By George Eichorn
The Bowl season is upon us. In Detroit we have the 2022 Quick Lane Bowl at Ford Field on December 26. And for the University of Michigan there’s a very important trip to the Fiesta Bowl on New Year’s Eve for the National semi-finals. And Eastern Michigan University played December 20 in the Famous Idaho Potato Bowl.
Bowling Green State University of the Mid-American Conference battles New Mexico State University the day after Christmas at Ford Field downtown, 2:30 p.m. on ESPN. This marks the first appearance for both schools in the QL Bowl and the first-ever football game between the schools.
Bowling Green is 6-6 and 5-3 in MAC play. They didn’t win their first game of the season until week 3 by defeating Marshall University in overtime, 34-31. BGSU became Bowl-eligible for the first time since 2015 in game 11 by squeaking by the University of Toledo, 42-35. This is Bowling Green’s 14th bowl appearance and first under head coach Scot Loeffler.
FBS Independent New Mexico State is likewise 6-6 under first-year head coach Jerry Kill. After starting the season 0-4, Kill and the Aggies defeated Hawaii at home, 45-26, on September 24. Wins over UMass, Lamar and Liberty were big highlights for NM State on their road to Ford Field for the Quick Lane Bowl.
Tickets are still available at www.quicklanebowl.com or at the Ford Field Ticket Office, Monday through Friday, 10 a.m.-6 p.m. ESPN announcers are John Schriffen (play-by-play), Rene Ingoglia (analyst) and Tera Talmadge (sideline).
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The Michigan Wolverines make their second consecutive College Football Playoff Semifinal appearance on December 31 at the Vrbo Fiesta Bowl, State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Arizona. Kickoff is 4 p.m. on ESPN and WWJ-AM 950.
ESPN announcers are Sean McDonough (p-b-p), Todd Blackledge (analyst) and Molly McGrath and Tiffany Blackmon (sidelines). WWJ announcers are Doug Karsh (p-b-p), Jon Jansen (analyst) and Jason Avant (sideline). Brian Boesch and Jack Miller co-host pregame, halftime and post-game shows.
No. 2 Michigan plays No. 3 Texas Christian University (TCU) at the home of the NFL’s Arizona Cardinals. U-M has achieved its first 13-0 season under head coach Jim Harbaugh. It marks the fourth season in program history with at least 12 wins (1905; 1997; 2021). The program’s 25 wins over the last two seasons are a program-best in any two-year span.
Head coach Sonny Dykes takes 12-1 TCU to its first playoff semifinal game in his first year as head coach. The Wolverines won back-to-back Big Ten titles for the first time since 2003-04. But it wasn’t an easy ride in 2022.
Harbaugh flirted last winter with the Minnesota Vikings head coaching job before AD Ward Manual rewarded him with a new contract and more money. Harbaugh saw three of his assistant coaches leave the program: Josh Gattis, Mike MacDonald and Shaun Nua. Then came the quarterback battle between 2021 starter Cade McNamara and youngster J.J. McCarthy.
Michigan Stadium tunnel-gate reared its ugly head twice in Ann Arbor: first with Penn State and then Michigan State. Even criminal charges were filed by the county prosecutor. Weeks later, starting defensive lineman and co-captain Mazi Smith faced charges of driving with an unregistered handgun and ammunition. Finally, a season-ending injury to Heisman Trophy candidate running back Blake Corum and the NCAA portal departures of McNamara and tight end Erick All capped the drama at U-M.
Now, TCU awaits the Wolverines. A win over the Horned Frogs sends Harbaugh into the January 9, 2023 College Football Playoff National Championship game at SoFi Stadium (Los Angeles) against the winner of No. 1 Georgia/No. 4 Ohio State . Those two schools play New Year’s Eve in the Chick-fil-A Peach Bowl in Atlanta at 8 p.m.
Reach George Eichorn at geichorn@yahoo.com. Detroit’s Sports Broadcasters: On the Air by George B. Eichorn with an Introduction by Ernie Harwell | Arcadia Publishing Books
| Detroit’s Sports Broadcasters: On the Air by George B. Eichorn with an Introduction by Ernie Harwell | Arcadia Publishing BooksDetroit’s Sports Broadcasters: On the Air |
