Belk Bowl 2015: Game Grades, Analysis for NC State vs. Mississippi State

It was a dominating effort for the Mississippi State Bulldogs as they beat the North Carolina State Wolfpack, 51-28, in quarterback Dak Prescott's final collegiate game. Prescott was phenomenal in this game, throwing for 380 yards and four touchdowns. 

It was also NC State quarterback Jacoby Brissett's final college game, but it wasn't a fine farewell for the former Florida transfer. Brissett completed only 12 passes and threw two interceptions, mostly because he was constantly trying to get away from Mississippi State defenders. 

Mississippi State jumped out to an early 7-0 lead after a Brissett interception on the game's first drive. The Bulldogs later went ahead 21-0 before NC State scored 14 unanswered points to cut the lead to seven. The Wolfpack made it a 31-21 game in the third quarter, but Mississippi State's offense was just too much. 

Head coach Dan Mullen's offense put up 569 total yards and was 9-of-17 on third down. 

The win gives Mississippi State consecutive nine-win seasons for the first time in school history, while the loss drops NC State to 7-6 on the season. 

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Passing Offense	A	A
Rushing Offense	B-	B
Pass Defense	A	B+
Run Defense	C	C+
Special Teams	B	B
Coaching	A	A

Game Grade Analysis for Bulldogs 

Passing Offense

Prescott played one of his best games of the season, and the Bulldogs were able to move the ball at will through the air. They averaged 9.0 yards per completion, and they often took shots down the field against NC State's defensive backs. 

The Bulldogs get an "A" here because they threw for 380 yards and four touchdowns, and it just looked easy. Prescott looked comfortable in the pocket all afternoon, and he did a great job of leading this team. 

Rushing Offense

Mississippi State has not been a great rushing team all season, but it does enough with its run game. The Bulldogs totaled 189 rushing yards in the game, and they averaged 5.4 yards per carry. 

Prescott had 47 yards on the ground, and while he didn't break off any huge runs, his rushing ability was crucial to Mississippi State's success on third down. 

Pass Defense

The Bulldogs started the game off in dominant fashion by intercepting Brissett's first pass attempt of the game. The first half was much of the same, as the NC State quarterback had only three completions at halftime. 

The Bulldogs held Brissett to just 214 yards on 12 completions, and they also came up with two interceptions. 

Run Defense

While Mississippi State defended well against the pass, NC State was able to find a little bit of running room. The Wolfpack totaled 210 yards, but it took them 51 carries to reach that mark. It was a pretty average effort for the run defense for Mississippi State in this game. 

Special Teams

There wasn't much going on with the special teams in this game. Mississippi State kicker Westin Graves made his only attempted field goal. He did miss an extra point, but it was a good day for him. 

Punter Logan Cooke downed one kick inside the 20-yard line and averaged 38.5 yards per punt. 

Coaching

Head coach Dan Mullen has Mississippi State on its way to being a consistent program, and he has done a heck of a coaching job this season after being picked at the bottom of the SEC West. He and his staff put together a great plan for the Belk Bowl, and that was on full display on Wednesday. 

The defense made things tough on Brissett because they kept him from getting comfortable in the pocket. The offense found matchup problems, and they took advantage of them with passes down the field.

Positional Unit	First-Half Grade	Final Grade
Passing Offense	D-	D
Rushing Offense	B	C+
Pass Defense	D	D-
Run Defense	C+	C-
Special Teams	B	B
Coaching	C	C

Game Grades Analysis for the Wolfpack 

Passing Offense

It was not a good day for Brissett and company. After having only three completions at halftime, Brissett finished the game with only 12 completed passes.

Grant Halverson/Getty Images

He was constantly under pressure, and Mississippi State was able to force him into two interceptions. Brissett did have 214 yards passing, but 82 of those came on one completion to Pharoah McKever.

Rushing Offense

The Wolfpack did have one bright spot in Nyheim Hines, who totaled 70 yards on 13 carries. Brissett was a big part of the rushing game in the first half, but sacks in the second half took his rushing total down. He ended the game with 67 yards on 26 carries. 

Pass Defense

The Wolfpack secondary got a front-row seat for just how well Prescott can play when he is on his game. The first half saw Mississippi State pass for 224 yards, and Prescott ended the day with 380 yards and four touchdowns. 

The Bulldogs often took shots down the field and found success against NC State's defensive backs. Four Bulldogs receivers had completions of over 25 yards in this game. 

Run Defense

The Bulldogs totaled 189 yards on 35 carries, which is good for 5.4 yards per carry. NC State gave up two runs of 33 yards, and Prescott was able to convert at will on 3rd-and-short on quarterback run plays. The Wolfpack defense could have done a better job of stopping those short-yardage situations because it kept them from getting the ball back to their offense. 

Special Teams

The Wolfpack did not attempt a field goal in this game, but they punted the ball pretty well. Punter A.J. Cole III downed one punt inside the 20-yard line, and he averaged 36.8 yards per punt. Kicker Kyle Bambard also made all four of his extra points in this game. 

Coaching

It's hard to think that head coach Dave Doeren did not have his team ready to play, but this game was more than X's and O's. Mississippi State had a quarterback who was determined to win his final game no matter what, and the Bulldogs were dominant in the trenches. 

The offensive game plan could have utilized tight end/fullback Jaylen Samuels' athleticism more, though. He is one of the most explosive players on the field, but he had only three carries and one reception in this game.