Diego Pavia passed for two touchdowns and Ahmonte Watkins scored on a long run as New Mexico State knocked off Bowling Green 24-19 on Monday afternoon at the Quick Lane Bowl in Detroit.

Pavia completed 17 of 29 passes for 167 yards and one interception, and also rushed for 65 yards to lead the Aggies (7-6). Star Thomas and Eric Marsh caught touchdown passes for New Mexico State.

Backup quarterback Camden Orth completed 14 of 22 passes for 191 yards and one touchdown for Bowling Green (6-7). Ta’ron Keith returned a kickoff for a touchdown and Tyrone Broden caught a scoring pass.

Orth entered after starting quarterback Matt McDonald was injured midway through the first quarter and didn’t return. McDonald was 2-of-4 passing for 30 yards and an interception before exiting.

New Mexico State was 11 of 17 on third-down conversions and controlled the ball for 38:23 while outgaining the Falcons 407 to 294.

The Aggies held a 17-0 lead after Ethan Albertson’s 35-yard field goal with 11:15 left in the third quarter before Bowling Green made a bid to get back in the game.

New Mexico State decided to do a short kickoff. Keith fielded George Eberle’s kick at his own 25 and began navigating his way through traffic and eventually was free down the right sideline and finished off a 75-yard kickoff return.

The Aggies regained momentum when Watkins broke loose on a 45-yard run to make it 24-7 with 3:26 left in the third quarter.

But Bowling Green’s Mason Lawler kicked a 49-yard field goal on the first play off the final stanza and the Falcons tacked on a safety with 7:10 to play. Davion Daniels broke in free to block Eberle’s punt and the ball went out of the end zone for a safety.

After the free kick, it took Bowling Green just two plays to move within five as Orth tossed a 19-yard scoring pass to Broden with 6:27 remaining.

The Falcons never saw the ball again as the Aggies used 13 plays — including four third-down conversions — to run out the clock.

New Mexico State struck first when Pavia tossed a 15-yard touchdown pass to Thomas with 9:39 left in the first quarter.

McDonald was hurt on Bowling Green’s next drive as he scrambled for nine yards and received a vicious late hit along the sideline from the Aggies’ Dylan Early at the Falcons’ 49-yard line.

New Mexico State increased the lead to 14-0 when Pavia threw a 2-yard scoring pass to Marsh with 7:36 remaining in the first half.

–Field Level Media

Former Texas starting quarterback Hudson Card committed to Purdue on Monday, ESPN reported.

Card is the presumptive heir apparent to Aidan O’Connell, who earlier this month declared for the 2023 NFL Draft.

A top recruit in the 2020 class, Card has three years of eligibility left.

Card was the starting quarterback at Texas at the beginning of the 2021 season before giving up the job to Casey Thompson, who transferred to Nebraska following the season. In summer camp before the 2022 campaign, Card lost the contest for starting QB to Quinn Ewers.

Card, a redshirt sophomore, threw for 590 yards and five touchdowns in seven games in 2021. He played in all 12 games in 2022, completing 69.4 percent of his passes for 928 yards and six touchdowns, with one interception.

His move follows the entry of Brady Allen, who was expected to compete for Purdue’s starting quarterback job in 2023, into the transfer portal.

A four-star recruit in the Class of 2022, Allen is an Indiana native who starred at Gibson Southern High School. The 247Sports composite ranked him as the No. 10 quarterback in the class.

Allen played behind seniors O’Connell and primary backup Austin Burton in the 2022 season and saw limited playing time, completing 1 of 3 pass attempts for 8 yards.

He will have four years of eligibility remaining.

“It’s been an awesome experience wearing the black and gold,” Allen posted to Twitter. “I am thankful for the relationships and memories I’ve made over the last year. I made a decision to attend Purdue University, and represent our home state over three years ago. It was a decision that I put a lot of time and effort into. A decision that I never swayed from. However, sometimes the best plans don’t work out, and you have to deviate from them to do what’s best for your future. After many thoughts and prayers I’ve decided to enter my name in the transfer portal.”

–Field Level Media

When the ReliaQuest Bowl matchup was set on the first Sunday in December, Mike Leach was Mississippi State’s head coach, Ryan Walters was Illinois’ defensive coordinator and both teams’ rosters were teeming with stars.

But almost nothing looks the same as the No. 24 Bulldogs (8-4) and Fighting Illini (8-4) prepare to play on the first Monday in 2023 in Orlando.

Leach, 61, passed away Dec. 12 due to complications from a heart condition. The 21-year head coach, who posted a record of 158-107 for Texas Tech, Washington State and Mississippi State, suffered what was termed a “personal health issue” at his home on Dec. 11. The Bulldogs promoted 36-year-old defensive coordinator Zach Arnett to head coach for the bowl game and beyond.

“We have tremendous guys in this program,” Arnett said at the team’s Signing Day news conference. “They are excited for this opportunity … it has been expressed and they understand that we are doing exactly what Coach Leach would have wanted. There is no better way for us to honor him and show respect to him and his family than to go out there and play a complete game and compete like he would have expected us to.”

“Mike and I were really, really good friends,” Illinois head coach Bret Bielema said on SiriusXM. “And this whole dynamic of this bowl game is at a level that no one can really describe. I can’t imagine the players’ emotions and coaches’ emotions on their side of the ball.”

Bielema signed a new contract in December that boosts his salary to $6 million through 2028. Among his first tasks, aside from the ReliaQuest Bowl, is to fill three spots on his staff.

Walters, who directed the nation’s No. 1 scoring defense (12.3 points per game), was hired as Big Ten West rival Purdue’s head coach on Dec. 13. Walters took associate head coach Kevin Kane, running backs coach Cory Patterson and multiple team analysts with him to West Lafayette, Ind.

