College football bowl game features sideline brawl in final minutes

Nobody told Louisville and Toledo that bowl games aren't supposed to matter anymore.

In the final minutes of the Bush's Boca Raton Bowl, Louisville running back Isaac Brown was tackled out of bounds by Toledo linebacker K'Von Sherman, who brought Brown to the ground on the Cardinals' sideline.

The Louisville bench responded accordingly, immediately surrounding Sherman and appearing to push him to the ground near the benches. Toledo players rushed to defend their teammate, causing a scrum between both teams.

It took several minutes for referees to calm the situation down, throwing multiple flags on the sideline. The play resulted in offsetting unsportsmanlike conduct penalties, but no players from either team were ejected for the incident.

Louisville Toledo Sideline Medley pic.twitter.com/PV3wyKIUnM
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Louisville secured the 27-22 win over Toledo, holding onto the lead despite a late comeback push by the Rockets. The Cardinals led 21-3 early in the 4th quarter, but Toledo scored 19 points to close the lead, including a blocked PAT attempt that was returned for a defensive two-point conversion.

Isaac Brown had an outstanding performance, rushing for 102 yards and two touchdowns on only 10 carries. Keyjuan Brown added another 112 rushing yards on 15 carries, helping the Cardinals finish with 180 rushing yards on Tuesday.

Quarterback Miller Moss ended his college career with 153 passing yards and two touchdowns. He connected with wide receiver Caullin Lacy six times for 88 yards, both team-high marks in Tuesday's victory.

The Cardinals finish 9-4 overall (4-4 ACC), getting a much-needed win after losing three of their last four games of the regular season. It was the second straight bowl game victory for the Cardinals under head coach Jeff Brohm.

Louisville football players celebrate at the Boca Raton Bowl — Louisville Cardinals players celebrate after defeating the Toledo Rockets in the Boca Raton Bowl | Jeff Romance-Imagn Images

In his three seasons at Louisville, Brohm has compiled a 28-12 overall record and one appearance in the ACC Championship game, where the Cardinals lost to Florida State. It's the third consecutive season Brohm has won nine or more games as the head coach at Louisville.

Toledo quarterback Kalieb Osborne finished with 167 passing yards, one passing touchdown, and 77 rushing yards. With Tuesday's loss, Toledo finishes the season 8-5 overall (6-2 MAC). It ended a four-game winning streak for the Rockets, who won six of their final seven games to end the regular season.

Jason Candle stepped down as head coach to take the UConn job, forcing the Rockets to find a replacement. They announced Mercer's Mike Jacobs as the next head coach on Dec. 12. Jacobs led Mercer to back-to-back SoCon titles in his two seasons with the Bears.