ORLANDO, Fla. — With plenty of big plays, two fake punts and one jolly, life-sized pastry mascot, the first ever Pop-Tarts Bowl didn’t disappoint in terms of entertainment. By the end of the contest, however, Kansas State had eaten away any chances of NC State football earning its highly sought-after 10-win season.
The Wolfpack (9-5) and the Wildcats (10-4) took it to each other from the get-go in Orlando. While the Pack trailed for the entirety of the game, both sides played tough, clean and entertaining football for 60 minutes. By the fourth quarter, the Wolfpack trailed by a mere two points, but K-State put on a backbreaking seven-minute drive to solidify its 28-19 victory over the red-and-white.
“It’s a heck of a football game,” said head coach Dave Doeren. “A game of two teams who played really hard. Probably a fun game to watch, with two fake punts, and kids played hard on both sidelines. … Unfortunately, we just didn’t make enough plays to win it at the end.”
After the pregame festivities — the most notable of which came from Pop-Tarts’ life-sized mascot rising out of a giant toaster — the Wildcats took no time in establishing a quick lead in dominating fashion. K-State running back DJ Giddens broke off three monstrous runs and finished claiming every single yard on the Cats’ first drive by striding into the endzone on a 37-yard touchdown reception.
Kansas State doubled down on its strong start with another score from Giddens. This time, he punched in a four-yard rush halfway through the second quarter that was set up by a gutsy fake punt fourth-down conversion from the Wildcats.
Down two scores and stunned from the special teams play, graduate quarterback Brennan Armstrong and the rest of NC State’s offense finally found its footing. The Pack’s response was capped off by a 31-yard rushing touchdown from the signal-caller when he called his own number and scampered into the endzone for six.
Armstrong led the Pack’s effort on offense, mostly with his work on the ground. The graduate toted the ball 17 times for 121 rushing yards while adding 164 yards through the air. Meanwhile, freshman receiver KC Concepcion hauled in seven passes for 72 yards.
However, the Wildcats landed the next blow — a quick 10-play drive that earned them a 21-10 lead heading into the half.
By the third quarter, NC State’s defense finally hunkered down, looking like it had during its recent five-game win streak. With star graduate linebacker Payton Wilson opting out of the bowl, players like redshirt sophomore safety Sean Brown stepped up to stop the Cats for almost the entirety of the second half.
“Defensively, we started off slow,” Brown said. “We knew that the first half wasn’t us, so we tried to come out and play our brand of football.”
On the other side of the ball, NC State netted another field goal, bringing the count to 21-13. Still needing a spark on offense, Doeren dialed up a fake punt call of his own that resulted in the most electric play of the day.
Just like K-State’s earlier conversion, the Pack’s fake ushered a collective gasp from Camping World Stadium. Graduate tight end Trent Pennix easily gained a first down, but he wasn’t done there. Pennix rumbled his way to the endzone for a showstopping and momentum-shifting 60-yard score.
“That was awesome, the way he made that play,” Doeren said. “That was a great play, too, well-designed, well-run. Then he did a few things with his athletic ability. That was pretty awesome to watch.”
With a failed 2-point conversion after the touchdown, NC State trailed 19-21. While the red-and-white had its fair share of chances to score, K-State continually foiled Armstrong’s efforts to put up a go-ahead score.
Soon enough, the Wildcats broke through the Pack’s staunch second half defense and dealt the killing blow — a nearly 8 minute, 15 play drive that ended in a touchdown run by K-State quarterback Avery Johnson. Ultimately, the Wildcats outplayed and edged out the Wolfpack with their clutch, backbreaking drive.
With under three minutes in the contest, Armstrong and company were in dire straits. Trailing 28-19 and needing a score, the graduate rifled a pick — the first and only turnover of the day to end NC State’s hopes of a 10-win season.
“I wanted to [win],” Armstrong said. “End it the way we did with the five-win streak and then try and get this bowl game over here — just fell short. I always look back on what I did throughout the week. What did I do wrong? What I did is come up short.”
Even though the Pack’s night didn’t end with the pop it was hoping for, NC State will look ahead to a promising 2024 season.
