The 2024 GameAbove Sports Bowl features the 7-5 Pittsburgh Panthers against the 7-5 Toledo Rockets. Here is the 2024 GameAbove Sports Bowl Preview.
Pittsburgh won their first seven games to qualify for a bowl game, but lost their last five. They defeated four bowl-eligible teams: West Virginia, UNC, Cal and Syracuse. Only one of their losses, Virginia, was to a team that didn’t make a bowl game.
The Panthers score 32.2 points per game, ranking 38th in the country. They pass for 277.5 yards (ranked 15th) and rush for 128.5 yards per game (ranked 101st).
Eli Holstein had a great year as the quarterback for the Panthers. He passed for 2,255 yards, 17 touchdowns and seven interceptions on 61.9 percent completion. Six players have at least 250 receiving yards on the season. The leading receiver is Konata Mumpfield with 52 catches for 813 yards and five touchdowns. Desmond Reid and Kenny Johnson also impressed with 564 and 520 receiving yards respectively.
Reid has been the lead running back for the Panthers. The junior rushed for 797 yards and four touchdowns this season. The only other players with over 200 rushing yards on the season are Holstein (328) and Daniel Carter (208).
Defensively, the Panthers allow 26.8 points per game, ranking 82nd in the country. They allow 258.3 passing yards and 115.5 rushing yards per game. Donovan McMillan has been a menace bringing down ball carriers, with 108 tackles on the season. Kyle Louis ha led the team with seven sacks. Rasheem Biles has seven passes defended and one interception, making a difference against the pass.
Toledo won seven games to qualify for a bowl game. The Rockets defeated two bowl-eligible teams: Miami (OH) and Northern Illinois. Their only loss to a team that didn’t make a bowl game was to Akron.
The Rockets score 26.9 points per game, ranking 76th in the FBS. They pass for 246.2 yards (ranked 42nd) and rush for 120.3 yards per game (ranked 105th).
Tucker Gleason has started at quarterback for the Rockets and has played well. He has passed for 2,457 yards, 22 touchdowns and seven interceptions on 61.8 percent completion. Three players have at least 350 receiving yards on the season. Jerjuan Newton has been particularly impressive with 64 catches for 949 yards and 11 touchdowns.
Four players have more than 200 rushing yards on the season. Connor Walendzak leads the team with 457 rushing yards and also has one touchdown. Gleason, Jacquez Stuart and Sevaughn Clark have 330, 230 and 209 rushing yards respectively.
Defensively, the Rockets allow 26.8 points per game, ranking 82nd in the country. They give up 213.8 passing yards and 138.7 rushing yards per game. Maxen Hook has been the best defensive player with 108 tackles. Anthony Dunn has the team-high with four sacks. Avery Smith has made a lot of plays on the ball with 13 passes defended and two interceptions.
Pitt faltered down the stretch of their season, but luckily don’t have too many players in the transfer portal. They can move the ball through the air against the Rockets to secure the win, but it could be close.
Pittsburgh Panthers 31 Toledo Rockets 25
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