Pitt accepts invitation to play Toledo in GameAbove Sports Bowl in Detroit
No matter how poorly Pitt played in its final five games of the regular season, that 7-0 record at the outset matters, too.
The Panthers were rewarded Sunday for their 7-5 record when they were invited — and accepted the bid — to the GameAbove Sports Bowl at Ford Field, home of the NFL’s Detroit Lions. Pitt will play Toledo of the Mid-American Conference on Dec. 26. Kickoff is scheduled for 2 p.m.
????IT’S OFFICIAL????@Pitt_FB will face @ToledoFB in the @GameAboveBowl #BowlSeason #CFB #CollegeFootball #TeamToledo #ONErocket #MACtion #H2P #HailToPitt pic.twitter.com/MIQb9cXWUN
— Bowl Season (@BowlSeason) December 8, 2024
The GameAbove Bowl was previously known as the Little Caesars Bowl (2013) and the Quick Lane Bowl (2019). Pitt claimed victory in those games against MAC teams Bowling Green and Eastern Michigan, respectively.
The matchup will be only the fourth all-time between the schools, with Pitt holding a 2-1 edge, including a 45-3 victory in their most recent game in 2006.
Toledo (7-5, 4-4) opened the season on a three-game winning streak, defeating Duquesne, 49-10, UMass, 38-23 and Mississippi State, 41-17. Later, the Rockets won 13-6 on the road at Northern Illinois, the only team that defeated Notre Dame this season.
But Toledo ended its regular season on a two-game losing streak, dropping a 24-7 decision to eventual MAC champion Ohio and losing 21-14 in overtime to Akron. The Rockets finished sixth in the 12-team MAC after winning 11 games last season.
The game will be Pitt’s 38th all-time bowl appearance and the seventh in coach Pat Narduzzi’s 10 seasons. Narduzzi’s teams are 2-4 in bowl games.
Christmas in Motown ????????
???? @GameAboveBowl
???? Vs Toledo
????️ Dec 26th
⏰ 2 PM
???? Ford Field#HailToPitt pic.twitter.com/ebN4FAoKaC— Pitt Football (@Pitt_FB) December 8, 2024
“On behalf of our entire football program, I want to thank the Detroit Lions organization and GameAbove Sports Bowl for the opportunity to play one more time in 2024,” coach Narduzzi said in a statement. “I have great respect for coach Jason Candle and his Toledo program. They are an incredibly consistent winner. We look forward to the challenge.”
There is no word at the moment on who will be Pitt’s starting quarterback for the game. Nate Yarnell started and finished Pitt’s most recent game Nov. 30 at Boston College, but he has announced plans to enter the NCAA transfer portal. Yarnell was in and out of the lineup throughout much of the second half of the season as a replacement for Eli Holstein, who missed significant time and two starts with head and leg injuries.
Walk-on David Lynch played briefly as the third quarterback when Holstein and Yarnell were unavailable, completing 6 of 9 passes for 46 yards and an interception.
Jerry DiPaola is a TribLive reporter covering Pitt athletics since 2011. A Pittsburgh native, he joined the Trib in 1993, first as a copy editor and page designer in the sports department and later as the Pittsburgh Steelers reporter from 1994-2004. He can be reached at jdipaola@triblive.com.
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