The eighth annual Quick Lane Bowl was held on December 26, 2022, at Ford Field and featured a matchup between the Bowling Green Falcons and the New Mexico State Aggies.
The Bowling Green Falcons were heading into their fourteenth bowl game all time and looking for their sixth bowl win. They finished the regular season 6-6, with an impressive win over MAC Champion, and rival, Toledo, bringing the I-75 Trophy back to Bowling Green. The Falcons are coached by Scot Loeffler in his 4th season with the Falcons.
The New Mexico State Aggies finished their regular season with a 6-6 record and qualified for their fifth bowl game in school history, seeking to stay undefeated in post season play. The Aggies finished the season going 5-1 down the stretch, averaging over 37 points per game to achieve bowl eligibility. The Aggies are led by first year head coach Jerry Kill.
New Mexico State opened the game with an interception on the Falcons first drive of the game. The Aggies capitalized on the turnover as quarterback Diego Pavia marched down them the field with the help of a 42-yard pass to Justice Powers. The Aggies ended the drive with a 15-yard receiving touchdown from Pavia to RB Star Thomas.
The Aggie defense dominated the first half, holding the Falcons to zero points in the first two quarters. They forced two missed field goals in addition to an interception on the first drive. Only allowing an average of 33.2 yards per drive, New Mexico State was able to establish themselves early on. Capitalizing on the stops the defense was providing, QB Pavia was again able to lead the Aggies down the field 80 yards and into the endzone with a 2-yard touchdown pass to Eric Marsh. The Aggies would take the 14-0 lead going into halftime.
Starting the second half, New Mexico State would take the ball all the way down to the Falcons 18-yard line, before settling for a field goal to bring the game to 17-0. On the ensuing kickoff return the Falcons RB Ta'ron Keith ran it back 75-yards to get the Falcons their first score of the game.
After trading punts, Aggies RB Ahmonte Watkins broke off a 45-yard touchdown run to take a 24-7 lead on the Falcons. However, Bowling Green started to feel the momentum shift to their favor after hitting a field goal, as their defense forced a three-and-out followed by a safety to bring the game to 24-12.
The Falcons were able to move down the field following the safety, putting the ball in the endzone in just three plays, capping the drive off with a 19-yard touchdown strike from QB Camden Orth to WR Tyrone Broden. With just under six and half minutes left to play the game was within one score at 24-19.
Despite the momentum shift and the Falcons bringing the Aggies lead to within five points, the New Mexico State offense was able to run out the clock to secure the 24-19 win and become the 2022 Quick Lane Bowl Champions.
Bowling Green was without their starting quarterback most of the day as Matt McDonald got hurt earlier in the game. The Junior, Camden Orth took over finishing with 191 yards on 14 of 22 with a touchdown.
New Mexico States offense was led by junior quarterback, Diego Pavia who finished with 167 yards on 17 of 29 passing with two touchdowns. Pavia also had 65 yards on the ground from 12 carries and was named the Quick Lane Bowl MVP.
GAME NOTES
- MVP: Diego Pavia (167 passing yards, 2 TD's, 1 INT & 65 rushing yards, 1 TD)
- Kickoff: 2:30 PM
- Network: ESPN
GAME STATS
Passing leaders:
| NAME | COMP/ATT | YARDS | TD | INT |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Diego Pavia (NM STATE) | 17/29 | 167 | 2 | 1 |
| Camden Orth (BGSU) | 14/22 | 191 | 1 | 0 |
Rushing leaders:
| NAME | CARRIES | YARDS | TD | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ahmonte Watkins (NM STATE) | 9 | 76 | 1 | 8.4 |
| Jaison Patterson (BGSU) | 6 | 23 | 0 | 3.8 |
Receiving leaders:
| NAME | RECEPTIONS | YARDS | TD | AVG |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kordell David (NM STATE) | 5 | 54 | 0 | 10.8 |
| Ta’ron Keith (BGSU) | 3 | 69 | 0 | 23.0 |
