Little Caesars Pizza Bowl

Little Caesars Pizza Bowl airs tonight, when the Florida Internal Golden Panthers will compete against the Toledo Rockets in their first-ever bowl game.
FIU has made a huge comeback to qualify for the game. It’s only been three years since the Panthers went on a 23-game losing streak, and this season started with 4 straight losses.  Winning 6 of their last 8 games, the Panthers ended the regular season with a 6-6 record, qualifying them for their first bowl appearance. 
Leading FIU is T.Y. Hilton, who had 56 receptions for the season and was named Sun Belt Conference Player of the year. He is joined by teammate Darriet Perry, who earned FIU’s record for touchdowns rushing in a season.
“We have overcome a number of monumental hurdles along the way and now find ourselves in a position to accomplish the rest of our goals this season,” said the Panther’s coach, Mario Cristobal. Cristobal was awarded the Sun Belt Coach of the Year award.
The last time FIU faced Toledo, the Rockets took home the win, 41-31, in 2009. Toledo hopes for similar results tonight. Leading the Rockets is wide receiver Eric Page, whose 94 catches places him 5th in the nation. “Playing in the Little Caesars Pizza Bowl is a great reward for our players, especially the seniors, who have worked very hard this season and are deserving of a bowl of this stature and reputation,” said Toledo’s coach, Eric Beckman.
Toledo also had a rough start to their season, losing their opening game 41-2 to Arizona. The Rockets finished with a winning 8-4 record.