2014 NC STATE FOOTBALL BOWL GUIDE / XXXX 1

BOWL REVIEWS
2014 BITCOIN
ST. PETERSBURG BOWL
DECEMBER 26, 2014
NC STATE 34 • UCF 27
ST. PETERSBURG, FLORIDA • TROPICANA FIELD
One of the hottest teams in the nation, NC State finished off
its 2014 campaign winning the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl
34-27 win over the UCF Knights. The Wolfpack won its final
three games, four of the final five overall, and won eight games on the season - an
improvement of five games.
The second-largest crowd in Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl history (26,675), was
played in front of a large pro-UCF crowd. Tropicana Field is just a two-hour drive
from UCF’s Orlando campus.
After UCF opened with a field goal, the Pack responded with a touchdown to take
an early 7-3 lead. The Pack went 75 yards (29 rush, 46 pass) in nine plays, finished
off with running back’s Shadrach Thornton’s first career passing attempt going for a
19-yard score to freshman Jaylen Samuels.
Bpth teams traded touchdowns in the second quarter, and an NC State 19-yard field
goal gave the Pack a 17-10 halftime lead.
Building upon its halftime lead, the Pack came out and dominated on both sides of
the ball in the third quarter to take a three-score lead. In the opening quarter of the
seconds half, the Pack outgained UCF 180-24, using 128 rushing yards and a pair of
running scores from Matthew Dayes to take a 31-13 lead into the fourth quarter.
Another Niklas Sade field goal put the Pack up 34-13 early in the fourth, but UCF
scrapped back into the contest with a pair of fourth quarter passing TDs, but it was
too late to catch the Pack.
The Pack won its final three games of the season for the first time since 2011, and
for only the third time dating back to 1998. NC State has finished with eight wins
for only the seventh time in the last 22 years. NC State head coach Dave Doeren
became only the fourth NC State head coach to win his first bowl game as the NC
State head coach, joining Chuck Amato, Bo Rein and Lou Holtz.
SCORING SUMMARY 1 2 3 4 F
UCF 3 7 3 14 27
NC State 7 10 14 3 34
UCF - Moffitt 40-yard field goal, 10:06 in 1st
NCS - Samuels 8-yard pass from Thornton (Sade kick), 6:11 in 1st
UCF - Reese 6-yard pass from Holman (Moffitt kick), 12:34 in 2nd
NCS - Alston 37-yard pass from Brissett (Sade kick), 9:05 in 2nd
NCS - Sade 19-yard field goal, 3:16 in 2nd
NCS - Dayes 24-yard run (Sade kick), 11:55 in 3rd
UCF - Moffitt 36-yard field goal, 5:45 in 3rd
NCS - Dayes 15-yard run (Sade kick), 3:05 in 3rd
NCS - Sade 45-yard field goal, 12:37 in 4th
UCF - Reese 14-yard pass from Holman (Moffitt kick), 11:01 in 4th
UCF - Reese 2-yard pass from Holman (Moffitt kick), 1:44 in 4th
TEAM STATISTICS UCF NCS
First downs 21 26
Rushes-yards 28-82 49-187
Passing yards 291 300
Comp-Att-Int 23-53-1 17-28-0
Total Off. Plays-Yds 81-373 77-487
Fumbles-Lost 0-0 2-1
Penalties-Yards 3-30 6-34
Punts-Avg. 6-42.8 4-46.5
Time of Possession 26:09 33:51
3rd Down Conversions 7-20 6-15
4th Down Conversions 3-4 0-0
Red Zone Scores 4-4 3-4
INDIVIDUAL LEADERS
Rushing - (UCF) Stanback 12-38
(NCS) Thornton 17-96
Passing - (UCF) Holman 23-53-291, 3 TDs, 1 INT
(NCS) Brissett 15-26-262, 1 TD
Receiving - (UCF) Perriman 9-138
(NCS) Hines 3-79
ATTENDANCE: 26,675
2012 MUSIC CITY BOWL
DECEMBER 31, 2012
VANDERBILT 38 • NC STATE 24
NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE • LP FIELD
Mike Glennon threw for 383 yards and one touchdown - the
second-highest ever for a Wolfpack quarterback in a bowl
game, but Vanderbilt’s Jordan Rodgers threw two TD passes
and ran for another score as the Commodores defeated NC
State 38-24 in the Music City Bowl.
Offensive coordinator Dana Bible served as interim head coach for the contest,
which snapped a two-game bowl winning streak for NC State. The Wolfpack had
a 424-225 advantage in total offense, but costly turnovers gave the game to
Vanderbilt.
Vanderbilt forced a season-high five turnovers, including four in the first half, and
turned those into 17 points.
This was the 27th bowl for NC State, which had won its last two postseason games.
But a team that ranked second in the Atlantic Coast Conference in turnovers couldn’t
overcome its own mistakes, which also included a bad shotgun snap that cost the
Wolfpack 21 yards on the opening drive.
The Commodores took control from the opening drive, moving 65 yards for a touchdown
that put them ahead to stay. Officials initially called Chris Boyd out of bounds,
but the video review showed the sophomore got the toes of his right foot down for
a 5-yard TD pass from Rodgers.
Vanderbilt turned the Pack’s third turnover into a touchdown, making it 14-0 in the
second quarter. Stacy, the school’s all-time leading rusher, scored on a 6-yard run
with 10:08 left.
Tony Creecy responded with a 1-yard TD run for the Wolfpack. But Vanderbilt stuck
with the wildcat, and Wesley Tate scored on a 7-yard TD run for a 21-7 lead with 3:47
left in the second.
Tobias Palmer, who struggled catching the ball on his first two kickoff returns,
caught the next cleanly and ran untouched 94 yards for a TD that made it 21-14.
Rodgers tossed his second TD pass, a screen that Matthews took 18 yards to the end
zone, to restore the 14-point lead and make it 28-14 at the break.
The teams exchanged fields goals to start the second half scoring, but Rodgers ran
for a 15-yard TD with 5:11 left that sealed the victory. Glennon added a late 15-yard
TD pass to Rashard Smith for the game’s final margin.
SCORING SUMMARY 1 2 3 4 F
Vanderbilt 7 21 3 7 38
NC State 0 14 0 10 24
VAN - Boyd 5-yard pass from Rodgers (Spear kick), 9:51 in 1st
VAN - Stacy 6-yard run (Fowler kick), 10:08 in 2nd
NCS - Creecy 1-yard run (Sade kick), 6:18 in 2nd
VAN - Tate 7-yard run (Spear kick), 3:47 in 2nd
NCS - Palmer 94-yard kickoff return (Sade kick), 3:35 in 2nd
VAN - Matthews 18-yard pass from Rodgers (Fowler kick), 0:41 in 2nd
VAN - Spear 30-yard field goal, 9:39 in 3rd
NCS - Sade 24-yard field goal, 14:56 in 4th
VAN - Rodgers 15-yard run (Spear kick), 5:11 in 4th
NCS - Smith, R. 19-yard pass from Glennon (Sade kick), 2:06 in 4th
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