Monday, December 26
Shreveport, La.
5 p.m. (ET)
NC State
7-6
41
vs
17
Vanderbilt
6-7
1st
2nd
3rd
4th
F
North Carolina State
0
14
14
13
41
Vanderbilt
3
0
7
7
17
Samuels Three TDs, Hines KOR Lead Pack to 41-17 Bowl Victory
12/26/2016 8:59:00 PM | Football
Final Stats | Photo Gallery
SHREVEPORT, LA. - Tight end Jaylen Samuels set an Independence Bowl record with three receiving touchdowns, and helped lead the Wolfpack to a 41-17 win over Vanderbilt in the 2016 Camping World Independence Bowl Monday night in Shreveport, La.
After falling behind 3-0, NC State got a pair of second quarter receiving touchdowns from Samuels (9 and 55 yards) and took a 14-3 lead into the half. The Pack opened the second half with back-to-back TD drives to push its lead to 28-3.
The Commodores scored back-to-back TDs of their own to close within 28-17 with 10:37 left, but Nyheim Hines took the ensuing kick 100 yards for the score, and Niles Clark got the Pack's third INT of the night and returned it for the final touchdown on the game's last play.
Samuels (offensive) and LB Airius Moore (defensive) were named the game's MVPs.
With the win, NC State has won two of its last three bowl games, and seven of the last 10 dating back to the 2002 season.
WOLFPACK SPOTLIGHT DRIVE - 1st half
7 plays, 41 yards, 3:30 - Ryan Finley 9-yard TD pass to Jaylen Samuels
After falling behind 3-0, the Pack took its first possession of the second quarter in for a TD. After a Trae Meadows interception, NC State went 41 yards in seven plays - culminating with a nine-yard Ryan Finley to Jaylen Samuels TD pass. On the drive, Finley was 4-of-4 for 33 yards.
WOLFPACK SPOTLIGHT DRIVE - 2nd half
4 plays, 18 yards, 1:52 - Reggie Gallaspy II 5-yard TD run
The Pack scored seven more points off a Vandy turnover to start the second half. On the first possession, safety Josh Jones picked off a pass and returned it 25 yards to set the Pack up in the red zone. RB Reggie Gallaspy II capped a four-play, 18 yard drive with a TD rush from five yards out. The score made it 21-3 NC State less then five minutes into the second half.
WOLFPACK STAT LEADERS
• QB Ryan Finley
19-of-30 for 235 yards and 3 TDs
• TE Jaylen Samuels
6 catches for 104 yards and 3 TDs
• WR Nyheim Hines
6 catches for 69 yards
118 kickoff return yards, including 100-yard TD
• LB Airius Moore
9 tackles, 2 sacks
NOTABLES
• The win was NC State's first over an SEC opponent since beating South Carolina in the second game of the 1999 season in Raleigh.
• The Pack's 41 points scored where the most in the last eight bowl games for NC State - 56 vs. Kansas in 2003.
• On his first defensive snap of the season, freshman nickel Trae Meadows picked off a Vanderbilt INT in the second quarter. Meadows had previously seen action in nine regular season games on special teams only. The INT resulted in the Pack's first TD of the game.
• For the second straight season TE Jaylen Samuels finished with seven receiving TDs. He has led the Pack in that category each of the last two seasons. For his career, he has 31 combined TDs, sixth-most in school history.
• Samuels' three receiving TDs in the game sets a new Independence Bowl record. QB Ryan Finley's three touchdown passes tied the bowl record.
• Samuels' total of 104 receiving yards was the second time this season he has finished with at least 100 in a game (Clemson - 100). NC State as a team had five different players combine for eight games over 100 yards receiving.
• Nyheim Hines' 100-yard kickoff return for a TD in the fourth quarter was only the third KOR for a TD in NC State bowl history - Greg Golden vs. Pittsburgh in 2001 and Tobias Palmer vs. Vandy in 2012. The return also ties and Independence Bowl and NCAA bowl record for the longest KOR.
• Defensive end Bradley Chubb finished his junior campaign with 22 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. His tackles for loss total is the second-most in school history in a single season, behind only Mario Williams' 27.5 in 2005, while his sack total ties as the third-most.
• NC State had a season-best three interceptions - Meadows, Josh Jones and Niles Clark.Â
SHREVEPORT, LA. - Tight end Jaylen Samuels set an Independence Bowl record with three receiving touchdowns, and helped lead the Wolfpack to a 41-17 win over Vanderbilt in the 2016 Camping World Independence Bowl Monday night in Shreveport, La.
After falling behind 3-0, NC State got a pair of second quarter receiving touchdowns from Samuels (9 and 55 yards) and took a 14-3 lead into the half. The Pack opened the second half with back-to-back TD drives to push its lead to 28-3.
The Commodores scored back-to-back TDs of their own to close within 28-17 with 10:37 left, but Nyheim Hines took the ensuing kick 100 yards for the score, and Niles Clark got the Pack's third INT of the night and returned it for the final touchdown on the game's last play.
Samuels (offensive) and LB Airius Moore (defensive) were named the game's MVPs.
With the win, NC State has won two of its last three bowl games, and seven of the last 10 dating back to the 2002 season.
