DETROIT - The University of Toledo football team arrived in Detroit Sunday afternoon in preparation for its appearance in the GameAbove Sports Bowl. The Rockets have a full slate of activities leading up to the game vs. Pittsburgh at Ford Field in Detroit on Thursday, Dec. 26 (2:00 p.m./ESPN).

In addition to practices on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, the Rockets will enjoy team activities in the Detroit area during the week, including a trip to Top Golf in Auburn Hills on Sunday, the Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation in Dearborn on Monday and fowling (a combination of football and bowling) in Hamtramck on Tuesday.

"We're excited to get an opportunity to play a Power Four opponent in what I believe will be a first-class trip for our team, and close to home, a place where our fan base will have an opportunity to come see us in person and hopefully make Ford Field feel like a home game," said Head Coach Jason Candle  "A bowl trip is a reward for a good season. We want to do a good job making sure that we have a lot of fun with this with our players. But ultimately we know we are playing a tremendous opponent in Pittsburgh. Coach (Pat) Narzduzzi and his staff have a done a great job for a really long time in developing a good program. They're a physical team that plays really hard so we've got our work cut out for us."

Toledo enters the GameAbove Sports Bowl with a 7-5 record, its 15^th consecutive season without a losing record, the third-longest streak among FBS schools. Among Toledo's seven wins this season are a 41-17 trouncing of SEC member Mississippi State on the road and a 30-20 home-field victory over regular-season MAC co-champion Miami.
 
Leading Toledo's offense is junior quarterback Tucker Gleason, who has thrown for 2,457 yards and 22 touchdowns while completing 61.8% of his passes. Gleason has a pair of first-team All-MAC wide receivers to target, Jerjuan Newton (64 receptions, 949 yards, 11 TDs) and Junior Vandeross III (73 receptions, 763 yards, 4 TDs).
 
Defensively, first-team All-MAC safety Maxen Hook leads the Rockets with 107 tackles to go with two interceptions and four pass breakups. Defensive tackle Darius Alexander (34 tackles, 6.5 TFLs) and cornerback Avery Smith (13 breakups, 2 interceptions) made second-team All-MAC, while linebacker Daniel Bolden (91 tackles) made the third team.
 
Candle, who has 72 wins as Toledo's head coach, needs one more win to tie Gary Pinkel (73 wins from 1991-2000) as the Rockets' all-time victory leader. No team in the Mid-American Conference has won more games than Toledo during Candle's tenure. Candle, who has won two MAC titles and twice been named the league's Coach of the Year, has never had a losing season as head coach.
 
Toledo is looking to win a bowl game for the 13th time in its history. The Rockets are 12-9 in bowl games, going back to their first bowl win in the Tangerine Bowl in 1969.
 
Toledo has played in bowl games in the Detroit area on four different occasions: the Motor City Bowl at the Pontiac Silverdome in 2011 and at Ford Field in 2002 and 2004, and the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl in 2010.
 
Toledo is 1-2 all-time vs. Pitt, including a 35-31 win in the Glass Bowl in 2003 when the Panthers were ranked No. 9 in the country. 
 
Ticket Information  
Tickets for the 2024 GameAbove Sports  Bowl are on sale through Monday at noon at UTRockets.com/bowltix, by phone at 419-530-GOLD (4653) or at the Rocket Ticket Office in Savage Arena during normal business hours.  After Monday at noon, all purchases must be made through Ford Field or at the gate on game day.

UToledo Alumni Pre-Game Party
The University of Toledo Alumni Association will host a pre-game party at Ford Field at 11:30 a.m. at the Comerica Gridiron Club. A full buffet meal with soft drinks will be offered at the party, as well as a cashless bar available with assorted beers and specialty cocktails.

Click here to purchase tickets to the UToledo Alumni Association pre-game party.
 
For more information and questions, please call 419-530-2586.