Two top 20 defenses colliding in Florida for the 2025 Boca Raton Bowl implied a low-scoring, defensive-driven slugfest. And the matchup between Toledo and Louisville unfolded in that manner… at least for three quarters.
But the fourth quarter was a masterclass of unadulterated chaos. And Louisville (9-4, 4-4 ACC) thrived in that frantic environment, picking up a 27-22 wire-to-wire win over Toledo (8-5, 4-4 MAC) to collect a second-straight bowl win under head coach Jeff Brohm.
Louisville opened the
afternoon with little resistance against the Rockets’ second-ranked total defense, flying 75 yards downfield in eight plays. Cardinal quarterback Miller Moss, in his swan song performance, delivered a 17-yard strike to TreyShun Hurry in the end zone for an early Louisville 7-0 lead. However, Toledo’s defense then played to its usual level for the next several quarters, as the Cardinals didn’t edit the scoreboard again until the 3:40 mark of the third quarter.
The Toledo defense — led by All-MAC defensive backs Emmanuel McNeil-Warren, Avery Smith, and Andre Fuller — forced six-straight empty-handed Cardinal possessions, but the Rockets’ offense couldn’t capitalize on a slew of opportunities. Toledo debuted a new starter in redshirt freshman Kalieb Osborne, taking the reins for injured sixth-year senior Tucker Gleason. While Osborne showed off his dual-threat abilities with 167 passing yards, 77 rushing yards, and zero turnovers, the Rockets simply couldn’t complete drives. One factor contributing to those struggles was penalties, as Toledo warranted 14 flags for 100 yards Tuesday afternoon — with many of them preventable, such as two “illegal equipment violations” where multiple special teams players wore the same jersey number.
The game stood at a constant 7-3 for the entire second quarter and a bulk of the third quarter, but Louisville finally recaptured that first drive magic to edit the scoreboard. Running back Keyjuan Brown, who missed the final two contests of the regular season, triumphantly returned in a 112-yard outburst, and guided his Cardinals to the doorstep of the end zone late in the third. From there, Moss (who won Offensive MVP honors) hit Antonio Meeks for a 5-yard score on his second touchdown delivery, elevating Louisville’s advantage to 14-3.
Toledo’s offense then punted on a 4th and 31, setting Louisville up with advantageous field position to seemingly put the game away. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Isaac Brown — returning from injury after last suiting up Nov. 1 — navigated through a sea of Rocket defenders en route to an 11-yard touchdown. At that point, Louisville grasped a commanding 21-3 lead in a defensive struggle of a matchup.
But all bets were off in the fourth quarter and a seemingly different sport adorned the gridiron in Boca Raton. The first three stanzas featured a collective 17 points, while the fourth saw 32 points — nearly doubling the output of the rest of the game.
Trailing by 18, Osborne rallied the Toledo offense with a 75-yard drive, connecting with tight end Jacob Petersen down the seam on a critical 4th and 11 — and then the quarterback sweetened the deal by running in a 2-point conversion. Roughly four minutes later at the 6:35 mark of the fourth quarter, kicker Robert Hammond III — who never attempted a college field goal prior to kickoff — drilled a 50-yarder with plenty of leg to spare, turning Toledo’s 21-3 deficit into 21-14.
As impressive as Toledo’s comeback was, Louisville appeared to put the game away with 5:03 left when Isaac Brown broke free for a 53-yard house call as the highlight of his 102-yard showing (one of two Louisville running backs to exceed 100 yards). However, the Rockets regained some momentum seconds later when Avery Smith blocked the extra point and returned it the length of the field for two points, transforming the score to 27-16.
Osborne then led the Rockets on a third-straight scoring drive, handing the ball off to sixth-year senior Chip Trayanum near the goal line to slice the deficit to one-score. All Toledo’s vaunted defense needed was one stop against the suddenly scalding Cardinal offense, but that stop never arrived. Brown and Brown, Louisville’s star tailback tandem, broke off for first down scamper after first down scamper, exhausting Toledo’s timeouts during the final stretch. Frustration then arose to the point where a mini-brawl broke out between the two opponents that hadn’t played since 1981. This fight stemmed from Toledo outside linebacker K’Von Sherman holding onto Isaac Brown several steps after he ran out of bounds, and Louisville’s sideline was not content with the late hit (which was never assessed by the officiating crew).
Tensions further grew during Louisville’s celebratory kneeldowns — and the Cardinals actually fumbled on a kneeldown, but it was negated by a Toledo penalty. Once the Rockets cleared the field, the Cardinals celebrated as 2025 Boca Raton Bowl champions. With Bush’s Beans taking over as the sponsor this year, Defensive MVP Clev Lubin (7 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 1.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles) joined mascot Cardinal Bird and game ambassador Keegan-Michael Key for a scoop of baked beans from a giant community dish.
The Cardinals claimed their second-straight bowl victory and third-nine win season in three years under Brohm, overcoming a tough November stretch to finish 2025 on a highlight. Louisville will await the final AP rankings in January to determine if it accomplished enough to warrant a number. Meanwhile, the Rockets finished 8-5 for the second-consecutive year and now await an uncharacteristic offseason for the program — experiencing their first head coaching change in a decade as Mike Jacobs prepares to succeed Jason Candle.
