COLLEGE FOOTBALL / LAS VEGAS BOWL : For Toledo, Overtime Is Just Fine

Wasean Tait, who scored three touchdowns in regulation time, plunged over from the two-yard line on Toledo’s first overtime possession and the No. 25 Rockets capped an unbeaten season Thursday night with a 40-37 victory over Nevada in the Las Vegas Bowl.

The first overtime game of a major college bowl ended quickly when Toledo needed only four plays to score a touchdown and overcome the field goal scored by Nevada on its first possession of overtime.

Tait, who had 185 yards in 31 carries, ran the final two plays for Toledo, which moved 25 yards on its first overtime possession to win an offensive battle between two high-powered teams.

Tait, the nation’s No. 2 rusher, set up his final run with a 10-yard scamper that gave the Rockets (11-0-1) a first down at the two.

Nevada (9-3), which had the ball first in overtime, could manage only a 22-yard field goal on its only possession.

Under the new overtime rules in effect this season for major college bowl games, each team gets an equal number of chances to score from the 25 until one team wins.

The Las Vegas Bowl, which opens the major college bowl season, was played before a crowd of only 11,127 at the Sam Boyd Bowl.

Toledo, which forced six turnovers when the teams first met in September, gave the ball away four times in the rematch while Nevada did not turn it over at all.

One of the turnovers, a fumbled exchange between Ryan Huzjak and Tait, gave Nevada the ball at Toledo’s four and allowed the Wolfpack to tie the game, 34-34, on a 26-yard field goal by Damon Shea with 9:28 left.

The high-powered offenses of both teams, however, then sputtered and neither team was able to score again in regulation time.

Toledo led, 21-7, midway through the second quarter and had a 34-24 lead after Tait went 26 yards untouched around right end on the second play of the fourth quarter.

Nevada held Tait in check during the first quarter, allowing him only seven yards rushing. But he ripped off touchdown runs of 18 and 31 yards in the second quarter.