Wolfpack and Bulldogs Square off In Belk Bowl

Game Day Central | Bank of America Clear Bag Policy

Game 13: NC State Wolfpack (7-5) vs. Mississippi State (8-4)
December 30, 2015 • 3:30 p.m.
Charlotte, N.C. • Bank of America Stadium (73,298)

TV: ESPN/ESPN3 | Radio: Wolfpack Sports Network, Sirius 80, XM 80
Game Notes | @PackFootball Twitter | Ask the Analyst

CHARLOTTE, N.C. - Charlotte has been good for NC State and NC State has been good for Charlotte, so when the opportunity for a Belk Bowl-Wolfpack reunion presented itself, the fit was natural. In previous bowl victories at Bank Of America Stadium in 2005 (then the Meineke Car Care Bowl) and 2011, the Pack played good football and did so in front of large crowds.

Another large, throaty throng of Wolfpack fans is expected again on Wednesday when NC State (7-5) tangles with Mississippi State (8-4) at 3:30 p.m. It will mark the 14th straight year a postseason bowl game has been played in vibrant uptown Charlotte.

"I know our players are really looking forward to playing in Charlotte," said State head coach Dave Doeren. "We have 15 players from the Queen City and it's a big deal to them. It's a great city for football, so from a recruiting standpoint there are a lot of state championship programs in Charlotte and across the state line in South Carolina. Our players are excited about playing in the Belk Bowl and against an opponent like Mississippi State."

In many respects, the two teams have been similar this season. Both feature productive senior quarterbacks, both defenses yielded big plays in their losses, and both are trying to atone for end of season defeats to their respective archrivals.

While NC State couldn't overcome a big first quarter hole against North Carolina back on November 28th, Mississippi State found itself in a similar situation that same day, falling behind Ole Miss 21-0 in the first period before eventually falling, 38-27.

For one of the few times in what was an otherwise brilliant season, Bulldogs quarterback Dak Prescott made a couple of crucial mistakes that directly led to Rebel touchdowns. A Prescott fumble on Mississippi State's opening possession was followed two series later by a pick-six that gave Old Miss a 21-0 advantage.

Based on the evidence, however, those errors were an aberration. Prescott, generally considered the best player in program history, threw 435 passes with only four interceptions during the regular season. NC State's Jacoby Brissett was nearly as efficient, throwing only four picks in 367 pass attempts.

Not only did Prescott complete 67 percent of his throws for 3,413 yards and 25 touchdowns this season, he also led the Bulldogs in rushing with 541 yards. Brissett connected on 61 percent of his tosses for 2,448 yards and 19 scores.

Both players have been praised by their respective coaches for their toughness and leadership skills. The two signal-callers got to know each other at the Manning Passing Academy last summer.

"He's a really good player," Brissett said. "He was at the Manning Passing Academy with me this summer and I got a chance to see him throw. I don't think it's going to come down to us. I think it's going to come down to our whole teams to see how everybody handles the bowl trip and the business aspect of it and being ready to play. We need go out there and try to win for our teams."

Dan Mullen, in his seventh season as the head coach a Mississippi State, employs a no-huddle spread offense that best takes advantage of Prescott's duel threat talents. The Bulldogs' offensive style will likely remind Wolfpack fans of similar schemes run by Clemson and North Carolina. Those two teams also featured duel-threat quarterbacks, who hurt defenses with their arms and legs.

Some have compared Prescott to Clemson's Deshaun Watson, who finished third in the Heisman Trophy voting.
"They are similar," Doeren said. "I think Deshaun Watson is a little more involved in the quarterback run game just because they dialed him up more in some of the downhill stuff they do at Clemson. They do similar things within their systems. They're both big and they're both accurate. I think Deshaun's down-field accuracy is the best in the country, but I don't think Dak's is poor by any means. He throws a good deep ball as well."

Prescott was also running for his life the last three weeks of the season. Mississippi State gave up nine sacks against Alabama on November 14 and yielded seven more in the game against Ole Miss.

NC State's ability to continue that trend could hold the key for a Pack victory on Wednesday.

"B.J. Hill (tackle) can have a great game," said NC State defensive end Mike Rose, who ranked second in the ACC with 10.5 sacks in the regular season. "I think this would be a great game for B.J. Hill to make a statement going into next season. "[Defensive end] Bradley Chubb is a great player. Those two guys are moving to the next level as players, and I think they're going to have great seasons next year and I think they're going to have a great game. I'm not shy about myself, but I'm not going t talk about me. I think we'll all play well."

Both defenses are likely happy to have a chance to redeem themselves after stumbling at the finish line. The Bulldogs gave up 243 yards rushing in the loss to Ole Miss, while the Wolfpack allowed 374 yards on the ground in the season finale against UNC.

For NC State, this game offers up an opportunity to match last year's win total, while also adding a victory over a respected program from the highly-touted SEC.

"It would be a big statement, but at the same time we played a lot of top-25 teams," Rose said. "UNC was a top-25 team, Louisville before the season was top-25, and Clemson is the number one team in the country. Those are three of our losses. We've played some good football and we've played some really good teams. At the end of the day, the SEC is the SEC. They're considered the premiere conference, so a win against one of their better teams would be good for us."

Wednesday's contest will be a bowl rematch between two schools who faced off against each other in the 1994 Peach Bowl, a game that was won by NC State, 28-24. The two programs have scheduled home-and-home matchups for the future, with Mississippi State visiting Raleigh in 2020 and the Wolfpack making a return trip to Starkville the next year.

This will mark NC State's 29th postseason bowl appearance. The Wolfpack owns an all-time bowl record of 15-12-1, but has prevailed in seven of its last 10 bowl outings.

"Winning is important, period," said Doeren, who guided State to a victory over Central Florida in last year's Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl in Florida. "As a coach, you coach to be victorious, not to lose. I don't think it's going to set our program back one way or the other because we're going to come back and we're going to have some goals that we have to get after and meet. Our offseason is going to be like last offseason; it's a different bunch of kids in the room and you've got to get better and find a way to answer some of the things that aren't solid in your program. This game won't define us one way or the other, but it would give us a better taste in our mouth moving forward. We'd love to get this win, there's no doubt."

Wednesday's 3:30 p.m. kickoff will be preceded by Wolfpack Sports Network coverage, which begins at 1:30 p.m. In the second hour of the pregame show shortly after 2:30 p.m., former NC State All-American and color analyst Johnny Evans takes your questions about Pack football on 'Ask the Analyst.' Send Johnny a question on Twitter/@packradio or by clicking here.

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Players Mentioned

Jacoby Brissett

Bradley Chubb

B.J. Hill

Mike Rose