Kareem Hunt runs for five TDs as Toledo wins GoDaddy Bowl
Arkansas State had no answer for Toledo running back Kareem Hunt and the Rockets' rushing attack.
Hunt capped a big season Sunday night with a 271-yard, five touchdown performance in Sunday's GoDaddy Bowl that helped the Rockets get a 63-44 win over the Red Wolves.
Three of the touchdowns came in the first half and they were bookended by Toledo defensive touchdowns.
After the Rockets scored on a fumble recovery on Arkansas State's first offensive play of the game, Hunt had 4 and 44-yard touchdown runs to give Toledo a 21-7 lead.
Arkansas State then pulled within a touchdown, but a 29-yard touchdown run by Hunt put the Rockets back up two scores in the second quarter. The Red Wolves were never within a single possession again the rest of the evening.
Following Hunt's third touchdown, Toledo's Allen Covington returned a Fredi Knighten fumble 66 yards for a touchdown and a 35-17 halftime lead.
Despite missing three games during the season, Hunt finishes his sophomore campaign with 1,631 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. The GoDaddy Bowl moved him from No. 26 in the 2014 rushing rankings to No. 9. Barring a monster game from Oregon's Royce Freeman, Hunt will finish the year in the top 10.
Toledo ran for 365 yards as Damion Jones-Moore also cracked the 100-yard mark and scored two touchdowns.
Knighten finished 21-29 passing for 395 yards and five touchdowns, but the fumble that Covington returned for a touchdown was a crucial mistake. Knighten had plenty of time before he was hit (the blitzing defender who hit him hesitated on the play) and had Arkansas State scored a touchdown on the possession, Toledo's lead would have been cut to four.
The Red Wolves' run game struggled as Knighten flourished passing. Arkansas State had just 53 total yards on the ground.
Toledo ends the season 9-4 while Arkansas State finishes 7-6.
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Nick Bromberg is the assistant editor of Dr. Saturday on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at nickbromberg@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
