Louisville Holds Off Late Toledo Surge in Boca Raton Bowl Thriller
In a game named after beans, it was only fitting things got spicy late.
Louisville held off a furious fourth-quarter rally from Toledo to win the Bush’s Beans Boca Raton Bowl, 27-22, closing the season at 9-4 and heading into the offseason with momentum - and a few looming questions, including the status of head coach Jeff Brohm.
This one was a tale of two halves. The first?
Sluggish. The second?
Fireworks. And when it mattered most, the Cardinals leaned on a pair of Browns - Isaac and KeyJuan - to carry them to the finish line.
“We found a way to run the ball,” Brohm said postgame. “We were more physical in the second half.”
He wasn’t wrong. Louisville racked up 207 rushing yards, got two touchdown passes from quarterback Miller Moss, and survived a 19-point fourth quarter from a Toledo team that didn’t even find the end zone until the final frame.
Early Control, Midgame Lull
Louisville came out hot, engineering a crisp 75-yard drive to open the game, capped by a 17-yard strike from Moss to Treyshun Hurry. But after that?
The offense stalled - just 78 more yards before halftime. Toledo’s defense adjusted, and the Cardinals couldn’t find much rhythm.
But football is a four-quarter sport, and the second half belonged to the Cardinals’ ground game.
Second-Half Surge
The spark came midway through the third quarter. Moss hit Caullin Lacy for 28 yards, then KeyJuan Brown broke loose for 19 more. That drive ended with Moss finding Antonio Meeks for a 5-yard score, and suddenly the Cards had life again.
On the next possession, Isaac Brown made his presence felt. With the offensive line sealing the edge, Brown found a crease and took it 11 yards to the house, stretching the lead to 21-3 early in the fourth.
Toledo, though, wasn’t done.
The Rockets answered with a touchdown, then tacked on a 50-yard field goal to cut the lead to 21-10. Momentum was shifting. But just when it looked like the game might turn, Isaac Brown broke free again - this time for a 53-yard sprint that looked like the dagger.
Only, it wasn’t.
Toledo’s Late Push Falls Short
Toledo blocked the extra point and returned it all the way for two points - a rare momentum swing that cut the lead to 27-16. Then, after a quick defensive stop, the Rockets marched 68 yards in just six plays. Chip Trayanum punched it in from three yards out, and suddenly it was a five-point game with 2:24 to play.
That’s when KeyJuan Brown said, “Enough.”
The former SEC back took over the final drive, chewing up clock and yardage with three bruising runs - 17, 14, and 17 yards - that iced the game and crushed any hopes of a Toledo comeback.
The Browns Bring the Boom
KeyJuan Brown finished with 112 yards on 15 carries, while Isaac Brown added 102 yards and two touchdowns on just 10 touches. Louisville averaged 5.8 yards per carry and went a perfect 3-for-3 on fourth down - a testament to both their physicality and their willingness to stay aggressive in key moments.
There was a late-game skirmish on the sideline after Isaac Brown took a hard hit out of bounds, leading to offsetting penalties. It didn’t change the outcome, but it was emblematic of a game that was intense, emotional, and never quite under control.
Still, Louisville controlled what mattered most: the scoreboard.
Looking Ahead
The win caps a 9-4 season for the Cardinals, but the offseason could get interesting. Whether Brohm becomes a serious candidate at Michigan remains to be seen, but those questions will sort themselves out soon enough.
For now, Louisville walks away with a bowl win, a pair of breakout performances in the backfield, and a reminder that when the game gets messy, sometimes you just need to run the ball and let your playmakers go to work.
This one wasn’t always pretty. But it was gritty. And in the end, it was enough.