After a year off due to COVID, the seventh annual Quick Lane Bowl was held on December 27, 2021 at Ford Field and featured a matchup between the Western Michigan Broncos and the Nevada Wolf Pack.
The Western Michigan Broncos were looking for their second bowl win in school history. They finished the regular season 7-5, with impressive wins over MAC Champion Northern Illinois and ACC Champion Pitt.
The Nevada Wolf Pack finished their regular season with a 8-4 record and qualified for their 4th straight bowl game. The Wolf Pack were coached by interim head coach Vai Taua.
Nevada opened the game with a field goal on the first drive to go up 3-0. On the kickoff return, Sean Tyler of Western Michigan ran it back 100 yards to the house to put the Broncos up 7-3. That kickoff return set the tone for the rest of the game.
Western Michigan dominated the first half, scoring on every possession except the last one, which was a Hail Mary pass at the end of the half. The Bronco defense held Nevada to three and outs on four of their six drives in the first half.
The Broncos offense was strong on all fronts. Quarterback Kaleb Eleby threw for 162 yards on 8 of 14 passing and two touchdowns. One of Eleby's passing touchdowns came on a 74-yard pass to Corey Crooms in the first quarter, his only catch of the day.
Their run game led the way. The team ran for a total of 352 yards with Sean Tyler and Jaxson Kincaide both rushing for over 100 yards each. Kincaide also ran for two touchdowns.
The Western Michigan defense did a great job of containing the Nevada offense, who had been a high scoring offense all season long. The Broncos defense tallied six sacks, nine tackles for loss, four QB hurries and three pass deflections.
Nevada was without their starting quarterback, Carson Strong, who was sitting out to prepare for the NFL Draft. The Wolf Pack were led by quarterback Nate Cox, who had seen limited snaps this season. Cox finished the game with 121 yards on 12 of 23 passing with a touchdown.
Nevada's rushing game was the highlight of their offense. Devonte Lee ran for 85 yards on seven carries and a touchdown. Toa Taua, brother of interim head coach Vai Taua, ran for 28 yards on 11 carries and a touchdown as well.
Western Michigan controlled the game and defeated the Nevada Wolf Pack 54-24 to become the 2021 Quick Lane Bowl Champions.
GAME NOTES
- MVP: Sean Tyler (146 rushing yards & 100 yard KO Return for TD)
- Kickoff: 11:00 AM
- Network: ESPN
GAME STATS
Passing leaders:
| NAME | COMP/ATT | YARDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kaleb Eleby (WMU) | 8/14 | 162 | 2 | 1 |
| Nate Cox (NEVADA) | 12/23 | 121 | 1 | 1 |
Rushing leaders:
| NAME | CARRIES | YARDS | TD | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sean Tyler (WMU) | 14 | 146 | 0 | 10.4 |
| Devonte Lee (NEVADA) | 7 | 85 | 1 | 12.1 |
Receiving leaders:
| NAME | RECEPTIONS | YARDS | TD | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Corey Crooms (WMU) | 1 | 74 | 1 | 74 |
| Jamaal Bell (NEVADA) | 7 | 75 | 1 | 10.7 |