WOLFPACK SPOTLIGHT DRIVE - 1st half
7 plays, 41 yards, 3:30 - Ryan Finley 9-yard TD pass to Jaylen Samuels
After falling behind 3-0, the Pack took its first possession of the second quarter in for a TD. After a Trae Meadows interception, NC State went 41 yards in seven plays - culminating with a nine-yard Ryan Finley to Jaylen Samuels TD pass. On the drive, Finley was 4-of-4 for 33 yards.
WOLFPACK SPOTLIGHT DRIVE - 2nd half
4 plays, 18 yards, 1:52 - Reggie Gallaspy II 5-yard TD run
The Pack scored seven more points off a Vandy turnover to start the second half. On the first possession, safety Josh Jones picked off a pass and returned it 25 yards to set the Pack up in the red zone. RB Reggie Gallaspy II capped a four-play, 18 yard drive with a TD rush from five yards out. The score made it 21-3 NC State less then five minutes into the second half.
WOLFPACK STAT LEADERS
• QB Ryan Finley
19-of-30 for 235 yards and 3 TDs
• TE Jaylen Samuels
6 catches for 104 yards and 3 TDs
• WR Nyheim Hines
6 catches for 69 yards
118 kickoff return yards, including 100-yard TD
• LB Airius Moore
9 tackles, 2 sacks
NOTABLES
• The win was NC State's first over an SEC opponent since beating South Carolina in the second game of the 1999 season in Raleigh.
• The Pack's 41 points scored where the most in the last eight bowl games for NC State - 56 vs. Kansas in 2003.
• On his first defensive snap of the season, freshman nickel Trae Meadows picked off a Vanderbilt INT in the second quarter. Meadows had previously seen action in nine regular season games on special teams only. The INT resulted in the Pack's first TD of the game.
• For the second straight season TE Jaylen Samuels finished with seven receiving TDs. He has led the Pack in that category each of the last two seasons. For his career, he has 31 combined TDs, sixth-most in school history.
• Samuels' three receiving TDs in the game sets a new Independence Bowl record. QB Ryan Finley's three touchdown passes tied the bowl record.
• Samuels' total of 104 receiving yards was the second time this season he has finished with at least 100 in a game (Clemson - 100). NC State as a team had five different players combine for eight games over 100 yards receiving.
• Nyheim Hines' 100-yard kickoff return for a TD in the fourth quarter was only the third KOR for a TD in NC State bowl history - Greg Golden vs. Pittsburgh in 2001 and Tobias Palmer vs. Vandy in 2012. The return also ties and Independence Bowl and NCAA bowl record for the longest KOR.
• Defensive end Bradley Chubb finished his junior campaign with 22 tackles for loss and 10.5 sacks. His tackles for loss total is the second-most in school history in a single season, behind only Mario Williams' 27.5 in 2005, while his sack total ties as the third-most.
• NC State had a season-best three interceptions - Meadows, Josh Jones and Niles Clark.
Samuels three TDs, Hines KOR lead @PackFootball to 41-17 Independence Bowl win over Vanderbilt!#BowlSTATEment pic.twitter.com/tp9gHJSNQ3
— NC State Football (@PackFootball) December 27, 2016
Team Stats
NSST
VANDY
Total Yards
376
314
Pass Yards
235
158
Rushing Yards
141
156
Penalty Yards
5
40
1st Downs
21
18
3rd Downs
8
6
4th Downs
0
2
TOP
29:48
30:12
1st Quarter
NSST 0, VANDY 3
VANDY - Tommy Openshaw 52 yd field goal 8 plays, 46 yards, TOP 4:12
2nd Quarter
NSST 7, VANDY 3
NSST - Samuels, J. 9 yd pass from Finley, R. (Haskins, C. kick) 7 plays, 41 yards, TOP 3:30
NSST 14, VANDY 3
NSST - Samuels, J. 55 yd pass from Finley, R. (Haskins, C. kick) 4 plays, 81 yards, TOP 0:50
3rd Quarter
NSST 21, VANDY 3
NSST - Gallaspy, R. 5 yd run (Haskins, C. kick), 4 plays, 18 yards, TOP 1:52
NSST 28, VANDY 3
NSST - Samuels, J. 17 yd pass from Finley, R. (Haskins, C. kick) 9 plays, 58 yards, TOP 2:28
NSST 28, VANDY 10
VANDY - Ralph Webb 30 yd run (Tommy Openshaw kick), 11 plays, 75 yards, TOP 4:36
4th Quarter
NSST 28, VANDY 17
VANDY - K. Blasingame 1 yd run (Tommy Openshaw kick), 3 plays, 4 yards, TOP 1:26
NSST 35, VANDY 17
NSST - Hines, N. 100 yd kickoff return (Haskins, C. kick)
NSST 41, VANDY 17
NSST - Clark, N. 32 yd interception ()
Game Leaders
Passing Leaders
CMP
19
TD
3
YDS
235
INT
0
CMP
0
TD
0
YDS
0
INT
0
Players Mentioned
DE
/ Football
NIC
/ Football
QB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
RB
/ Football
SAF
/ FootballNIC
/ Football
LB
/ FootballTE/FB
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