Bielema promoted defensive backs coach Aaron Henry to defensive coordinator — and Henry will have to piece together a secondary to face Mississippi State’s “Air Raid” offense that doesn’t include All-American cornerback Devon Witherspoon and All-Big Ten safety Sydney Brown.

Both declared for the NFL draft and opted not to play in the bowl game — as has Sydney’s twin brother, Chase, who finished the regular season as the nation’s No. 2 rusher with 1,643 yards.

Mississippi State must deal with its own roster shortages as 10 players moved into the transfer portal. Sophomore wideout Rara Thomas, who led the Bulldogs with 626 receiving yards (on 44 catches with seven touchdowns) announced his transfer to Georgia on Dec. 22. Dillon Johnson, the team’s No. 2 rusher with 488 yards, announced his departure four days before Leach’s death.

This marks the 13th consecutive season Mississippi State has capped its season with a bowl game — and the Bulldogs hold a 7-5 record since 2010.

Illinois hasn’t played in the postseason since its loss in the 2019 Redbox Bowl. The Illini are searching for their first victory since the 2011 Fight Hunger Bowl, when defensive coordinator/interim coach Vic Koenning directed a 20-14 win over UCLA after the firing of Ron Zook.

–Field Level Media

Ohio State’s blueprint for winning the College Football Playoff championship will be staring the No. 4 Buckeyes in the face when they play No. 1 Georgia in a semifinal game at the Peach Bowl in Atlanta on Saturday.

The Buckeyes (11-1) are coming off a 45-23 thrashing by second-ranked Michigan on Nov. 26 in Columbus, Ohio, and are only in the playoffs thanks to Southern California losing to Utah in the Pac-12 championship game, enabling Ohio State to be awarded the final spot.

Critics would say the Buckeyes don’t deserve a shot at the Bulldogs (13-0) after being manhandled by the Wolverines for the second year in a row.

Ohio State coach Ryan Day said his players understand their underdog role.

“I see a team that realizes that not a lot of people give us a chance,” he said. “We know what we’re in for, we know what the challenge is. Years and seasons and life doesn’t always go the way you plan. It’s about how you react to it and how you respond to it.

“As much as that (Michigan) loss hurts, we’re not going to overreact on it. It’s not worth it. We have a game against Georgia ahead of us that we’re focusing on.”

Day has never coached in the Peach Bowl, and he understands Kirby Smart and the Bulldogs have the perceived “home” edge in Atlanta. Smart played in the Peach Bowl twice and has also been a coach in the game.

This is Georgia’s second game in Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta this month. The Bulldogs whipped LSU, 50-30, on Dec. 3 to claim another SEC title.

All the Buckeyes wanted was another opportunity to redeem themselves, just as Georgia did a year ago. The Bulldogs lost 41-24 to Alabama in the 2021 SEC title game but as the No. 3 seed in the CFP downed No. 2 Michigan 34-11 before defeating No. 1 Alabama 33-18 for the national championship.

The Bulldogs have continued to dominate, beating LSU for their first conference crown since 2017.

“I feel like this year, coming off of a conference championship win we have worked harder than we did last year coming off of a loss,” Georgia wide receiver Kearis Jackson said. “It’s crazy because people may look at it as we’re complacent, we’re happy, it’s just another box we wanted to check, one of our goals. Our season is not complete yet. We still have goals that we want to reach. The Peach Bowl is the next thing we want to accomplish.”

The Bulldogs are second nationally in scoring defense (12.8) while the Buckeyes are 13th (19.2). Ohio State is second in scoring offense with 44.5 points a game compared to the Bulldogs’ 11th (39.2) in a matchup of Heisman Trophy finalists.

Ohio State’s C.J. Stroud led the nation in passer efficiency rating. He threw for 3,340 yards, 37 touchdowns and six interceptions but will be without receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba and running back TreVeyon Henderson due to injuries.

Even so, Marvin Harrison Jr. had 72 receptions for 1,157 yards and 12 touchdowns, and the Buckeyes have plenty of big-play ability.

“One of the most talented (receiver) groups we’ve faced,” Smart said. “When you combine it with the talent of the quarterback, it really grows because he has the ability to get the ball to him all parts of the field — vertically, horizontally, side to side.”

Stetson Bennett returned for a chance to win another title. He powered Georgia’s passing game with 3,425 yards, 20 TDs and six picks and is 27-3 as a starting quarterback. Bennett will look for Brock Bowers, the recipient of the John Mackey Award as the nation’s top tight end.

“Obviously he’s shown up big and that comes through in all the preparation that we do,” Bowers said of Bennett. “It’s his personality to show up in these bigger games and be able to perform on the biggest stages.”

Ohio State, playing in the Peach Bowl for the first time, is 3-3 in four previous CFP appearances, having won the inaugural championship after the 2014 season and finishing runner-up to Alabama in 2020 the last time they made the playoffs.

In the Buckeyes’ three wins they’ve averaged 44.3 points. In the losses they’ve averaged just 15.6.

Former Bulldogs coach Mark Richt, who was at the helm at Georgia for 15 seasons with six SEC division titles and a 145-41 record, will be honored with enshrinement to the Peach Bowl Hall of Fame along with former Miami (Fla.) playmaker Devin Hester.

Georgia is 3-1 in their two playoff appearances. In 2017, they lost to Alabama in the title game before last season’s triumph over the Crimson Tide.

The winner Saturday plays either Michigan or TCU for the championship in Inglewood, Calif., on Jan. 9.

–Field Level Media