DETROIT — The Bowling Green State University football team came up short Monday in the Quick Lane Bowl, losing 24-19 to New Mexico State at Ford Field in Detroit.
BGSU senior starting quarterback Matt McDonald was injured on the team's second possession after taking a late hit out of bounds and did not return. Junior Camden Orth replaced him and completed 14-of-22 passes for 191 yards and a touchdown.
The offense struggled to gain its footing in the first half and the Falcons trailed 14-0 at halftime.
"We were starting drives, we just weren't finishing," Orth said. "A lot of missed opportunities on my end, but can't go back now. I'm glad the offense didn't give up, that's what we wanted to see, but obviously a win is what we really wanted."
Bowling Green's special teams got the team on the scoreboard for the first time all day in the third quarter. After a New Mexico State field goal made it 17-0, Ta'Ron Keith took the ensuing kickoff 75 yards to the end zone to make it a 10-point game.
Keith also caught three passes for 69 yards.
Aggies running back Ahmonte Watkins rumbled 45 yards for a touchdown to put NMSU up 24-7 with 3 minutes, 26 seconds to play in the third quarter.
The BGSU special teams came through again in the fourth quarter. Trailing 24-10, Davion Daniels blocked a punt near the goal line which led to a safety, making it 24-12.
The Falcons marched right down the field on their next drive. Orth found wide receiver Tyrone Broden for a 19-yard touchdown to pull BGSU closer at 24-19 with 6:27 left.
New Mexico State was able to convert multiple third downs on the game's final drive to run out the clock.
"It's heartbreaking. One of our main goals was to send this team out on a good note," senior safety Jordan Anderson said. "One thing I can say is we gave it our all and can appreciate that. They definitely created history leading by example and doing things the right way."
Aggies quarterback Diego Pavia completed 17-of-29 passes for 167 yards for two touchdowns and one pick. He also rushed for 65 yards and picked up key first downs with his feet on the last drive of the game.
"We said it wasn't going to be easy and it hasn't been easy," head coach Scot Loeffler said. "We have one more big step to take and this step is harder than the one we just took. Being elite every day and doing the right thing on a consistent basis is hard."
In 2022, Bowling Green won nearly as many games as they had in the previous three seasons combined.
"We're going to be different [next year]," Loeffler said.
One of those changes he made clear during Monday's postgame press conference revolved around rushing. The Falcons were only able to muster 73 yards on the ground in the Quick Lane Bowl and ranked 11th this season in the MAC.
BGSU will open up next year on the road against Liberty on Sept. 2
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