PONTIAC, Mich. -- Chester Taylor lived up to the hype.

Taylor ran for a Motor City Bowl-record 190 yards and scored the go-ahead touchdown with 3:23 left as No. 25 Toledo beat Cincinnati 23-16 Saturday.

Tom Amstutz celebrates Toledo's bowl win in his first year as head coach.(AP)

"Taylor was as good as advertised," Cincinnati coach Rick Minter said of the game MVP.

Cincinnati (7-5) drove to the 5, but couldn't convert on fourth-and-4 with 50 seconds left. Cincinnati's Ray Jackson, who transferred from Michigan, bobbled a deflected pass in a crowded end zone to seal the victory for Toledo (10-2).

"Everybody was talking about our offenses before the game," Toledo coach Tom Amstutz said. "But it always comes down to defense."

Toledo averaged nearly 35 points while the Bearcats scored almost 30 points a game this season.

Toledo quarterback Tavares Bolden was 14-of-28 for 135 yards with one interception and ran for 99 yards, which helped the Rockets set a Motor City Bowl-record with 322 yards rushing.

Toledo held Cincinnati to just 13 yards on the ground, also a record in the fifth-year bowl.

Taylor's 24-yard touchdown capped an 80-yard drive, which he keyed with three carries for 52 yards. The third-team All-America selection had a bowl-record 31 carries.

Immediately after the game, Taylor celebrated with his family and friends, who drove less than an hour from his hometown of River Rouge, Mich., to see him play.

"The offensive line did a great job," Taylor said. "All I had to do was break tackles."

Cincinnati linebacker Antwan Peek was surprised at how well Taylor did exactly that.

"He was more of a power runner than I thought he was," Peek said. "He ran the ball really hard and his second-efforts were outstanding. I knew he was a good running back, but I didn't expect him to do what he did to us."

Cincinnati's Gino Guidugli was 29-of-46 for 283 yards and a touchdown. Tye Keith caught a bowl-record nine catches for 63 yards.

"I'd give the record back for a win," Keith said.

Both teams put together long drives on the first two possessions of the fourth quarter but settled for field goals.

The Rockets went 76 yards on 14 plays over five minutes, but stalled at Cincinnati's 13. Todd France's 30-yard field goal gave them a 16-13 lead with 9:42 left.

The Bearcats then stalled at Toledo's 8 after driving 73 yards. Jonathan Ruffin's 25-yard kick tied the game with 6:26 to go.

"They were just a better team than us in the second half," Peek said. "It's that plain and simple."

Bolden's legs helped Toledo score 10 third-quarter points to tie the game at 13.

He ran for 41 yards on a draw on the first play of the second half, and the drive ended with France's 42-yard field goal.

Bolden tied the game late in the third quarter when he rolled left, then turned upfield and sprinted 28 yards untouched for a touchdown.

"It was really his big plays that broke our backs," Minter said of Bolden.

Toledo was in control of the game early, but it had only a 3-0 lead to show for it.

The Rockets outgained Cincinnati 109-3, with 70 yards from Taylor, in the first quarter. Cincinnati held Taylor to 1 yard on a fourth-and-3 at the 5 midway through the first quarter.

Cincinnati's John Hinson intercepted a long lob from Bolden and returned it 20 yards to Toledo's 44, leading to Ruffin's 29-yard kick that tied it at 3.

Guidugli's 28-yard touchdown pass to Tim Walker with 2:43 left in the half put Cincinnati ahead 10-3. Ruffin's career-best 46-yard kick as time expired put the Bearcats ahead 13-3 at halftime.

They couldn't hold onto a lead in the second half for the second consecutive time in the Motor City Bowl.

In last year's game, Cincinnati led Marshall 14-9 at halftime before losing 25-14. Toledo played in its first bowl since in six years.

Marshall represented the Mid-American Conference in the first four Motor City Bowls and won the previous three. The MAC is 2-0 this season in bowl games while Conference USA is 0-3.

Toledo's David Gardner made 11 tackles, including a sack, to earn the award for the game's best lineman or linebacker.