First Glance: North Carolina State Wolfpack

What You Need to Know:

• NC State went 9-3 on the season (5-3 ACC). The week 4 matchup with West Virginia was cancelled by a hurricane, but NC State was able to reschedule with ECU to close out the season. The Wolfpack had three losses, two on the on the road against Clemson and Syracuse and close one against Wake Forest at home.
• NC State ranks 6th in the NCAA in passing yards per game at 327.7 yards. A&M has already played number 5 (Ole Miss - W) and number 7 (Alabama - L) on the passing yards per game list this season.
• NC State is currently 30th in the college football S&P. With an offense that is 21st and a defense that is 52nd.
• A&M is currently 19th overall, while sitting at 19th offensively, and 42nd on defense.
• Midnight Yell will be held December 30th inside Sneakers Sports Grille located at 111 Beach Blvd., Jacksonville Beach, FL 32250

Betting Lines:

• The lines opened with A&M as a -4.5 favorite. The lines have moved to A&M at -7.
• North Carolina State is 6-6 against the spread this season; while A&M is 8-4 ATS.

Players Out:

• NC State: 2 starters - Germaine Pratt - LB (Draft); Kevin Harmon - WR (Draft)
• Texas A&M: 2 starters - Donovan Wilson - S (Surgery); Otara Alaka - LB (Surgery)

Historical Notes:

• Texas A&M and NC State have never played before.
• This is NC State’s fourth appearance in the Gator Bowl and has a 1-2 record so far. The win came in 2003 against Notre Dame.
• This is A&M’s second appearance in the Gator Bowl and lost the previous game against Tennessee in 1957.
• Famous NC State Alumni include Phillip Rivers, Russel Wilson, James Goodnight, Bill Cowher, Spud Webb, Vinny Del Negro, and Jill Wagner.
• NC State does not have a live mascot (EDIT - See below); however, the Wolfpack may have the only married mascots. NC State has Mr. Wuf and Mrs. Wuf, who make up the Wolfpack. The couple were married in 1981 during halftime of a basketball game against Wake Forest with Wake Forest’s Demon Deacon presiding over the ceremony. In 2011, the happy couple renewed their vows with the Demon Deacon presiding once again. I love College sports.
• UPDATE: From the comments I have learned that NCSU does have a live mascot. Tuffy is a crossbreed of differnt dogs to get a wolf-like body. In 2016, Tuffy II was introduced. There is a video in the last link with Tuffy II as an adorable puppy.

Wolf Pack Players to Watch:

Reggie Gallaspy II - RB - 5’11” 235 pounds

Gallaspy has rushed for 1,012 yards on 214 carries. He is currently 4th in the NCAA in rushing touchdowns with 18 on the season. He had 5 in the UNC game. He also has 1 additional receiving touchdowns.

Ryan Finley - QB - 6’4” - 214 pounds

Finley currently leads all ACC quarterbacks in total passing yards with 3789 yards with a 24 to 9 TD to interception ratio. He had 4 touchdowns against Louisville. Finley will be without Kevin Harmon’s 81 catches for 1,186 yards and 7 touchdowns, but will look to Jakobi Meyers (89 receptions) and Emeka Emezie (47 receptions) to step up for the Wolfpack receivers.

Media Blitz:

• Venue: TIAA Bank Field, Jacksonville, FL
• Channel: ESPN
• Game Time: 6:30 PM CT

Weather:

• The forecast for Monday night appears to be partly cloudy with lows getting into the low 60s.