Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl 2014: Game Grades, Analysis for NC State vs. UCF
The North Carolina State Wolfpack raced out to an 18-point lead behind a highlight-reel effort from quarterback Jacoby Brissett and hung on to beat Central Florida 34-27 in the Bitcoin St. Petersburg Bowl.
The star junior transfer from Florida stole the show for much of the game. Then, a thunder-and-lightning rushing attack from Shadrach Thornton and Matt Dayes stretched the lead.
NC State needed every bit of the cushion, too, as UCF quarterback Justin Holman led the pesky Knights back, but an onside kick wasn't recovered late, and the Wolfpack capped their comeback season with an 8-5 record. The Knights fell to 9-4.
| Pass Offense | A+ | A |
| Run Offense | C- | B |
| Pass Defense | C+ | C |
| Run Defense | B+ | A |
| Special Teams | A | B |
| Coaching | A | B |
NC State Game Analysis
Pass Offense
Brissett continued the resurrection of his career to cap off a season that saw him throw 23 touchdowns and just five picks. As he has much of the year, Brissett evaded pressure with his nimble feet, stepped up in the pocket and found various receivers for big gains. He was calm, poised and competitive.
Though he didn't put up massive numbers, he was extremely effective, and he had a near-perfect game other than taking a sack at the end of the first half that cost the Pack points.
Run Offense
Following a stagnant first half when it seemed Brissett was the only real ground threat, the Pack found their sea legs after the break. In a dominant third quarter, Thornton and Dayes combined to take UCF out of the game.
The duo wound up rushing for 174 combined yards, and Brissett added more than 30 of his own. Dayes had two scoring runs, and the Pack wound up with 187 rushing yards. The 3.8 average wasn't great, but there were big plays all night.
Pass Defense
Justin Holman got his passing yards and (frustratingly) had three touchdown passes to Josh Reese, but the Pack did get an interception from Josh Jones. Also, Holman threw the ball 53 times, but he was nowhere near completing 50 percent of his passes and still didn't get to 300 yards. Yeah, there were some big plays NCSU would like to have back, but it was still a stellar performance.
Run Defense
Any time you can hold a rushing offense as good as UCF's to fewer than 100 yards, that's a strong showing. Star runner William Stanback wound up with just 12 carries for 38 yards as the Pack took UCF's running game completely out of the game.
Special Teams
As excellent as Niklas Sade was, he gets docked a little for missing the 47-yard field goal that would have iced the game and put it out of reach. Yeah, that's a little tough to dock a kicker for missing one so long, but that was a big one, and he's the best kicker in the history of the school. Wil Baumann averaged 46.5 yards over four punts. All in all, a good night.
Coaching
Dave Doeren had a perfect game plan for the first three quarters, and offensive coordinator Matt Canada dialed up some really stellar play calls that worked. But it's frustrating when a coach gets ultra-conservative at the end of the game, and it nearly cost him. Doeren was just trying to hang on at the end. Ultimately, his team did, so it's all good.
| Pass Offense | B | C |
| Run Offense | D | F |
| Pass Defense | D | D |
| Run Defense | A | C- |
| Special Teams | A | A |
| Coaching | C | C- |
UCF Game Analysis
Pass Offense
There were times on Friday night when Justin Holman showed flashes of NFL potential.
Then, there were others where he looked like an unseasoned sophomore. Holman is an immense, unpolished talent, and he nearly led his team back. But he had some terrible overthrows, and he also was intercepted once on the night. It really could have been twice.
All in all, it was a nice performance in his first bowl start, but it wasn't good enough. He'll be back.
Run Offense
This was pretty much a disaster. The NC State defense was stellar all night in the front seven, to the point where UCF coach George O'Leary abandoned the run totally. With the Knights down by 18, he went exclusively to the air, and any hope for balance was lost. They finished with 82 yards and a 2.9 average.
Pass Defense
Too many times, there were breakdowns and busts in a secondary that had been among college football's best this year. Brissett bought time with his feet, and the Knights defensive backs didn't stick with plays. On one quick-strike drive in particular that eventually made the score 31-13, UCF was just lost in the backfield. That can't happen against a quarterback as good as Brissett.
Run Defense
The strength of UCF's team was very strong in a first half where it took over the game at times in the front seven. But when the Wolfpack charged out of the locker room after halftime, they pummeled the Knights with Thornton and Dayes, and there was no answer. They flat-out won the game on the ground in the third quarter, and they made UCF like it.
Special Teams
It was pretty much a flawless game from a special teams standpoint as Shawn Moffitt made both his field goals, and Caleb Houston averaged 42.8 yards per punt. The Wolfpack had just one opportunity to return a kick all night. UCF was stellar here.
Coaching
O'Leary is known for being a very good game-day coach, but Doeren had his number tonight. With the game being virtually in UCF's backyard, you'd have expected the Knights to come out fired up, ride the crowd momentum and soar to their third consecutive 10-win season.
Instead, they were flat defensively, and it took them too long to wake up. Like most O'Leary-coached teams, they didn't quit and they were right there in the end, but there were too many lapses for this to be a good grade.
Brad Shepard covers SEC football and is the Tennessee Lead Writer for Bleacher Report. Follow Brad on Twitter @Brad_Shepard.
