NC State
8-5
UCF
9-4
Pack Wins 2014 Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl, 34-27
12/27/2014 12:00:00 AM | Football
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| 34 | Attendance: 26,675 | 27 |
Photo Gallery | Final Stats
ST. PETERSBURG, FLA. - One of the hottest teams in the nation, NC State finished off its 2014 campaign winning the 2014 Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl with a 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.
Building upon its 17-10 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 Matt Dayes to take a 31-13 lead into the fourth quarter.
WOLFPACK DRIVE OF THE GAME - 1st Half
9 plays, 75-yard TD drive on first offensive possession.
For the ninth time in the 13 games this season, the Pack took its opening possession down the field and put points on the scoreboard. 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.
WOLFPACK DRIVE OF THE GAME - 2nd Half
9 plays, 75-yard TD drive on first offensive possession.
Just like the opening drive of the first half, the Pack took its opening possession of the third quarter and went 75 yards in nine plays to extend upon its halftime lead to 24-10. Matt Dayes found a hole in the middle of the field and went 24 yards for his seventh rushing score of the season.
FROM THE LOCKER ROOM
NC State head coach Dave Doeren: I want to say thank you to the players. They played their butts off. The rest of coaches did a great job and the players made it all possible. I'm really proud of all our players.
TOP WOLFPACK PERFORMANCES
• QB Jacoby Brissett - MVP of 2014 Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl
15-of-26 for 262 yards and 1 TD; 14 carries for 31 yards
• Running Backs Shadrach Thornton & Matt Dayes
Thornton: 17 carries, 96 yards - Dayes: 13 carries, 78 yards, 2 TDs
• Pack's 3rd quarter defense
NC State held UCF to just 24 total yards of offense in 3rd quarter (11 rush, 13 pass)
• Safety Josh Jones
3 tackles, 1 INT
• CB Jack Tocho
3 tackles, 3 PBUs (2 in 4th quarter deep in Pack territory)
• PK Niklas Sade
2 field goals (19, 45) and four extra points; 6 of 7 kickoffs went for a touchback
NOTABLES
• 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.
• For the second time in Doeren's two seasons, a non-QB threw a TD pass when Shadrach Thornton found Jaylen Samuels for a 19-yard score on the Pack's first drive. Last year, WR Rashard Smith had a 49-yard TD pass against Boston College.
• The TD pass by a non-QB was the first in a Pack bowl game since Ledel George (FB) throw a 52-yard score in the 1992 Peach Bowl.
• With UCF closing the score to 34-20 and in Wolfpack territory in the fourth quarter, safety Josh Jones recorded his team-leading fourth interception of the season.
• With his 37-yard TD pass in the second quarter, QB Jacoby Brissett finished the year with 23, the seventh-most in a single season in NC State history. The lone game he failed to throw a TD pass this season was the shutout loss at Clemson.
• PK Niklas Sade improved upon the three school records he broke during the season: most points in a career (332), most career extra points (167), and most career field goals made (55).
• 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.
TWEET OF THE GAME
Pack downs UCF 34-27 to win final 3 games of 2014 season, 4 of final 5 overall - +5 game improvement! #STATEment pic.twitter.com/p73x2zBQQD
-- NC State Football (@PackFootball) December 27, 2014
Team Stats
ST 0, UCF 3
UCF - MOFFITT, Shawn 40 yd field goal 12 plays, 52 yards, TOP 4:54
ST 7, UCF 3
ST - Samuels, J. 18 yd pass from Thornton, S. (Sade, N. kick) 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:55
ST 7, UCF 10
UCF - REESE, Josh 6 yd pass from HOLMAN, Justin (MOFFITT, Shawn kick) 10 plays, 67 yards, TOP 3:25
ST 14, UCF 10
ST - Alston, J. 37 yd pass from Brissett, J. (Sade, N. kick) 8 plays, 78 yards, TOP 3:29
ST 17, UCF 10
ST - Sade, N. 19 yd field goal 9 plays, 74 yards, TOP 4:52
ST 24, UCF 10
ST - Dayes, M. 24 yd run (Sade, N. kick), 9 plays, 75 yards, TOP 3:05
ST 24, UCF 13
UCF - MOFFITT, Shawn 36 yd field goal 8 plays, 15 yards, TOP 3:04
ST 31, UCF 13
ST - Dayes, M. 15 yd run (Sade, N. kick), 7 plays, 75 yards, TOP 2:40
ST 34, UCF 13
ST - Sade, N. 45 yd field goal 5 plays, 23 yards, TOP 1:29
ST 34, UCF 20
UCF - REESE, Josh 14 yd pass from HOLMAN, Justin (MOFFITT, Shawn kick) 5 plays, 75 yards, TOP 1:36
ST 34, UCF 27
UCF - REESE, Josh 2 yd pass from HOLMAN, Justin (MOFFITT, Shawn kick) 10 plays, 70 yards, TOP 1:12
