It took six overtimes and two early celebrations, but Toledo finally prevailed, defeating Pitt 48-46 in the GameAbove Sports Bowl.

Toledo’s players and coaches stormed the field twice during overtime thinking they had won the game, but the Panthers stayed alive with well-timed refereeing calls. Finally, the Rockets got the win after making one final crucial stop in the sixth OT.

Thursday’s game marked the first time in NCAA postseason history that a game had six or more overtimes – two days after South Florida and San Jose State tied the record with five OTs in the Hawaii Bowl.

Toledo was ahead 20-12 at halftime, but Pitt outscored the Rockets in the third quarter to take the lead. In the fourth quarter, Toledo scored a pick-six and a game-winning field goal to send the game to OT.

In the first overtime, Pitt made the odd decision to tie the game with a PAT instead of a 2-point conversion to win. As a result, the game continued with both teams scoring field goals in the second over to take things to the two-point conversion round.

After both teams converted in the third OT, Toledo was successful on its 2-point attempt in the OT 4 and then sacked Pitt QB Julian Dugger in what might have been a game-winning stop, prompting its fans to rush the field, to celebrate the obvious victory. But a holding flag against Rockets cornerback Avery Smith gave Pitt another chance.

Pitt then performed the conversion on the floor. Although Toledo believed there had been another stop, the Panthers were awarded two points after review showed the ball had crossed the line and play continued.

Both teams also converted their attempts in the fifth overtime. Toledo scored first in the sixth OT and had one more chance to tie the game with a defensive stop. The Rockets put pressure on Dugger, whose throw into the end zone went straight into the turf.

When Toledo’s fans stormed the field this time, it was real.