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Famous Toastery Bowl: Western Kentucky 38, Old Dominion 35 (OT)
The inaugural (and likely only) Famous Toastery Bowl quickly morphed from a snoozefest to a thriller as Western Kentucky rallied from four touchdowns down to beat Old Dominion in overtime, 38-35. The Hilltoppers, trailing since the opening minutes of the contest, scored the game-tying touchdown with just 19 seconds left in regulation before Lucas Carneiro hit a 29-yard field goal in overtime to give Western Kentucky an unlikely walk-off win against the Monarchs.
Old Dominion dominated the game early, leading 21-0 after the first quarter before extending the edge to 28-0 in the early stages of the second quarter. Without starting quarterback Austin Reed, Western Kentucky struggled to protect the ball in redshirt freshman Turner Helton’s first start under center. The Hilltoppers turned the ball over four times in the first half alone, but momentum shifted when Helton was pulled in favor of Caden Veltkamp. After completing just a single pass in the regular season, Veltkamp ended the contest 40 of 52 passing for 385 yards and five touchdowns while rushing for a team-high 53 yards, enough for WKU to overcome five total turnovers.
WKU wide receiver Dalvin Smith had a critical role in the improbable rally for the Hilltoppers. Smith was on the receiving end for each Veltkamp’s first two touchdown passes, and he only needed one hand to make the catch on both occasions. Smith recorded a third touchdown catch in the fourth quarter as the Hilltoppers continued to chew away at the deficit, matching his touchdown total from the regular season.
As for Old Dominion, the Hilltoppers will be haunted by special teams. The Monarchs missed three field goal attempts over the course of the game. Two of them were blocked, first a fourth-quarter attempt that would have iced the game and another in overtime after Old Dominion had the ball first.
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