Aggies return to practice ahead of Dec. 26 Quick Lane Bowl

LAS CRUCES - The 2022 Quick Lane Bowl is the second time New Mexico State head coach Jerry Kill has been involved in the Dec. 26 bowl game at Ford Field in Detroit.

The Aggies play Bowling Green from the Mid American Conference on ESPN in Kill's first season as head coach in Las Cruces.

Kill started the 2015 season as the head coach at Minnesota, but resigned after seven games in October due to health reasons. Longtime Kill assistant coach Tracy Claeys was named the interim coach before the school named him head coach two weeks later.

Minnesota finished the 2015 season 5-7 and were selected to play in the Quick Lane Bowl, where the Gophers beat Central Michigan in the Quick Lane Bowl.

"I was on the sideline," Kill said after Wednesday's NM State practice. "I might have been coaching."

Since two Big Ten teams are in the College Football Playoffs, the Aggies were slotted in the Quick Lane Bowl to replace the league that Kill once coached in.

"I had a great bowl experience there," Kill said. "People were great there. Anything that has the Big Ten on, they are going to make it good and we replaced a Big Ten team."

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Quarterback Diego Pavia "90 percent" after injury

Players were off following their Dec. 3 victory over Valparaiso, where quarterback Diego Pavia had 323 passing yards and four touchdowns before limping off with a hamstring injury.

Pavia practiced on Wednesday and Kill said he expects the junior college transfer to be on the field in Detroit.

"He will be ready to play unless he has a setback," Kill said. "We are going to be really careful with him and everything. We have to give (freshman Gavin Frakes) a few more reps."

Pavia said he has been rehabbing both in Las Cruces and in Albuquerque, where he went home last week after finals.

"Today was just really getting back into things," Pavia said. "It's really just working on the neck up and all of the mental stuff that we are getting prepared for."

Pavia's mobility could be a key for the Aggies against Bowling Green's defensive front, which has led the way for a defense that had 37 sacks.

"Being back home and spending some time with family, I had a chance to rest it and now I'm able to go," Pavia said. "We are working on ourselves and then we have our game plan for Bowling Green. We are going to develop a great game plan. It relay just comes down to executing it."

Kill not worried about the punting game

Josh Carlson was arguably one of the Aggies best players in 2022 from the punter position.

Last week, Carlson announced he was entering the transfer portal and followed with an announcement that he is transferring to Arizona State.

Carlson averaged 40.5 yards per punt on 56 punts this season, but Kill said his departure did not come as a surprise.

Coffeyville Community College transfer George Eberle will handle the punting duties against Bowling Green. Eberle did not punt this season, but did handle three kickoffs for the Aggies this season at Liberty.

"He (Eberle) has been kicking and doing everything," Kill said. "We aren't going to have a huge dropoff. I'm glad that George is here, there is no question about that.

"The only reason Josh left is because of his major. We don't have sports management so there was nothing he could do about it. He was talking about this back in the middle of the year so we understand that."

Jason Groves can be reached at 575-541-5459 or jgroves@lcsun-news.com. Follow him on Twitter @jpgroves.

This article originally appeared on Las Cruces Sun-News: Aggies return to practice ahead of Dec. 26 Quick Lane Bowl