The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
Wake Forest prevails in shootout; New Mexico State wins first bowl in 57 years
John Wolford threw for 400 yards and four touchdowns, and Matt Colburn ran for 150 yards and the go-ahead score in Wake Forest’s 55-52 victory over Texas A&M on Friday in the Belk Bowl.
The teams combined for 1,260 yards and 107 points, making it one of the highest-scoring games in bowl history.
Wolford, a four-year starter and the game’s Most Valuable Player, threw all four touchdown passes in the first half for Wake Forest (8-5). Colburn had a 1-yard touchdown with 2:18 left in the game to give the Demon Deacons the lead for good.
Wake Forest’s defense stopped the Aggies on downs on their final drive to seal the win, which was no easy task considering Texas A&M’s potent offense. Aggies quarterback Nick Starkel threw for a Belk Bowl-record 499 yards and four touchdowns — three of those to wide receiver Christian Kirk, who caught 13 passes for 189 yards.
“It was a crazy game” Wolford said. “We got up early and then fell behind. But I never had a doubt. This team has been through a lot, so a close game wasn’t going to faze us. And we got it done. That is what mattered most.”
Scotty Washington had nine catches for 138 yards and a touchdown for the Demon Deacons, while tight end Cam Serigne had nine catches for 112 yards and a score. Tabari Hines had eight receptions for 58 yards and two touchdowns.
Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said he had a feeling it would be a shootout.
“I thought it would be a high scoring game,” Clawson said. “I told our offensive coordinator before the game, ‘Go fast. I don’t know how much it’s going to take. ... Keep your foot on the gas.’ This game was going to come down to whoever could outscore the other team.”
Wake Forest spotted Texas A&M (7-6) a 14-point first quarter lead following a pair of special teams miscues, but rattled off 31 straight points in a span of 11 minutes, 16 seconds to take a 31-14 lead in the second quarter.
“After that first quarter, it felt like an old Western Athletic Conference shootout,” said Texas A&M interim coach Jeff Banks. “We wanted to stay positive with the kids and not get down on them. They were starting to get down in the first half. We got down three scores, and I was like, ‘guys, there’s nine minutes left in the second quarter.’ We’re going to get this back and get it to a one-score game.” yards on 16 carries for North Carolina State (9-4). The Wolfpack played in their fourth consecutive bowl game and sixth in seven years under coach David Doeren.
Reggie Gallaspy added 79 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries for the Wolfpack, Ryan Finley completed 24 of 29 passes for 318 yards and a score, and Stephen Louis had three catches for 115 yards.
Arizona State (7-6) played its final game under fired coach Todd Graham, with former NFL coach Herm Edwards taking over the program.
Manny Wilkins was 25-of-40 for 352 yards and three touchdowns for the Sun Devils. He also threw three interceptions. Arizona State won its previous three Sun Bowl appearances — in 1997, 2004 and 2014.
North Carolina State played without standout defensive end Bradley Chubb. Chubb, a projected top-10 pick in the NFL draft. The school announced a few hours before the game that he wouldn’t play.
It marked the second year in a row that the biggest star at the game didn’t play. Last year, Stanford running back Christian McCaffrey skipped the game.
The Wolfpack shut down the Sun Devils, limiting them to 10 points through three quarters. and linebacker Paddy Fisher before halftime when he was ejected for targeting.
Northwestern (10-4) still finished off back-to-back bowl wins in consecutive years for the first time in program history, and the Wildcats notched their second 10-win season in three years under Coach Pat Fitzgerald. The senior class also won its 27th game for the best stretch in more than a decade.
Kentucky (7-6) had a chance to win after Fitzgerald tried to convert his fifth fourth down of the game only to turn it over for the fourth time on downs this time at his own 39 with 2:31 left. Johnson ran for his second touchdown of the second half with 37 seconds left. Kentucky coach Mark Stoops went for the two-point conversion rather than play for overtime, but Johnson couldn’t connect with Tavin Richardson on the pass.
With quarterback Clayton Thorson knocked out early in the second with a right knee injury, Northwestern outran Kentucky, 333-65. Safety Kyle Quiero provided the winning margin taking Northwestern’s second interception 26 yards for a touchdown with 7:49 left.