Junior quarterback Mitchell Guadagni threw for four touchdowns and ran for two more as Toledo won a shoot-out over Nevada, 63-44, Saturday at the Glass Bowl.
Guadagni completed 15 of 24 passes for 211 yards and led the Rockets with 131 yards rushing on 15 carries. His 34-yard touchdown run with 7:26 left in the game sealed the victory and was the final score in a wild contest that saw the teams combine for 107 points and 1,042 yards in just under four hours of football.
Cody Thompson, left, and Diontae Johnson celebrate a Rocket touchdown. Thompson caught three touchdown passes, and Johnson pulled down one TD grab and returned a kick 98 yards for a score in UT’s win over Nevada.
Senior wide receiver Cody Thompson caught three touchdown passes, including a 19-yard option play from junior wide receiver Desmond Phillips in the fourth quarter. Junior Diontae Johnson and senior Jon’Vea Johnson also caught touchdown passes.
Special teams were a huge factor in the victory. Diontae Johnson had a 98-yard kickoff return for a TD in the second quarter, Phillips blocked a punt that was returned for a nine-yard TD by Reggie Gilliam, and sophomore punter Bailey Flint had a solid game, averaging 44.0 yards per punt and pinning Nevada inside the 20-yard line three times.
Toledo opened the scoring on its second possession on a 38-yard TD strike down the middle of the field from Guadagni to Jon’Vea Johnson. Nevada tied the score on a one-yard rush by quarterback Ty Gangi on a fourth-down play. Toledo made it 14-7 when Phillips blocked a punt that was recovered and returned nine yards into the end zone by Gilliam.
Both teams combined for 37 points in a wild second quarter. Nevada tied it up at 14-14 on the first play of the second quarter, a 22-yard toss from Gangi to Elijah Cooks. However, on the ensuing kickoff, Toledo regained the lead when Diontae Johnson followed a blocker up the middle for a 98-yard touchdown.
The Wolf Pack tied it up once again on a 31-yard run by Toa Taua. Thompson’s seven-yard TD grab gave Toledo a 28-21 edge. The Rockets had a chance to extend the lead, but Jameson Vest’s 35-yard attempt went wide right. But after a stop by the defense and a short Nevada punt, Toledo took advantage of a short field to tack another touchdown on the board. Guadagni scrambled on a third-and-10 play to go 27 yards for the score. Nevada finished out the scoring with a 50-yard field goal by Ramiz Ahmed on the half’s final play, trimming Toledo’s lead to 35-24 at the break.
Quarterback Mitchell Guadagni threw for four touchdowns and ran for two more during UT’s victory over Nevada in the Glass Bowl.
The Rockets answered the call with a 26-yard pass to Diontae Johnson from Guadagni to extend the lead to 42-31. But on the very next play from scrimmage, Taua bolted up the middle for 66 yards to pull the Wolf Pack to within four points, 42-38. Toledo countered with a 20-yard TD completion from Guadagni to Thompson to make the score 49-38 with 1:27 left in the third quarter.
Toledo’s defense stopped Nevada on its first possession of the fourth quarter, forcing the Wolf Pack to attempt a 52-yard field goal that fell short. The Rockets then marched downfield with a five-play, 65-yard drive that was capped by an option pass from junior wide receiver Phillips to Thompson, his third TD reception of the day, to up the edge to 56-38 with 11:49 to play.
Nevada answered with a two-yard TD run by Quinton Conaway. The two-point attempt failed, making the score 56-44 with 8:04 left.
The Wolf Pack’s attempt at an onside kick was recovered by UT. A few seconds later, Guadagni ran it in from 34 yards to up the margin to 63-44. Senior linebacker Richard Olekanma picked off Gangi on Nevada’s next possession, effectively putting the game out of reach.
The Rockets will head west next Saturday for a matchup at Fresno State. Kickoff is 7:30 p.m. Pacific Time (10:30 p.m. Eastern Time) on ESPNU.
