Belk Bowl

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by Scott Rickenbach

North Carolina State won’t have to travel far to face Louisville in the Belk Bowl. The Wolfpack and Cardinals are set to dance at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina on December 27.

Oddsmakers have North Carolina State set as a 2-point favorite, holding a decisive home-field edge over its Big East opponent.

The Wolfpack (7-5, 5-6-1 ATS) enter bowl season on a high note, upsetting eventual ACC champ Clemson in Week 12 before finishing off the schedule with a dramatic come-from-behind victory over Maryland, covering the spread in both contests.

North Carolina State is an opportunistic team, especially on defense where it led the nation in interceptions. It nabbed 24 wayward passes, with 11 of those picks coming from the sticky hands of sophomore David Amerson.

Louisville’s passing attack must be mindful of Amerson. The Cardinals (7-5, 8-4 ATS) keep the secondary guessing with their pistol offense, but true freshman quarterback Teddy Bridgewater could be in over his head during bowl season.

He’s thrown for five touchdowns and three interceptions in his last four games, coming off a stellar showing against South Florida in which he passed for 241 yards and three scores. Bridgewater has a 12-to-9 TD-to-INT count heading into the Belk Bowl.

Louisville is no slouch on defense, as well. The Cardinals rank 14th in the country in points allowed, limiting opponents to just 19.2 points per game. They’re especially stout against the run, holding foes to an average of 103.5 yards on the ground –ninth in the FBS.

The Wolfpack don’t have a dynamic offense and certainly don’t pose as big a threat on the ground as UL’s Big East rivals. North Carolina State’s run attack averages just 108.2 yards per outing, finishing second last in the ACC. Through the air, the Wolfpack are average at best, with quarterback Mike Glennon coming off a massive game versus Maryland.

Both Louisville and North Carolina State are coming off wins in last year’s bowls. The Cardinals dropped Southern Mississippi in the Beef ‘O’ Brady’s Bowl, winning 31-28 as 2-point favorites. The Wolfpack were victorious in their meeting with West Virginia in the Champs Sports Bowl, winning 23-7 as 3-point underdogs.