety of the game. Our students that were there, and even some started coming back into the game, They were brilliant, and when we needed them, just like our team, they showed up and were super loud, and they got to enjoy a special moment, right? That’s what college is about, man. Life’s a holistic deal. And how we play is a part of what their college experience is like. And those are things that they’ll remember. And again, I’m excited for everyone that was a part of it. We’re just happy to be a small piece of it.”