By Mariana Smith

POP-TARTS BOWL GAME NOTES

https://gopack.com/documents/2023/12/18/NC_State_Pop_Tarts_Bowl_Guide.pdf

Orlando, Fla. – The NC State Wolfpack closes out its season Thursday against Kansas State in the Pop-Tarts Bowl from Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Fla. Kickoff is slated for 5:45 p.m., and the game will be broadcast on ESPN.
No.18 NC State (9-3) enters the Pop-Tarts Bowl riding a five-game winning streak, and a victory over Kansas State (8-4) would give the Wolfpack its second season in program history to win at least 10 games and first, since 2002 when they won 11 ending the season with a win also in Florida in the Toyota Gator Bowl over Notre Dame.

The Pop-Tarts Bowl marks NC State’s 36th bowl qualification and will mark its 35th bowl game played. It’s the ninth bowl qualification during head coach Dave Doeren‘s 11 seasons with the Wolfpack. NC State posts a 17-16-1 all-time bowl record and a 5-3 bowl record under Doeren, who has led NC State to more bowl games than any coach in school history. (The 2021 Holliday Bowl was canceled on game day)
NC State has never played in a bowl that involved Pop-Tarts, but the Wolfpack has played four other bowl games in what is now Camping World Stadium, posting a 3-1 mark in those games.

The Wolfpack has qualified for bowls in nine of the past 10 seasons. That is tied as the second-best mark in the ACC in that time frame (Clemson has qualified for bowls in 10 straight years and Miami is tied with the Pack for bowl bids in nine of the past 10 years).

For the first time in school history, the Wolfpack has now won eight or more games in four consecutive seasons. In the Power 5 conferences, there are only four other teams who can lay claim to that boast: Georgia, Alabama, Notre Dame and Clemson. Under head coach Dave Doeren, the Wolfpack has posted six seasons with eight or more wins.

NOTING THE PACK

• Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren is now the winningest coach in school history with 81 wins at NC State.

• LB Payton Wilson is the 2023 recipient of the Butkus Award for the nation’s top linebacker and the Bednarik Award, given to the nation’s top defensive player. Wilson leads the ACC in tackles (11.5/game). That mark ranks fifth in the FBS.

• In all, the Wolfpack defense ranks in the top 25 of the FBS in 10 defensive categories.

• The Wolfpack was ranked No. 18 in the final CFP rankings of 2023. That marks ties as the highest final ranking ever.

• True freshman receiver KC Concepcion, one of the top rookies in the country, is a finalist for the Shaun Alexander Award. He has more touchdown grabs than any true freshman in the FBS this year with 10 – that mark ranks 14th in the FBS.

• NC State is 24-for-25 inside the 10-yardline this season (19 TDs, 5 FG). One of those unsuccessful trips was at the end of the Wake Forest game as time ran out.

• The Wolfpack ranks 18th in the FBS in team sacks and third in interceptions.

COURTESY NC STATE ATHLETIC COMMUNICATIONS