EL PASO, Texas (AP) – Nyheim Hines had three 5-yard touchdown runs to help North Carolina State beat Arizona State 52-31 on Friday in the Sun Bowl.
Hines finished with 72 yards on 16 carries for North Carolina State (9-4). The Wolfpack played in their fourth consecutive bowl game and sixth in seven years under coach David Doeren.
Reggie Gallaspy added 79 yards and two touchdowns on 12 carries for the Wolfpack, Ryan Finley completed 24 of 29 passes for 318 yards and a score, and Stephen Louis had three catches for 115 yards.
North Carolina State quarterback Ryan Finley looks for the touchdown call from the officials during the first half of the Sun Bowl NCAA college football game against Arizona State in El Paso, Texas, Friday, Dec. 29, 2017. (Mark Lambie/The El Paso Times via AP)
Arizona State (7-6) played its final game under fired coach Todd Graham, with former NFL coach Herm Edwards taking over the program.
Manny Wilkins was 25 of 40 for 352 yards and three touchdowns for the Sun Devils. He also threw three interceptions. Arizona State won its previous three Sun Bowl appearances – in 1997, 2004 and 2014.
North Carolina State played without standout defensive end Bradley Chubb. Chubb, a projected top-10 pick in the NFL draft. The school announced a few hours before the game that he wouldn’t play.
BELK BOWL
WAKE FOREST 55, TEXAS A&M 52
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) – John Wolford threw for 400 yards and four touchdowns, and Matt Colburn ran for 150 yards and the go-ahead score in Wake Forest’s victory over Texas A&M oin the Belk Bowl.
The teams combined for 1,260 yards in one of the highest-scoring games in bowl history.
Wolford, a four-year starter and the game’s Most Valuable Player, threw all four TD passes in the first half for Wake Forest (8-5). Colburn had a 1-yard touchdown with 2:18 left in the game to give the Demon Deacons the lead for good.
Scotty Washington had nine catches for 138 yards and a touchdown for the Demon Deacons, and tight end Cam Serigne had nine catches for 112 yards and a score.
Wake Forest stopped the Aggies on downs on their final drive to seal the win.
Nick Starkel threw for a Belk Bowl-record 499 yards and also had four touchdown passes for Texas A&M (7-6). Christian Kirk caught 13 passes for 189 yards and three touchdowns.
Jimbo Fisher now takes over as Texas A&M’s coach in place of the fired Kevin Sumlin. Interim coach Jeff Banks coached the Aggies on Friday.
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