Looking for another eight-win season, the NC State football team fell short Wednesday, losing to the Mississippi State Bulldogs, 51-28 in the Belk Bowl in Charlotte.
MSU (9-4, 4-4 SEC) quarterback Dak Prescott set Belk Bowl records in passing yards (380), total yards (427) and passing touchdowns (four). As a team, the Bulldogs outgained the Wolfpack (7-6, 3-5 ACC) 569-424 and set a Belk Bowl record in points scored. Additionally, MSU scored 20 unanswered points in the second half to cement the victory.
“He’s a great quarterback, arguably the best player [Mississippi State] has ever had,” head coach Dave Doeren said. “Look at his yardage, the way he handles himself and the way he runs the ball.”
The game started off miserably for the Wolfpack. Brissett got hit as he threw on the first play from scrimmage and the pass was intercepted by linebacker Gerri Green. The Bulldogs capitalized on a 14-yard touchdown pass from Prescott to wide receiver Fred Ross to take an early 7-0 lead.
“They gained a possession,” Doeren said. “It hurts to put our defense in that position that early in the game. That was the opposite of what we were hoping for in the first quarter.”
With 3:49 left in the first quarter, Brissett threw another pick, only his second two-interception game with the Wolfpack and the third of his career. MSU then went 67 yards in just 18 seconds on passes to wide receiver De’Runnya Wilson to take a 14-0 lead.
“We didn’t win the turnover battle,” graduate defensive end Mike Rose said. “You gotta win the turnover battle, especially when it’s raining. [Prescott] fumbled the ball two or three times, but we couldn’t pick it up.”
NC State marched down the field to the opposing 32-yard line, but turned it over on downs. This led to a 4-play, 68-yard drive for the Bulldogs, capped off by a 33-yard reverse to wide receiver Fred Ross to take a 21-0 leads with 12:17 left in the half.
The Wolfpack finally got something going with a pass from Brissett to sophomore tight end Pharoah McKever for the wide open 82-yard catch-and-run touchdown to close the gap 21-7. This was the second-longest play in Belk Bowl history.
This created a temporary shift in momentum, as junior cornerback Niles Clark intercepted Prescott’s pass on the next drive at NC State’s 43-yard line. The Pack then went on a 4-play, 57-yard drive capped off by a 48-yard touchdown rush on a fourth down jet sweep by Jaylen Samuels to bring the team within one score.
However, the Bulldogs fired back with a 9-play, 74-yard drive, when Prescott fumbled the ball into the endzone but guard Justin Malone recovered it for the touchdown to expand the lead 28-14.
Kicker Westin Graves kicked a 39-yard field goal to give MSU a 31-14 lead with 14 seconds left in the half.
For the Bulldogs, Wilson and Ross combined for 137 yards and three touchdowns in the first half. For the Pack, Brissett completed only 3-of-9 passes, but ran the ball 12 times for 22 yards.
Both teams sputtered to start the second half. However, the Pack got something going on its second drive, going 65 yards in seven plays with Brissett scoring on a 3-yard rush to cut into the lead, 31-21. The score was set up largely by a 40-yard pass to junior wide receiver Jumichael Ramos.
MSU responded with a 15-play, 75-yard that lasted a game-high 5:58, with running back Brandon Holloway catching a 10-yard pass to score the Bulldogs’ first touchdown of the half. However, Graves missed the extra point to keep it a two score game, 37-21.
Two drives later, Prescott threw a 55-yard catch-and-run touchdown pass to Hollway to give MSU a 44-21 lead with 9:41 remaining in the game.
On the Bulldogs’ next drive, running back Aeris Williams scored on a 33-yard run to give them a 51-21 lead, all but ending the game.
Freshman wide receiver Nyheim Hines led the team with 12 rushes for 69 yards. Ramos led the Pack in receiving, catching five passes for 75 yards.
The Wolfpack loses some valuable seniors, but brings back a lot of talent as it looks to remain competitive in the 2016 season.
“[NC State’s football program] is not where I want it to be right now, but there’s a lot of room for improvement,” Samuels said. “We just gotta take it into the offseason and work as hard as we did last season so we can get better.”
Receiver Fred Ross kicks the pylon while getting hit by Redshirt Sophomore Josh Jones on a 33 yard touchdown run in the 2nd quarter. The NC State defense forced 1 turnover but gave up 569 yards and 26 first downs. The Wolfpack lost to the Mississippi State Bulldogs in the Belk Bowl 51-28 at Bank of America Stadium on December 30, 2015.