Quarterback DeQuan Finn led the way for Toledo (9-5), completing 16-of-24 passes, good for 133 yards with one TD. He also had one TD among his 17 carries for 23 yards. Jacquez Stuart led the ground attack, overall, logging 23 carries for 111 yards.
Eight different players . . .
Overall, Toledo managed 356 yards of offense on a rainy night. Liberty (9-5) registered just 253 yards. The Rockets owned a 27-12 advantage in first downs and controlled the ball for 40:03.
The Flames, who absorbed their first bowl loss after winning three post-season outings. took the field under interim coach Josh Aldrige, as Hugh Freeze had already accepted the head coach position at Auburn. After stopping Toledo's first possession on downs, the Flames used five plays and a UT penalty to open scoring. Shelton Louis covered the final nine yards and Nick Brown added the PAT.
That turned out to be the only score of the first half except for Thomas Cluckey's 41-yard field goal at 10:51 of the second stanza.
Liberty led 7-3 at intermission. However,the Rockets moved in front when play resumed. Marching 75 yards in 13 plays, Finn hit Lenny Kuhl from four yards out at 8:45.
Toledo's Nate Givhan sacked Kaidon Saller two plays into LU's next possession, and Jamal Hines recovered a Flames fumble on the play. Although UT lost four yards over three plays, the short field position allowed Cluckey to boot a 29-yard field goal.
Toledo extended its lead to 21-7 with a final touchdown at 10:35 of the final quarter. Finn went in from one-yard out and tossed a pass to Stuart for the two-point conversion.
Liberty responded with a touchdown of its own, moving 69 yards on seven plays. Salter hit Treon Sibley for 29 yards to complete the drive. However, the PAT failed, leaving the Flames behind 21-13. That turned out to be critical.
After forcing a Toledo punt, the Flames reached deep into the playbook to open their next drive. A "double-pass" finished with CJ Daniels hitting Bentley Hanshaw on a 67-yard play. However, the two-point conversion try to tie failed. Liberty was unable to get the ball back after the flames kickoff.