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NOTING THE PACK<br />
<strong>BOWL</strong>ED OVER<br />
The Belk Bowl marks <strong>NC</strong> State’s 29th postseason appearance and its 11th<br />
bowl game since 2000. The Wolfpack posts a 15-12-1 overall record in postseason<br />
bowls and is 7-3 in its last 10 outings.<br />
THE PACK IN THE BELK <strong>BOWL</strong><br />
THE PACK IN BANK OF AMERICA STADIUM<br />
In addition to the two bowl games the Wolfpack has played in Bank of<br />
America Stadium, its also played four regular season contests in that venue.<br />
The Wofpack closed out the regular season versus East Carolina in Charlotte<br />
in 1996 (L, 29-50) and in 2005 (W, 52-14). In 1998 and 1999, <strong>NC</strong> State and<br />
U<strong>NC</strong> moved their matchup to the stadium. The Wolfpack fell in both of<br />
those contests, a 34-37 overtime shootout in Torry Holt’s last regular season<br />
game and a 6-10 loss the following year.<br />
<strong>NC</strong> State will open the 2017 campaign at BoA Stadium versus South Carolina<br />
in the Belk College Kickoff Game.<br />
NO PLACE LIKE HOME FOR THE HOLIDAYS<br />
T.J. Graham had 7 catches for 116 yards and 2 TDs against Louisville in the 2011 Belk Bowl<br />
This season marks the third time <strong>NC</strong> State has played a bowl game in Bank<br />
of America Stadium. The Wolfpack won the 2011 Belk Bowl, 31-24, vs. Louisville<br />
and defeated South Florida there in 2005 in what was then called the<br />
Meineke Car Care Bowl.<br />
In 2005, <strong>NC</strong> State turned in a storybook ending to a rollercoaster season<br />
with a 14-0 victory over South Florida on New Year’s Eve. The defense, led<br />
by bowl MVP Stephen Tulloch (Detroit Lions), shut out the Bulls in USF’s first<br />
bowl game appearance in school history. It marked the only shutout in a<br />
bowl that year and the first ever by the Wolfpack.<br />
<strong>NC</strong> State scored 24 unanswered points in the second and third quarters to<br />
overwhelm Louisville in the 2011 win. Quarterback Mike Glennon (Tampa Bay<br />
Bucs), who completed 21 of 33 passes for 264 yards and three touchdowns,<br />
was named the MVP of the game.<br />
<strong>STATE</strong> VS. <strong>STATE</strong><br />
It’s been 20 years since the Wolfpack and the Bulldogs met on the gridiron,<br />
however the 2015 Belk Bowl will mark the first of three matchups between<br />
the two teams in the next six years.<br />
<strong>NC</strong> State and Mississippi State have scheduled a home and home series in<br />
the next few years. The Bulldogs will visit Raleigh in 2020 and the Wolfpack<br />
will travel to Starkville in 2021.<br />
The 2015 Belk Bowl will mark the third time the two teams have faced off in<br />
a postseason bowl. The Wolfpack defeated the Bulldogs 28-24 in the 1994<br />
Peach Bowl in the last meeting and lost to MSU in the 1963 Liberty Bowl in<br />
Philadelphia (that weather for that contest was 19º with a 17 mile-per-hour<br />
wind!).<br />
Here’s a glance at past matchups between the two schools:<br />
Date Site Res. Score<br />
10/25/1930 Raleigh W 14-0<br />
10/31/1931 Starkville W 6-0<br />
10/26/1940 Raleigh L 10-26<br />
12/21/1963 Philadelphia, Pa. (LibertyBowl) L 12-16<br />
1/1/1994 Atlanta, Ga. (Peach Bowl) W 28-24<br />
Ten Wolfpack players call the Queen City their hometown.<br />
Not only does playing in the Belk Bowl give more <strong>NC</strong> State fans the opportunity<br />
to see their Wolfpack in action, but it will also give a large percentage of<br />
the Wolfpack roster a chance to play in or near their hometown.<br />
Ten players on the <strong>NC</strong> State squad call Charlotte their hometown, while<br />
several others are from the surrounding areas.<br />
Name, Pos Hometown High School<br />
Tony Adams, OG Charlotte Independence<br />
Garrett Bradbury, OG Charlotte Charlotte Christian<br />
Naquan Brown, WR Charlotte W. Mecklenburg<br />
Ben Garnett, LS Charlotte Rocky River<br />
Vernon Grier, CB Charlotte Mallard Creek<br />
Tyler Griffiths, LS Monroe Sun Valley<br />
B.J. Hil, DT Oakboro W. Stanley<br />
Jalan McClendon, QB Charlotte W. Mecklenburg<br />
Stephen Morrison, WR Weddington Weddington<br />
Emmanuel Olenga, DE Charlotte Olympic<br />
Darian Roseboro, DE Lincolnton Lincolnton<br />
Jaylan Samuels, TE/FB Charlotte Mallard Creek<br />
Mike Stevens, CB Davidson Davidson Day<br />
Jack Tocho, CB Charlotte Independence<br />
Philip Walton, OT Charlotte Charlotte Christian<br />
ON TARGET<br />
The 2015 Belk Bowl will feature two senior quarterbacks who are among the<br />
most selfish in college football. <strong>NC</strong> State’s Jacoby Brissett and Mississippi<br />
State’s Dak Prescott have not given the ball away to their opponents this<br />
season - as each is among the national leaders in fewest interceptions<br />
thrown.<br />
This season, 44 FBS quarterbacks have attempted at least 350 passes. Of<br />
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