Champs Sports Bowl 2010: 10 Things You Need to Know About WVU Vs. NC State

That time of the year has come again, and no, it is not Christmas—it's bowl week.

As we get ready for bowl week, we have a great matchup for the 2010 Champs Sports Bowl between West Virginia University and North Carolina State.

This is going to be a great battle between two dynamic quarterbacks in Russell Wilson and Geno Smith.

Who will come out on top in this anticipated matchup? Here are 10 things you need to know about WVU and NC State.

Russell Wilson, NC State

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RALEIGH, NC - OCTOBER 28: Russell Wilson #16 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack throws the game winning touchdown against the Florida State Seminoles during their game at Carter-Finley Stadium on October 28, 2010 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by

Quarterback Russell Wilson and the Wolfpack are getting ready for the Champs Sports Bowl, and what a matchup it should be.

Wilson did not have as good a year as he did in 2009, but he did have a very solid season as a junior. Wilson and his Wolfpack were ranked 11th in total offense this season.

Wilson threw for 3,288 yards, 26 touchdowns and 14 interceptions.

Russell had eight 300-yard games during the season, including five in a row.

Geno Smith, West Virginia

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LOUISVILLE, KY - NOVEMBER 20: Geno Smith#12 of the West Virginia Mountaineers throws a pass during the Big East Conference game against the Louisville Cardinals at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on November 20, 2010 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy

West Virginia quarterback Geno Smith had himself a nice season and has an exciting matchup going up against NC State's Russell Wilson.

Smith has an impressive 149.7 quarterback rating, 22nd in the nation.

The 6'3" sophomore has done a better job protecting the football than Wilson, so playing mistake-free football will be key for these two quarterbacks.

Smith threw 23 touchdowns this season with just six interceptions.

Mustafa Greene and the NC State Running Game

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RALEIGH, NC - OCTOBER 28: Mustafa Greene #33 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack runs with the ball against the Florida State Seminoles during their game at Carter-Finley Stadium on October 28, 2010 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (Photo by Streeter Lecka/

The NC State running game is not its strong point, and that could end up being the difference in the Champs Sports Bowl.

Mustafa Greene has only rushed for 584 yards and four touchdowns.

Russell Wilson reached the end zone more times on the ground with nine touchdowns.

NC State averaged 125 yards per game on the ground, and that is 93rd in the country.

Noel Devine and the West Virginia Running Game

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BOULDER, CO - SEPTEMBER 18: Quarterback Pat White #5 of the West Virginia Mountaineers along with Will Johnson #6 and Noel Devine #7 line up in the back field against the Colorado Buffaloes at Folsom Field on September 18, 2008 in Boulder, Colorado. Colo

Running back Noel Devine has had a great career at West Virginia, and although his numbers were down this season, he is a still a playmaker.

Devine's big play ability could be key against NC State.

Devine has dominated the Big East with his speed, rushing for over 1,000 yards two of his four seasons at West Virginia.

This season Devine rushed for 886 yards and six touchdowns with a long of 50 yards. Devine also caught 30 passes for 237 yards and a touchdown.

Jock Sanders and the West Virginia Wide Receivers

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AUBURN, AL - SEPTEMBER 19: Jock Sanders #9 of the West Virginia Mountaineers against the Auburn Tigers at Jordan-Hare Stadium on September 19, 2009 in Auburn, Alabama. (Photo by Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)

Wide receiver Jock Sanders caught 72 passes this year, but the leading receiver was running back Tavon Austin.

Geno Smith certainly has playmakers on offense with Sanders and Austin, who have caught a combined 125 passes.

Austin's ability to make plays as a receiver makes the Mountaineers tough to match up with on defense. NC State's defense is going to have its hands full with Devine, Sanders and Austin.

Owen Spencer and the NC State Wide Receivers

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RALEIGH, NC - SEPTEMBER 16: Teammates Dominique Battle #9 and Drew Frey #26 of the Cincinnati Bearcats break up a pass to Owen Spencer #13 of the North Carolina State Wolfpack during their game at Carter-Finley Stadium on September 16, 2010 in Raleigh, N

Owen Spencer is 6'3" and may be a difficult matchup for the West Virginia defense. Spencer caught 57 passes for 868 yards and four touchdowns this season.

Alongside Spencer is Jarvis Williams, who may also have mismatches being 6'4".

Williams caught 46 passes for 636 yards and four touchdowns during the 2010 season.

Russell Wilson certainly has his targets, and it is going to be interesting to see how West Virginia matches up with these big NC State receivers.

Bruce Irvin and the West Virginia Defense

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LOUISVILLE, KY - NOVEMBER 20: Justin Burke #13 of the Louisville Cardinals is sacked by Bruce Irvin #11 of the West Virginia Mountaineers during the game at Papa John's Cardinal Stadium on November 20, 2010 in Louisville, Kentucky. (Photo by Andy Lyons/

West Virginia defensive end Bruce Irvin had 12 sacks this season, tied for fourth in the country. The pass rush is always a key ingredient to victory, and putting pressure on Russell Wilson is going to be big for the Mountaineers.

The West Virginia defense gave up 12.8 points per game, second overall.

NC State might have a tough time scoring with Irvin rushing the quarterback all day.

The NC State Defense

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RALEIGH, NC - OCTOBER 28: Head coach Tom O'Brien of the North Carolina State Wolfpack celebrates with his team after defeating the Florida State Seminoles 28-24 during their game at Carter-Finley Stadium on October 28, 2010 in Raleigh, North Carolina. (

The sack leader on the NC State defense is linebacker Nate Irving with six, 68th in the country.

This is a big difference from Bruce Irvin, who is fourth in the nation in sacks with 12. This is going to be a key factor in the Champs Sports Bowl.

Who will get more pressure on the quarterback?

The NC State defense also gives up 10 more points on defense than West Virginia, so it will be interesting to see how the Wolfpack defense comes out.

Record Against Ranked Teams

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ORLANDO, FL - DECEMBER 28: The Charles H. Rohe trophy is displayed following the Champs Bowl on December 28, 2007 at the Citrus Bowl in Orlando, Florida. (Photo by Sam Greenwood/Getty Images)

West Virginia University and North Carolina State have only played a combined two games against ranked teams this season.

The only difference between the two is that NC State won its matchup against a ranked team in Florida State. NC State defeated Florida State 28-24.

WVU's only game against a ranked team came on September 25th, when it lost to LSU.

WVU lost 20-14.

This is a key stat because we see how each team steps up on the bigger stage.

Bowl History

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ORLANDO, FL - DECEMBER 29: The Charles H. Rohe Trophy is shown on the sideline during the Purdue Boilermakers game against the Maryland Terrapins in the Champs Sports Bowl at Florida Citrus Bowl on December 29, 2006 in Orlando, Florida. Maryland won 24-7

West Virginia University: 13-16 (WVU has won four out of its last five bowl games)

North Carolina State: 13-11 (NC State has won three of its last four bowl games)