The 2023 Quick Lane Bowl features the 7-5 Bowling Green Falcons against the 5-7 Minnesota Golden Gophers. Here is the 2023 Quick Lane Bowl Preview.
Bowling Green won seven games to make their second straight bowl game. They defeated one bowl-eligible team this season: Georgia Tech. The Falcons only lost to teams that qualified for bowl games.
They score 25.8 points per game, ranking them 79th in the country. The Falcons pass for 186.1 yards (ranked 108th) and rush for 142.2 yards per game (ranked 86th).
Former Missouri and Indiana quarterback Connor Bazelak played most of the snaps for the Falcons at quarterback. He passed for 1,714 yards, 11 touchdowns and seven interceptions on 61 percent completion. Five pass-catchers have over 200 yards on the season. Tight end Harold Fannin leads the team with 573 yards and six touchdowns.
Two running backs do most of the work on the ground for Bowling Green. Terion Stewart leads the team with 762 yards and eight touchdowns. Ta’Ron Keith is the team’s second-leading receiver and rusher, but he is in the transfer portal.
Defensively, the Falcons give up 23.5 points per game, which ranks them 47th in the country. They allow 137.2 rushing yards (ranked 41st) and 192.7 passing yards per game (ranked 25th). Linebacker Darren Anders leads the team with 83 total tackles. Cashius Howell has a team-high 9.5 sacks. Jalen Husky and Jordan Oladokun are tied for the team lead with four interceptions.
Minnesota won just five games, but qualified for a bowl game because they weren’t enough 6-6 teams to fill the slots. They defeated three bowl-eligible teams: Eastern Michigan, Louisiana and Iowa. The Golden Gophers lost to Purdue and Illinois, teams that didn’t make a bowl game.
P.J. Fleck’s squad scores 20.2 points per game, ranking them 116th. They pass for 153.2 yards (ranked 126th) and rush for 149.4 yards per game (ranked 79th).
Athan Kaliakmanis has been the starting quarterback for the Golden Gophers, but he is in the transfer portal. No other quarterback completed a pass this season. They have three players with over 200 receiving yards on the season. Daniel Jackson leads the team with 831 receiving yards and eight touchdowns.
Four running backs have over 200 rushing yards on the season. Zach Evans is in the transfer portal, but Darius Taylor, Jordan Nubin and Sean Tyler are still with the team after having 591, 535 and 242 rushing yards respectively.
On defense, Minnesota concedes 26.9 points per game, ranking 68th in the country. They allow 154.7 rushing yards (ranked 73rd) and 219.2 passing yards per game (ranking 58th). Minnesota’s leading tackler is Jack Henderson with 56. Danny Striggow has the team-high with six sacks. Safety Tyler Nubin has four passes defended and five interceptions as one of the best players at his position in the country.
The quarterback position may be an issue for Minnesota, but they should be able to run the ball decently on Bowling Green. Minnesota’s defense should be able to handle the pass, making it easier to load the box and stuff the run.
Minnesota Golden Gophers 21 Bowling Green Falcons 14
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