Western Kentucky pulls off epic 28-point Famous Toastery Bowl comeback against Old Dominion

Western Kentucky looked to be down and out in the second quarter against Old Dominion in the Famous Toastery Bowl — which was held in Charlotte in place of the Bahamas Bowl — on Monday afternoon.

After giving up 21 points in the first quarter, the Hilltoppers found themselves in a 28-0 deficit after a Monarchs touchdown early in the second quarter. Western Kentucky would break the shutout before the half, but it still found itself down three touchdowns heading into the locker room.

The second half, however, was a different story.

The Hilltoppers outscored Old Dominion 28-7 in the final two quarters, sending the game to overtime. The Monarchs missed a field goal on the first possession of the overtime period, but Western Kentucky’s Lucas Carneiro wouldn’t make the same mistake.

His 29-yard walk-off field goal sailed through the uprights to give the Hilltoppers a 38-35 win and complete the fourth-largest comeback in bowl history.

The historic comeback was made even more impressive by the fact that Western Kentucky was without star quarterback Austin Reed, who has thrown 60 touchdowns in the last two seasons. Reed opted to sit out the game while he focuses on the upcoming 2024 NFL draft.

Without Reed, Turner Helton got the start but was ultimately benched after two series that ended with a strip sack and an interception returned for a touchdown.

In his place, third-stringer Caden Veltkamp shined. He completed 40 of 52 passes for 383 yards and five touchdowns while also adding 53 yards on the ground.

In the transfer portal and opt-out era, these bowl games can be hard to project. But regardless of the available personnel, bowl season always has some magic up its sleeve.