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Las Cruces’s New Mexico State wins Bowl Game!
Quarterback Diego Pavia led the New Mexico Aggies to a Quick Lane Bowl championship with a 24-19 victory on Monday over Bowling Green in front of 22,987 fans at Ford Field in Detroit.
Named the game's Most Valuable Player, Pavia was 17 for 29 passing for 167 yards with two touchdowns, 65 rushing yards and an interception and the Aggies defense only allowed 10 points.
The Aggies (7-6) were up 24-7 late in the third quarter, but the Falcons closed the gap in the fourth quarter to make it 24-19 after a field goal, a safety off of a blocked punt and Camden Orth's 19-yard touchdown pass to Tyrone Broden with 6:27 left.
From there, New Mexico State kept control of the ball for the rest of the game.
New Mexico State and Bowling Green represent a pair of programs on the rise and were featured in the Quick Lane Bowl as New Mexico State and Bowling Green clash at Ford Field in Detroit to kick off the post-Christmas slate. Neither program has played in a bowl game since 2017, making this a big moment for both teams.
New Mexico State hasn't been an active participant in the college football postseason over the decades. The Aggies have played in four bowls across the school's history prior to facing Bowling Green.
The Aggies made their first bowl appearance in 1935 as a part of the Border Conference. They ended up picking up a 14-14 tie against Hardin-Simmons in the Sun Bowl that year.
New Mexico returned to the Sun Bowl twice more after that (1959, 1960), winning both outings. Unfortunately, the Aggies went 56 seasons before they'd make another bowl appearance, which is an FBS record. They wound up winning in their 2017 return, defeating Utah State, 26-20, in overtime at the Arizona Bowl.
New Mexico State owns a 3-0-1 all-time record (75%) in bowl games ahead of facing Bowling Green. Check out the school's full bowl results below.
- Sun Bowl (Jan. 1, 1936): New Mexico State 14, Hardin-Simmons 14
- Sun Bowl (Dec. 31, 1959): New Mexico State 28, North Texas State 8
- Sun Bowl (Dec. 31, 1960): New Mexico State 20, Utah State 13
- Arizona Bowl (Dec. 29, 2017): New Mexico State 26, Utah State 20
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