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College Football
BOXSCORE | RECAP
North Carolina State 34, Central Florida 27
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, December 26, 2014
Where: Tropicana Field, St. Petersburg, Florida
Temperature: Dome
Head Official: Don Willard
Attendance: 26675

North Carolina State 34, Central Florida 27: Matt Dayes rushed for two touchdowns and Jacoby Brissett threw for 262 yards and a score as the Wolfpack withstood a late rally by the Knights in the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl.

Shadrach Thornton rushed for 96 yards and threw an 18-yard TD pass for North Carolina State (8-5), which outgained the Knights 487-373 in total yards and won its first bowl game since 2011. Dayes had 13 carries for 78 yards while Johnathan Alston had 58 receiving yards, including a 37-yard score, as the Wolfpack closed by winning four of their final five games.

Justin Holman was 23-of-53 for 291 yards with three touchdown passes to Josh Reese and an interception for UCF (9-4), which saw its three-game bowl win streak come to an end. The Knights, who came in ranked fifth in the nation in rushing defense at 97.4 yards per game, allowed a season-high 187 yards on the ground, with most of the damage coming in the third quarter.

North Carolina State used a trick play to move ahead 7-3 midway through the first quarter as Brissett tossed the ball back to Thornton, who threw an 18-yard TD pass to Samuels. Holman opened the second quarter with a 6-yard TD pass to Reese, but the Wolfpack took a 17-10 lead into the break on Brissett’s scoring strike to Alston and Niklas Sade’s 19-yard field goal.

The Wolfpack took control in the third quarter as Dayes capped a 75-yard drive with a 24-yard TD run and later added a 15-yard scoring run to extend the lead to 31-13. Holman connected with Reese on two touchdown passes in the fourth quarter, including a 2-yard pass with 1:44 remaining, but the Wolfpack sealed the win after recovering the ensuing onside kick.

GAME NOTEBOOK: William Stanback rushed 12 times for 38 yards for UCF, which was held to 82 yards on the ground. … Brissett completed 15-of-26 passes while Bo Hines led North Carolina State with 79 receiving yards, including a 45-yard catch, and also threw a 20-yard pass early in the fourth quarter. … Breshad Perriman had nine receptions for 138 yards for the Knights, who closed the regular season with four straight wins.
Top Game Performances
Rushing
North Carolina State   Central Florida
Shadrach Thornton Player William Stanback
17 Attempts 12
96 Yards 38
5.6 Avg Yards 3.2
0 Touchdowns 0
0 Long 0
Receiving
North Carolina State   Central Florida
Bo Hines Player Breshad Perriman
3 Receptions 9
79 Yards 138
26.3 Avg Yards 15.3
0 Touchdowns 0
0 Long 0
Team Stats Summary
 
  Yards Scoring Defense
Team Tot Rus Pas TD FG INT Sck FF
North Carolina State 487 187 300 4 2 1 2.0 0
Central Florida 373 82 291 3 2 0 3.0 2