North Carolina State University Athletics
Kansas To Face NC State in Mazda Tangerine Bowl
11/29/2003 12:00:00 AM | Football
Nov. 29, 2003
By Tony Haynes
Raleigh, N.C.-The match-up is now set for the Mazda Tangerine Bowl, which will be played at 5:30 p.m. in Orlando on December 22. After accepting an invitation to play in the bowl earlier in the week, NC State learned today that it will meet Kansas, which was officially given the nod as the Big 12 Conference representative. After posting a 6-6 mark this season, the Jayhawks became bowl eligible for the first time since 1995. This will mark just the second meeting between the two schools. The first came in the 1973 Liberty Bowl, a game won by NC State, 31-18.
NC State (7-5, 4-4) will be making its fourth consecutive postseason appearance under Chuck Amato, who joins Lou Holtz as the only coaches in school history to take their first four teams to bowl games. Amato, a former Wolfpack linebacker, was an assistant on Holtz's staff back in the early 1970's.
Kansas, a school known more for its tremendous success in basketball, put itself in a position to go bowling by pounding Iowa State in its final regular season game last week, 36-7. The key player for the Jayhawks this season has been mobile quarterback Bill Whittemore, who connected on 62.6 percent of his passes (139-of-222) in nine games for 2,142 yards, 16 touchdowns and just four interceptions.
Before Whittemore went down with a shoulder injury back on October 25, Kansas was 5-2. The Jayhawks then proceeded to lose four games in a row before Whittemore's return sparked their impressive showing against Iowa State.
A former associate head coach at Oklahoma, Kansas head coach Mark Mangino owns an 8-16 mark in two years with the Jayhawks. Overall, Kansas finished 7th in the Big 12 in scoring offense (29.8 ppg.), fourth in pass offense (257), and fifth in total offense (418). Those conference rankings aren't bad considering that two of the nation's best offensive units - Texas Tech and top-ranked Oklahoma - also reside in the Big 12.
Defensively, the Jayhawks rank sixth in scoring defense (28.3), fifth in pass defense (196), tenth in rushing defense (196.6) and sixth in total defense (392.6).
NC State will be returning to the Mazda Tangerine Bowl for the second time in the last three years. In 2001, the Wolfpack was unable to overcome a rash of mistakes in a 34-19 loss to Pittsburgh. The Pack was also hampered by key injuries sustained by All-ACC linebacker Levar Fisher and starting wide receiver Bryan Peterson early in that contest.
NC State's bowl record under Amato is 2-1.
The Mazda Tangerine Bowl will also be the last game for the Wolfpack's seniors, including the ACC's all-time leading passer Philip Rivers, two-time All-conference receiver Jerricho Cotchery and All-ACC tackle Sean Locklear.
The Wolfpack Radio Network will hit the airwaves with its broadcast of the game at 4:30 p.m. The contest will also be televised nationally on ESPN.
