New Mexico State Wins Quick Lane Bowl
The 2022 Quick Lane Bowl proved to be one of the best bowl games yet as the two teams battled hard. In a fight for a 7th win though, New Mexico State (NMSU) was able to take down Bowling Green 24-19 in an instant classic. The Falcons’ second-half-surge looked promising, but the Aggies’ lead showed to be too much.
New Mexico State’s Dream Start in the Quick Lane Bowl
For the Aggies, the first half of the game couldn’t have been better. Bowling Green started with the ball and on that ensuing drive, Trevor Brohard was able to pick off Matt McDonald. Following the turnover, NMSU was able to put seven points up on the board to take the early lead. Bowling Green’s nightmare of a first half didn’t stop there though. Nearly through the midway part of the first quarter, McDonald was taken off the field on a late hit out of bounds which caused him to be sidelined for the rest of the game.
The Falcons’ next drive eventually resulted in a missed field goal which didn’t just happen once in the first half. After punts by both teams, New Mexico State was able to extend its lead to 14-0. BGSU later in the half missed another field goal preventing them from getting on the board in the first half.
A Wild Finish
Despite a rough first half for Bowling Green, the Falcons didn’t back down. New Mexico State extended its lead after half to 17-0 by adding a field goal off of its first drive of the second half. Furthermore, a 75-yard kick return by Ta’ron Keith right after cut the lead to 10 for the Falcons. By the end of the third quarter, the Aggies had extended their lead back to 17 off a 45-yard burst from Ahmonte Watkins.
In the fourth quarter, the Falcons picked up momentum and started to gain some life. Following a Mason Lawler 49-yard field goal, the Bowling Green defense was able to hold Diego Pavia and the NMSU offense. Eventually, the Falcons were even able to block a punt which forced a safety. The safety then led to a Bowling Green touchdown cutting the lead to only five points. Sadly, for the Falcons though their last-quarter comeback was cut short as New Mexico State was able to close out the Quick Lane Bowl on a game-winning drive.
Player Spotlights
Throughout the 2022 Quick Lane Bowl, a lot of great players made big impacts. The first player to put the spotlight on, from the winning NMSU team, was Pavia. Pavia only threw for 167 yards but two touchdowns. He showed exactly why he’s one of the better dual-threat quarterbacks in the country. He ran for 65 yards including three huge third downs conversions on the last drive of the game. His awareness in the pocket all game long had Bowling Green defenders left clueless about how to stop him.
On the opposite side of the field for the losing BGSU team was Keith. Keith didn’t just create havoc in the receiving game in this one, but he also had a huge third-quarter kick return that ultimately put the Falcons back in the game. He ended the game with three receptions for 69 yards.
2022 Quick Lane Bowl Takeaways
The Quick Lane Bowl brought a lot of closure as to what areas are still needing improvements. On the other hand, this bowl game showed that both of these programs are heading in the right direction.
Looking at New Mexico State, Jerry Kill in his first season with this program turned the team around from going 2-10 in 2021 to now 7-6 in 2022. The bowl game win for Kill means a lot and it shows that this Aggies program is here to stay. With Pavia under center, the Aggies will be an extremely hard team to beat in the coming years.
As for Bowling Green, the loss wasn’t what they were looking for, but there were definitely still some positives that could be pulled. In Scot Loeffler’s fourth season with the Falcons, he was able to make a bowl game and almost lead a comeback in the fourth quarter. He didn’t end up getting the win but getting to his first bowl game as the BGSU head coach was huge for him and the program that went 4-8 in 2021.
