TAMPA, FL – NC State closed its season with authority Saturday at Raymond James Stadium, riding a dominant first-half performance to a 31-7 victory over Memphis in the Union Home Mortgage Gasparilla Bowl.
The Wolfpack scored all 31 points before halftime, with quarterback CJ Bailey accounting for three touchdowns in a performance that showcased both his versatility and command of the offense. Bailey rushed for one score and threw for two more, finishing 14-of-25 for 221 yards through the air while adding a 14-yard touchdown run.
The victory marked NC State's first bowl win since 2017 and gave the program its eighth win of the season, the fifth time in six years the Wolfpack has reached that mark.
The scoring started early when Bailey capped a seven-play, 75-yard opening drive with his rushing touchdown at the 11:32 mark of the first quarter. Both of Bailey's pass attempts on the drive went for more than 20 yards before he kept it himself for the score, his sixth rushing touchdown of the season.
The Pack defense forced a three-and-out and a turnover on downs on Memphis's first two possessions. NC State converted the latter into points when Bailey found Wesley Grimes for a 31-yard touchdown strike at the 3:21 mark, giving the Wolfpack a 14-0 lead. Grimes absorbed a hard hit near the goal line but fought his way into the end zone for his third touchdown of the season.
The game's turning point came on Memphis's next possession. Quarterback Brendon Lewis completed passes to Marcello Bussey for gains of 24 and six yards to move into NC State territory. But on second-and-six from the NC State 49, Lewis's pass was tipped at the line and intercepted by linebacker Caden Fordham at the NC State 42.
Fordham, who would be named the game's MVP and become the first defensive player to earn that honor in Gasparilla Bowl history, sprinted 55 yards down the sideline before being brought down at the Memphis 3-yard line by Bryce Anderson. The return marked the second-longest by an NC State player in a bowl game since 2008.
Will Wilson finished the short drive two plays later, punching it in from one yard out for his 10th rushing touchdown of the season. The score came just 14 seconds into the second quarter, extending the lead to 21-0. Wilson's 10 rushing touchdowns tie him with Philip Rivers for the second-most in a season by an NC State quarterback, trailing only Scott Smith's 13 in 1979.
The Wolfpack added a 51-yard field goal by Kanoah Vinesett at the 8:03 mark of the second quarter to make it 24-0. The kick was a season-long for Vinesett, who finished the year 6-of-7 on field goal attempts and perfect from beyond 30 yards.
Memphis finally got on the board with a methodical eight-play, 75-yard drive that culminated in a 28-yard touchdown pass from Lewis to Jamari Hawkins with 4:59 remaining in the half, cutting the deficit to 24-7.
But NC State answered immediately. On the first play after the kickoff, redshirt freshman running back Jayden "Duke" Scott burst through the middle for a 35-yard run to the Memphis 40. Two plays later, Bailey threw deep to Teddy Hoffmann, who hauled in a 40-yard touchdown pass with 1:28 left in the half to push the advantage to 31-7. The touchdown was Hoffmann's third of the season, and the score in his home state of Florida capped a dominant first-half performance.
The 31 first-half points were the most for NC State in a half of a bowl game in the last 30 seasons, surpassing the previous high of 28 points. It was also the most scored in a half by any team in Gasparilla Bowl history and the fourth-most by an ACC team in any bowl game over the last 30 years.
The second half turned into a defensive struggle, with neither team able to reach the end zone. The two sides combined for five punts, four turnovers on downs, and a lost fumble. It marked the first time either team had been shut out in a half all season and the first scoreless half for NC State in a bowl game since a 14-0 victory over South Florida on New Year's Eve 2005.
Scott led all rushers with 108 yards on 19 carries in just his second collegiate start, averaging 5.7 yards per attempt. He became the fourth NC State player in the last 30 seasons to rush for 100 or more yards in a bowl game. Bailey added 30 rushing yards on seven attempts despite being sacked three times.
Wolfpack receivers averaged 15.8 yards per reception for the game, with eight different players recording catches of 15 or more yards. It was the first time NC State had eight or more players with a 15-plus-yard catch in the same game since 2010 at Georgia Tech and the first time an ACC team accomplished that feat in a bowl game since Maryland on New Year's Day 2004.
Grimes finished with three receptions for 48 yards and a touchdown, while Hoffmann's lone reception went for 40 yards and a score. Noah Rogers added two catches for 37 yards, and Dante Daniels contributed one reception for 22 yards.
Bailey became the only NC State player to have multiple passing touchdowns and a rushing touchdown in a bowl game in the last 30 seasons. He also became the first ACC player to record 200 or more passing yards, two or more passing touchdowns, and one or more rushing touchdowns in a bowl game since Trevor Lawrence in 2021. With 165 passing yards in the first half alone, Bailey became the seventh quarterback in NC State history to reach 3,000 passing yards in a season, finishing the year with 3,105 yards, good for ninth all-time in program history for a single season.
Fordham paced the defense with 13 tackles (five solo, eight assisted) to go along with his interception return, recording his ninth game of 10 or more tackles this season. The performance gave him 140 tackles for the year, the most in a season for NC State since Earl Wolff in 2012. As the leading tackler among Power Four conference players, Fordham also added 1.5 tackles for loss.
Linebacker Kenny Soares Jr. contributed 12 tackles, while Devon Marshall added eight stops and a pass breakup. Defensive end Joseph Adedire recorded a sack and recovered a fumble that Josiah Victor forced. Tra Thomas also had a sack, finishing off Memphis quarterback Brendon Lewis for an 11-yard loss in the second quarter.
Memphis quarterback Lewis completed 14 of 25 passes for 106 yards, one touchdown and one interception before giving way to AJ Hill in the fourth quarter. Hill went 6-of-7 for 48 yards in relief. Khyair Spain led the Tigers' ground game with 65 yards on nine carries.
NC State converted 5 of 13 third-down attempts and held Memphis to just 7 points, becoming the first ACC team to hold an opponent to seven or fewer points and win by 24 or more in a bowl game since Virginia in 2018. The 24-point lead entering the fourth quarter was the largest for NC State heading into a final period of a bowl game in the last 30 seasons, and the game marked the eighth straight contest decided by 10 or more points for the Wolfpack.
The victory improved head coach Dave Doeren's record to eight or more wins in seven of the last nine seasons. NC State finished 8-5 overall and 6-0 when leading at halftime this season.
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