Louisville vs. North Carolina St.: 5 Things We Learned from the Belk Bowl

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The 2011 Belk Bowl is over and the Louisville Cardinals and the North Carolina State Wolfpack represented their schools with pride.

Both teams went all out in a very exciting bowl game in Charlotte, North Carolina.

When all was said and done, the North Carolina State Wolfpack were the winners of the Belk Bowl, but there are things to take note of.

Here are five things that we learned from the Belk Bowl.

Mike Glennon Is a Good Quarterback

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All of the talk leading up to this game surrounded Louisville quarterback Teddy Bridgewater.

Bridgewater is an outstanding young talent, but it was Mike Glennon that stole the show. Glennon passed for over 260 yards and three touchdowns and was named the most valuable player of the bowl.

Bridgewater is a future star, but for now, Glennon deserves the credit.

Youth Is Not Served

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Louisville brought a very young and inexperienced team to the Belk Bowl and it showed.

They started off the game a bundle of nerves, and a costly interception stopped an otherwise decent opening drive.

In the two-minute drill at the end of the game, with a chance to tie the game, the offense sputtered, and Bridgewater took an unforgivable sack that basically ended the game.

The Cardinals will learn from this experience and be better for it, but for now, it hurt.

David Amerson Should Be a Household Name

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Do you know who David Amerson is?

You will after seeing highlights of the Belk Bowl.

Amerson is a cornerback for the Wolfpack that played a pivotal role in this game with two interceptions, including one that was returned for a touchdown.

He also broke an ACC record for most interceptions in a season and currently leads all of college football in with 13 interceptions. It seemed only fitting that his interception virtually ended the game.

Even the Honey Badger should take a back seat to Amerson.  

Future is Bright

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Both of these schools have a very talented core of players who will be coming back next season.

Regardless of the outcome of this game, fans should be proud of what transpired on the field tonight and look forward to a successful 2012.

Barring injuries or unforeseen circumstances, Louisville and North Carolina State should be vastly improved next year on the football field.  

Who Needs the BCS?

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When it comes to college football bowl season, the BCS bowls get all of the hype, but the Belk Bowl proved that smaller bowls can be just as exciting.

With over 58,000 fans on hand to see this great game, the Belk Bowl provided all the excitement and drama that a college football fan could ask for.

The game came down to the last minute and had plenty of big plays to keep the fans cheering and the highlight reels rolling.

The BCS may get all the headlines, but for tonight, the Belk Bowl is tops in college football.

 

 

James Brown is a B/R Featured Columnist and can be followed on Twitter here. Feel free to contact James at [e-mail].