Prescott, Mississippi State top NC State 51-28 in Belk Bowl

Georgia defeated Louisville 37-14 in last season’s game. Mississippi State WR Fred Ross led all Power 5 Conferences with 41 catches in November. The Bulldogs have been susceptible to the run, but the extra time to prepare should suit them well.

What the win means for Mississippi State: Nick Saban wasn’t 100 percent accurate when he lamented on Wednesday how we’ve entered an era where it’s playoff-or-bust when determining whether a season was successful or not.

Belk Bowl recap, score and key stats for the Bulldogs and Wolfpack.

Before the Belk Bowl, N.C. State coach Dave Doeren lamented that temporary lapses and mental breakdowns cost his team this season.

NC State had a decent season and ended the season losing 2 of their last 3 games. Now the betting odds for the game have the Bulldogs favored to pick up a win by a comfortable margin. Jacoby Brissett is the quarterback for NC State who is completing 61.3% of his passes for 2448 yards, 19 touchdowns, and 4 interceptions. The main problem for N.C. State this season was each of their losses were to teams better than they were, not once did they beat a team that was very good. The Wolfpack fought in its rivalry game against North Carolina, but the Tar Heels did put 45 points on the board in their victory.

Injuries along MSU’s offensive front before the Egg Bowl forced Dan Mullen to mix and match. The teams hadn’t met since 1966, and two of USC’s wins in the series were in the Rose Bowl, in 1953 and 1963.

Dak Prescott’s 427 yards of total offense was a Belk Bowl record. Danny Wuerffel had 122 for Florida from 1993 through 1996.

NC State closed the year at 7-6. Mardye McDole holds the MSU record with 1,035 receiving yards in 1978.

Prescott needed only two passes of 39 and 28 yards, both to De’Runnya Wilson, to extend the lead.

Mississippi State’s Dak Prescott (15) looks to pass against North Carolina State during the first half of the Belk …

4 Players in NCAA FBS history have at least 60 passing TDs and 40 rushing TDs, including Mississippi State QB Dak Prescott. Tim Tebow, under the guidance of then-assistant Dan Mullen, also accomplished the feat, as did Central Michigan’s Dan LeFevour and Nevada’s Colin Kaepernick.

4 Victories in seven bowl meetings with ACC teams for Mississippi State. NC State’s defense is better than average, so it’s certainly no gimme the Bulldogs will be able to top the 30-point mark. – NC State RB Nyheim Hines ran 13 times for a game-high 70 yards, and returned six kicks for 129 yards. The Wolfpack will try to register eight wins for the second straight year, while Mississippi State looks to post back-to-back seasons with nine or more wins for the first time in school history.