The sixth annual Quick Lane Bowl, held at Ford Field in Detroit, Michigan, was played between the Eastern Michigan Eagles and Pitt Panthers on December 26th, 2019.
Pitt finished the regular season with a 7-5 record (4-4 in the ACC) and was looking to capture their second bowl win since the 2013 Little Caesars Pizza Bowl. Pat Narduzzi returned to the state of Michigan seeking his first bowl victory as Pitt's head coach. Eastern Michigan became bowl eligible for the second straight season after finishing with a record of 6-6 (3-5 in the MAC). The Eagles and head coach Chris Creighton were looking to get their second bowl win in school history after their only victory came in the 1987 California Bowl.
In the opening possession of the game, Eastern Michigan quarterback Mike Glass III led the Eagles down the field completing 6/9 passes into Pitt territory. The drive ended with a 35 yard field goal by kicker Chad Ryland.
After a quick turnover by Pitt on their first possession, Eastern Michigan capitalized with a five play, 54 yard drive that ended with a 3 yard rushing touchdown by Mike Glass III giving the Eagles a 10-0 lead.
Pitt responded early in the second quarter with a 44 yard field goal by kicker Alex Kessman. The Panthers regained possession after an Eastern Michigan punt pinned them at their own 4 yard line. On the first play of the drive, quarterback Kenny Pickett completed a pass to wide receiver Maurice Ffrench who took it 96 yards for a touchdown, tying the game at 10-10.
Both Eastern Michigan and Pitt put together touchdown scoring drives on the next two possessions. With about six minutes to go in the half, Eastern Michigan drove the ball down inside Pitt territory looking for a touchdown but settled for a 45 yard field goal giving the Eagles a 20-17 lead. After a quick three and out by Pitt, Eastern Michigan got the ball back with less than a minute but failed to convert any points heading into the locker room.
After both team's opening drives in the third quarter ended with punts, Pitt was the first to tack on points after an Eastern Michigan holding penalty on 4th down, putting the Panthers in field goal range. Kicker Alex Kessman nailed a 51 yarder tying the game at 20-20. The Eagles were able to respond early in the 4th quarter with an 11 play, 63 yard drive that ended with an Arthur Jackson III receiving touchdown putting Eastern Michigan back on top.
On the next possession, Pitt quarterback Kenny Pickett and running back Vincent Davis put together an impressive 75 yard drive resulting in a 19 yard receiving touchdown by Jared Wayne. With less than nine minutes to go, the Eagles drove the ball down inside Pitt territory and ended up taking a 30-27 lead from another Chad Ryland field goal.
After both Pitt and Eastern Michigan punted on their ensuing drives, the Panthers got the ball back with 2:37 to go in the game. Starting from their own 9 yard line, Pickett led the Panthers down the field hoping to at least get in field goal range to tie the game up. With 47 seconds left on the Eagles 25 yard line, Pickett hit wide receiver Taysir Mack for the go-ahead touchdown giving the Panthers a 34-30 lead. After Eastern Michigan was unable to convert on a 4th down play, Pitt ended the game by taking a knee as time expired giving the Panthers a 34-30 Quick Lane Bowl victory.
GAME NOTES:
- MVP: Kenny Pickett (27/39 – 361 passing yards and 3 touchdowns)
- Kickoff: 8:00 PM
- Network: ESPN
GAME STATS:
PASSING LEADERS
| NAME | COMP/ATT | YARDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenny Pickett (PITT) | 27/39 | 361 | 3 | 0 |
| Mike Glass III (EMU) | 28/50 | 311 | 2 | 1 |
RUSHING LEADERS
| NAME | CARRIES | YARDS | TD | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Vincent Davis (PITT) | 15 | 69 | 1 | 4.6 |
| Mike Glass III (EMU) | 21 | 83 | 1 | 4.0 |
RECEIVING LEADERS
| NAME | RECEPTIONS | YARDS | TD | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Maurice Ffrench (PITT) | 12 | 165 | 1 | 13.8 |
| Hassan Beydoun (EMU) | 9 | 113 | 0 | 12.6 |
