Belk Bowl – Mississippi State Bulldogs vs. North Carolina State Wolfpack

Georgia defeated Louisville 37-14 in last season’s game. Mississippi State defensive back Taveze Calhoun (23) pursues. The Belk Bowl has one of the best Twitter accounts to follow in college football and stands out among its bowl peers. MSU’s opponents have fumbled 12 times.

The Mississippi State coach couldn’t hold back tears as he talked about his senior quarterback, Dak Prescott.

In the end, North Carolina State didn’t beat a team that made a bowl game and its seven wins came against teams with a combined record of 30-53, according to STATS.

The rainy weather may have put a damper on attendance at Charlotte’s Belk Bowl Wednesday between Mississippi State and North Carolina State. So they don’t have the opportunity – they forfeit the opportunity and the privilege to be a part of the game.

NC State would get two unanswered touchdowns to make a game of it in the second quarter, but that was until Prescott did what he’s done throughout his career and led the Bulldogs to 10 unanswered points to close the half and take a 31-14 lead into halftime. Aaron Murray holds the SEC record with 13,562 yards for Georgia from 2010 through 2013, and Tim Tebow had 12,232 for Florida from 2006 through 2009.

The challenge for N.C. State is finding a way to play better defense against the better teams on its schedule. Ten N.C. State players are listed as being from Charlotte…. 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.

Prescott, one of the most prominent players in the SEC and school history, completed 25 of 42 passes on his way to becoming the fourth player in FBS history to throw for 9,000 yards and run for 2,500 yards. Aaron Murray had 137 for Georgia from 2010 through 2013. But it’s nothing new for NC State, which ended the regular season the same way by giving up 35 points to North Carolina in the first quarter. Mardye McDole holds the MSU record with 1,035 receiving yards in 1978.

Two plays later, that led to Prescott’s 28-yard touchdown toss to De’Runnya Wilson.

Bulldogs senior quarterback Dak Prescott, the game’s most valuable player, had four touchdowns and exposed the inconsistency that resonates throughout the ACC. Picking off a Wolfpack pass, the Bulldogs created and capitalized on turnovers immediately, with Prescott hitting Fred Ross on a 14-yard pass to go ahead 7-0 with 1:33 elapsed.

Joel Stave completed 18 of 27 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown without an interception and Corey Clement rushed for 66 yards and a score for Wisconsin.

Prescott played one of his best games of the season, and the Bulldogs were able to move the ball at will through the air. The impact of the rain was felt from the very beginning, as NC State quarterback Jacoby Brissett lost control of a short pass on the first drive, floating the ball well short of his target and into the hands of a Mississippi State defender.