DETROIT, Mich. – Quarterback Dequan Finn threw for 273 yards and accounted for two touchdowns but it wasn't enough as Toledo fell to Miami, 23-14, at the MAC Championship Game at Ford Field in Detroit on Saturday.

With the loss, the Rockets saw their 11-game winning streak snapped and will carry an 11-2 record into their bowl game. They will learn their bowl destination on Sunday.

"My heart breaks for our team today, for a senior class that is a mixture of fourth-year seniors, fifth- and sixth-year guys, and guys that have laid it on the line for this football program," said Head Coach Jason Candle. "We had a great football season and it's a sour taste right now in the mouth at this point. But moments in life sometimes happen that cannot define you and it certainly does not define these young guys as people. It doesn't define our entire season. We worked very hard to get to this point in time. We wanted to win the football game but obviously didn't play well enough at times today to get that done. Like I said, hats off to Miami."

Toledo rallied from a 10-0 deficit to take a 14-13 lead midway through the third quarter. But Miami took the lead with a field goal early in the fourth quarter then tacked on a touchdown with 2:41 to play. The Rockets drove deep into Redhawk territory on their final possession but Miami sealed the win with an interception in the end zone.

Toledo didn't find the end zone until late in the first half on a 13-yard pass from Finn to junior tight end Anthony Torres. Finn and Torres connected again on a two-point conversion to make it 10-8 heading into halftime.

The Rockets took their first lead of the game on a three-yard rushing touchdown by Finn with 9:00 to go in the third quarter, but Miami regained the lead early in the fourth quarter on a field goal to make it 16-14. RedHawk quarterback Aveon Smith converted a crucial third down with a 50-yard rush to put his team deep in Toledo territory, and Rashad Amos ran it in three plays later to make it 23-14. 

Finn threw for 273 yards and a touchdown, and ran for 33 yards and another score. Sophomore wide receiver Junior Vandeross led Toledo with six receptions and 106 yards, and Torres caught three passes for 56 yards and a TD.

Senior linebacker Dallas Gant was the Rockets' leading tackler, making 12 stops and recording a tackle for loss as well. Junior safety Maxen Hook added nine tackles and junior cornerback Quinyon Mitchell broke up two passes.

First Quarter

• Miami opened the scoring on its opening drive with a 33-yard field goal from Graham Nicholson.
•  Toledo stopped a Miami on third down deep in Toledo territory but the Redhawks got a fresh set of downs when defensive tackle Judge Culpepper was flagged for targeting. Two plays later Rasha Amos scored from one-yard out to give Miami a 10-0 lead with 0:46 left in the quarter.

Second Quarter

• Toledo missed an opportunity to get on the board with Luke Pawlak's 39-yard field attempt was blocked at the 9:13 mark.
• Toledo scored a touchdown with nine seconds left in the half on a 13-yard TD pass from Dequan Finn to tight end Anthony Torres. It was the third time Toledo scored on the drive, with touchdowns by Torres and Finn called back due to penalties. The PAT was blocked but an off-sides penalty on Miami moved it to the 1 1/2 -yard line. Toledo added a two-point conversion from Finn to Torres to make it 10-8.

Third Quarter

• Miami increased its lead to 13-8 on a 40-yard field goal by Nicholson.
• Toledo took a 14-13 lead on a three-yard TD by Finn that was set up by 44-yard completion from Finn to Junior Vandeross. Toledo failed on the two-point conversion but was flagged for a penalty, moving the PAT back five yards, which was then missed wide left.
• Miami missed a chance to re-gain the lead when Nicholson's 48-yard field goal was no good.

Fourth Quarter

• Nicholson booted a 39-yarder early in the fourth quarter to give Miami a 16-14 edge.
• Facing a third down at on their own 35-yard line, the RedHawks completely converted on a 50-yard rush by quarterback Aveon Smith that put them at the UT 10-yard line.
• Three plays later, Amos ran it in from 10 yards out to give Miami a 23-14 lead.
• The Rockets drove deep into Miami territory on their final drive, but the drive ended with an interception in the end zone.

Up Next
      The Rockets will find out their bowl opponent tomorrow afternoon.

Post-Game Notes

• Toledo is now 4-4 all-time in MAC Championship Games and 3-1 at title games played at Ford Field
• Junior quarterback Dequan Finn completed 18-of-36 passes for 273 yards and a touchdown. He now has 7,074 career passing yards, moving him ahead of Aaron Opelt (6,804 yards from 2006-09) and Ryan Huzjak (1993-96) to move into fifth place on Toledo's all-time list.
• Finn's three-yard rushing TD in the third quarter gives him 25 for his career, passing Jim Kelso (24 from 1980-83) for the most rushing scores by a Rocket quarterback.
• Peny Boone rushed for 41 yards to bring his season total to 1,400 rushing yards. He passed Terry Swanson (1,363 yards in 2017) to move into a tie for ninth place on Toledo's single-season rushing yard list with Bryant Koback (1,400 yards in 2021).
• Junior cornerback Quinyon Mitchell broke up two passes to bring his season total to 18, which ranks second in school history behind his own school record of 22 PBUs from last season. Mitchell already owns the career record for pass breakups at Toledo and upped his total to 46.
• Dallas Gant led the Rockets with 12 tackles on Saturday and now has 109 tackles on the season. He tallied a career-high 116 tackles last season.
• Junior tight end Anthony Torres caught three passes for 56 yards and a touchdown, as well as a successful two-point conversion attempt. It was Torres' third touchdown catch of the year, all of which have come against MAC competition.
• Sophomore Junior Vandeross tied a career high with six catches and had 106 receiving yards, his second game with at least 100 receiving yards this season.