The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
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had the football at the NC State 22-yard line. Quarterback Austin Kendall had just engineered a 75-yard, touchdown-scoring drive on the Bulldogs' previous possession, and Tech, after taking over at its own 11 with 2:56 remaining, was threatening for a potential tying score. Up to that point, Kendall — a Charlotte native who originally signed with Okla- homa out of high school before transfer- ring and starting at West Virginia — had thrown for 341 yards and three touchdowns in what proved to be one of the top passing performances by a quarterback against the Wolfpack this year. On the final play, however, NC State sophomore safety Jakeen Harris made sure there would be no late-game heroics from Kendall. Louisiana Tech wideout Tre Har- ris looked like he might have been open for a second near the back of the end zone, but Jakeen Harris stepped in front of him for the interception while time expired. To make the moment even sweeter, Oct. 2, the date of the game, is Jakeen Har- ris' birthday. Offensive Breakout Player(s) Of The Year For three years, Trent Pennix struggled to break through at the crowded running back position. He had 36 carries for 125 yards, and most of the impact he made was at receiver, where he had 16 receptions for 165 yards and three scores. NC State's offensive coaches made the decision to move the 6-3, 236-pounder to tight end in the spring. The transition proved slow. Through the first six games The rumblings were loud in the week following the conclusion of the regular season that NC State would be playing in the San Diego County Credit Union Holiday Bowl. That speculation proved accurate Dec. 5 when bowl bids were formally announced. The Wolfpack will play UCLA from the Pac-12 in San Diego on Dec. 28. The game is set for an 8 p.m. ET kickoff on FOX and will be played at Petco Park, home of the San Diego Padres. This is the first year that the ACC is being represented in the Holiday Bowl, which has a steep tradition. Typically, the bowl had featured matchups between the Pac-12 and Big 12 or Big Ten. In 38 of its 42 Holiday Bowl editions, the contest has featured a ranked team. NC State football has only played UCLA twice in its history, losing both times in Los Angeles in 1959 and 1960 when the legendary Roman Gabriel was quar - terbacking the Wolfpack. It will be the first time NC State has traveled to the West Coast for a bowl. To date, the farthest west the Pack has been for a postseason contest is Tucson, Ariz., where it was defeated by Arizona, 17-10, in the 1989 Copper Bowl. The last time the Pack played a Pac-12 team is also the only other time it played one in a bowl contest besides the Copper Bowl. That was when it routed Arizona State, 52-31, in the 2017 Hyundai Sun Bowl in El Paso, Texas. UCLA went 8-4 overall and 6-3 in its league this season. The Bruins ended the year on a three-game win - ning streak, during which they scored at least 42 points every contest, all Pac-12 games, and won by 24 or more points in each victory. That included a 62- 33 romp over archrival Southern Cal Nov. 20. UCLA also owns an early-season 38-27 home win over LSU. It will be the Bruins' first bowl trip under re- nowned head coach Chip Kelly, who was hired in 2017. Kelly coached four seasons at Oregon, leading the Ducks to an appearance in the 2010 national championship game, before leaving in 2013 for an unsuccessful three-year stint in the NFL as the head coach of the Philadelphia Eagles. Kelly then coached one season in 2016 with the San Francisco 49ers before returning to the college game. This is the seventh bowl game for NC State in nine years under head coach Dave Doeren. The Pack is 3-3 in its previous bowl trips with Doeren but will be looking to snap a two-game skid. Top Five Bowl Payouts These are the bowl games with the high- est payouts. Note that the New Year's Six bowls share with the playoff revenue pool. Alamo Bowl $8,252,740 Citrus Bowl $8,224,578 Holiday Bowl $6,532,700 Outback Bowl $6,400,000 Texas Bowl $6,400,000 NC State Bowl History Season Bowl Game Site Opponent Result 2020 TaxSlayer Gator Jacksonville, Fla. Kentucky L, 21-23 2018 TaxSlayer Gator Jacksonville, Fla. Texas A&M L, 13-52 2017 Hyundai Sun El Paso, Texas Arizona State W, 52-31 2016 Independence Shreveport, La. Vanderbilt W, 41-17 2015 Belk Charlotte Mississippi State L, 51-28 2014 Bitcoin St. Petersburg, Fla. Central Florida W, 34-27 2012 Music City Nashville, Tenn. Vanderbilt L, 24-38 2011 Belk Charlotte Louisville W, 31-24 2010 Champs Sports Orlando, Fla. West Virginia W, 23-7 2008 PapaJohns.com Birmingham, Ala. Rutgers L, 23-29 2005 Meineke Car Care Charlotte South Florida W, 14-0 2003 Mazda Tangerine Orlando, Fla. Kansas W, 56-26 2002 Toyota Gator Jacksonville, Fla. Notre Dame W, 28-6 2001 Visit Fla. Tangerine Orlando, Fla. Pittsburgh L, 34-19 2000 MicronPC.com Miami, Fla. Minnesota W, 38-30 1998 Micron PC Miami, Fla. Miami L, 46-23 1994 Peach Atlanta, Ga. Mississippi State W, 28-24 1993 Hall of Fame Tampa, Fla. Michigan L, 42-7 1992 Gator Jacksonville, Fla. Florida L, 27-10 1991 Peach Atlanta, Ga. East Carolina L, 34-27 1990 All-American Birmingham, Ala. Southern Miss W, 31-27 1989 Copper Tucson, Ariz. Arizona L, 17-10 1988 Peach Atlanta, Ga. Iowa W, 28-23 1986 Peach Atlanta, Ga. Virginia Tech L, 25-24 1978 Tangerine Orlando, Fla. Pittsburgh W, 30-17 1977 Peach Atlanta, Ga. Iowa State W, 24-14 1975 Peach Atlanta, Ga. West Virginia L, 13-10 1974 Astro-Bluebonnet Houston, Tex. Houston T, 31-31 1973 Liberty Memphis, Tenn. Kansas W, 31-18 1972 Peach Atlanta, Ga. West Virginia W, 49-13 1967 Liberty Memphis, Tenn. Georgia W, 14-7 1963 Liberty Philadelphia, Pa. Mississippi State L, 16-12 1947 Gator Jacksonville, Fla. Oklahoma L, 34-13 NC State Headed West For Bowl Game JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022 ■ 27