Dak Prescott makes his swan song with Mississippi State (8-4) when he brings the Bulldogs on his back like he has all season to Charlotte, N.C. to face off against the NC State Wolfpack (7-5).
Bowl: Belk Bowl
Teams: N.C State Wolfpack vs Miss State Bulldogs
Date/Time: December 30, 2015 – 3:30 PM EST on ESPN
Location: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, NC
Vegas Line/Total: Miss State -5 / O/U 62
Written by: Adam Greene
Back in 2014 the Bulldogs flirted with being part of the national championship picture, but what a difference a year makes. Prescott continued to play sublime at the quarterback position, but he didn’t have much help from the rest of his team and ends up in the Belk Bowl after losing the season finale, 38-27, to archrival Ole Miss. Mississippi State lost to every ranked team it faced all year, losing to LSU, Texas A&M and Alabama in addition to dropping their Nov. 28 game against the No. 18-ranked Rebels.
The Wolfpack hasn’t fared well against ranked opponents either, losing all three of their chances against teams in the Top 25, including their end-of-season rivalry game against UNC. It was a bitter pill to swallow after opening the season 4-0, even if that was against the likes of Troy and Eastern Kentucky. NC State never won back-to-back games again the rest of the season.
7 – 5 Record – 6 – 6 Vs Spread Over – Under: 6 – 6 11/28/15 North Carolina L 34-45 L 3.5 O 65 |
8 – 4 Record – 7 – 5 Vs Spread Over – Under: 5 – 7 11/28/15 Mississippi L 27-38 L 2 U 65.5 |
December 26, 2014 – St. Petersburg Bowl – N.C State 34 – 27 C. Florida December 31, 2012 – Music City Bowl – N.C State 24 – 38 Vanderbilt December 27, 2011 – Belk Bowl – N.C State 31- 24 Louisville December 28, 2010 – Champs Sports Bowl – N.C State 23 – 7 West Virginia December 29, 2008 – PapaJohns.com Bowl – N.C State 23 – 29 Rutgers |
December 31, 2014 – Orange Bowl – Miss St 34 – 49 GA Tech December 31, 2013 – Liberty Bowl – Miss St 44 – 7 Rice January 1, 2013 – Gator Bowl – Miss St 20 – 34 N. Western December 30, 2011 – Music City Bowl – Miss St 23 – 17 Wake Forest January 1, 2011 – Gator Bowl – Miss St 52 – 14 Michigan |
NC State Outlook
Jacoby Brissett has had five years as a redshirt senior to develop into a decent quarterback and has put together a solid, if unspectacular final season. Brissett has completed 61.3 percent of his passes this year for 2,448 yards and 19 touchdowns, spreading the ball around to multiple receivers. His favorite target his tight end/h-back Jaylen Samuels, who’s averaging 9.4 yards per catch and hauled in 64 passes as he makes his case for an NFL position as a third-down safety valve. Samuels is good in the red zone, pulling in seven touchdowns this season.
Junior Matthew Dayes has scored 12 touchdowns and was averaging 6.5 yards per carry before a toe injury ended his season, With Shadrack Thornton dismissed from the team, the Wolfpack doesn’t have many healthy running backs. Freshman Reggie Gallaspy II will get the majority of the carries, though the team isn’t afraid to use Samuels as a runner.
On defense defensive end Mike Rose mad his case for an NFL career, racking up 10.5 sacks to go with his 15 tackles for a loss and 44 tackles. He also forced a fumble and had a fumble recovery. Rose probably won’t have to sit too long on day two of the draft.
If there’s one thing NC State can do it’s get after the quarterback. They have 28 sacks as a team this year with Bradley Chubb supplying 5.5 and freshman defensive end Darian Roseboro putting four notches on his gunbelt.
Mississippi State Outlook
Prescott is a one-man-show for the Bulldogs, leading the team in rushing and passing and if there was a way he could throw it to himself, he’d probably lead the team in receiving too. Prescott has 35 combined touchdowns, with 25 coming through the air to go along with his 3,413 yards. His 10 touchdowns on the ground make him this year’s Cam Newton without the supporting cast. He could be just as good for whichever NFL team pulls the trigger and drafts him at the end of the first round or the second.
Prescott has two solid targets and both guys know where the end zone is. De’Runnya Wilson has earned that first name, catching 55 passes for 822 yards and averaging 14.9 yards per catch. His nine touchdowns are impressive too and when you see that he’s 6-foot-5, 215 pounds, you wonder if he might make the call to go ahead and enter the draft after the Belk Bowl. Fred Ross may not have as fun a name as Wilson, but he’s got flypaper hands, catching 81 passes for 933 yards and four scores. Ross too could be wooed into playing on Sundays, especially with Prescott graduating.
Junior linebacker Richie Brown leads the defense in every way, with 101 tackles, 12 for a loss, 5.5 sacks, one pick, three passes defended and three quarterback hurries. The Bulldogs are great against the pass, can mount a formidable rush and have multiple players in the secondary that can make an opposing team’s quarterback pay for a mistake. Freshman Brandon Bryant may be the best of the bunch, with two picks and five passes defended this year to go with his 57 tackles and 1.5 sacks. If Mississippi State is susceptible to anything, it’s a power run game. They give up over 171 yards on the ground a game.
Match-up and Analysis
Analysis
Neither team can beat a ranked opponent so good thing neither of them enter this game ranked. Mississippi State opened the season in the conversation for the college football playoff, but reality and holes in their roster set in when facing real opposition. The bad news for NC State is, they have very little in common with the teams that beat the Bulldogs. Dak Prescott has an NFL career to get started and this game will give scouts and NFL teams a nice little preview of what he can do.
Prediction
To get further analysis from Ej the Rainmaker and Adam Greene, check out our audio preview of the Belk Bowl using the audio file below…
