Champs Sports Bowl, No. 22 West Virginia Vs. NC State: 'Pack Wins Sloppy Slugfest, 23-7

Champs Sports Bowl, West Virginia Vs. NC State: Fewer Boneheaded Mistakes Hand 'Pack The Win

The fourth quarter of the 2010 Champs Sports Bowl is an entirely exasperating affair. There are turnovers. There are assorted scuffles on the field. There are announcers chortling openly at the caliber of play on the field before them and practically begging for the clock to be run out. We are inclined to agree with them.

The sequence of events, as politely as we can piece them together: Noel Devine loses the first ball, on West Virginia's first possession of the period. Josh Czajkowski misses a 27-yard field goal. Brandan Bishop flies into the cameras' field of vision out of nowhere to intercept a Geno Smith pass intended for Jock Sanders. State goes three-and-out. Tyler Bitancurt misses a 43-yard field goal. State goes three-and-out. Jock Sanders fumbles. Then, with 4:20 remaining in the game, in a broken play that suddenly is not, Russell Wilson scrambles Family Circus-style all over his own backfield and locates the hands of Jarvis Williams, and puts the ball in them. The 'Pack has 23 points, the most any squad has managed against West Virginia in all of 2010. Huge swaths of empty seats (even for the Citrus Bowl) are visible.

The night isn't over yet for the 'Eers, who manage one more fumble after allowing Geno Smith to be sacked on 2nd-and-2, a move that effectively ends the game. Tom O'Brien is doused with bile-colored Gatorade, and continues to display not a shred of human emotion, but not in a scary way like Urban Meyer. West Virginia fans hunker down and pray for the advent of Dana Holgorsen. Final score in Orlando: NC State 23, West Virginia 7.

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Champs Sports Bowl, West Virginia Vs. NC State: Kicky Third Quarter Extends 'Pack Lead

Significantly more action is on tap in the third quarter of the 2010 Champs Sports Bowl (read: get ready for some field goals!), where West Virginia enters trailing North Carolina State by a field goal.

James Washington, notably mostly for getting lit up by Sidney Glover in the second quarter, gets the lion-wolf-hybrid's share of carries in the period, beginning with NC State's first possession. It goes nowhere, but when Geno Smith fumbles four plays into West Virginia's answering drive, the 'Pack gets it right back. They won't get far against the stalwart 'Eers defense, but Josh Czajkowski is hitting some nice long bombs with his foot tonight, and boots a 38-yard field goal through.

Jock Sanders returns the answering kickoff 59 yards, but the Mountaineers turn it over on downs. This is the most West Virginia possession of 2010.

State still can't sniff the red zone, but no matter: Czajkowski's got another long kick in him, this one splitting the uprights from 40 yards out. At the end of the third quarter, NC State leads West Virginia, 16-7.

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Champs Sports Bowl, West Virginia Vs. NC State: 'Pack Holds Precarious Halftime Lead, 10-7

It's back to pass, scamper, punt as the first quarter of the 2010 Champs Sports Bowl draws to a close in Orlando and West Virginia grinds out another fruitless possession. The 'Eers defense appears happy to take their frustrations out on the opposing offense, as Sidney Glover lays out James Washington on the first play of the second quarter. Russell Wilson drills Darrell Davis for an 11-yard third-down conversion, and the 'Pack rolls on undeterred.

Undeterred, that is, until, at the 11:00 mark, with the team in comfortable scoring distance, NC State attempts to fake a field goal, and the fake goes terribly awry, with kicker Josh Czajkowski bobbling the initial flip from his holder and straight into 'Eer hands.

Geno Smith hits Jock Sanders for a beautiful 26-yard gain on first down, and two minutes later Tyler Bitancurt misses a 44-yard field goal attempt. If you've never seen the ACC play the Big East, just know that this is about how the rest of the night is going to go, and adjust your expectations accordingly.

A fumble by Wilson on first down sets the next 'Pack possession back, and the 'Eers make their ensuing drive count: In approximately four minutes, Geno Smith completes 26 yards' worth of passes, Noel Devine gets a 6-yard run on first down, and on second down, Smith hits the excellently-named Stedman Bailey (also his high school teammate!) over the middle for a 32-yard leaping touchdown. 

That'll do it for notable first-half action, save for a 45-yard Czajkowski field goal with 31 seconds remaining. After two quarters of play, NC State leads West Virginia, 10-7.

Join our live game discussions with West Virginia and NC State fans.

Champs Sports Bowl, West Virginia Vs. NC State: 'Pack Draws First Blood

It turns out the Champs Sports Bowl is a lot easier to watch when it's not being played on the original Citrus Bowl chunky-style natural turf. It's also a rather serene evening, as NC State's band has been held up several states away due to nasty winter weather.

The offensive lines of both squads appear to have eaten too much funnel cake at the Magic Kingdom, as quarterback hurries and sacks characterize the first several possessions. A neatly-executed baseball slide from slugging NC State quarterback Russell Wilson is the lone highlight of the first ten minutes or so of play.

On the Pack's second drive, Wilson completes his second, third, and fourth passes for total gains of 40 yards to move his team to midfield, with Owen Spencer adding a nice 14-yard reception three plays later to edge NC State up to West Virginia's red zone. Two plays later, Wilson connects with Mustafa Green over the middle, resulting in a 16-yard touchdown scamper for the true freshman. With 2:00 remaining in the first quarter, NC State leads West Virginia, 7-0.

Join our live game discussions with West Virginia And NC State fans.

2011 NFL Draft Prospects: Noel Devine, Jock Sanders Suit Up For Swan Song

The West Virginia Mountaineers, featured in tonight's Champs Sports Bowl, have on their roster four players with legitimate shots at getting their names called in the 2011 NFl draft. Performing in various capacities against NC State will be:

Noel Devine, RB. The wee speedback didn't have a stellar senior season, but that could be said for anyone playing in West Virginia's laughably-schemed offense. Coaching problems aside, Devine is a serious threat in space and sits well within the top ten of this year's class of backs. Look for his name to be called before the third round is up.

Brandon Hogan, CB. Nursing a torn left ACL, Hogan will cheer his team from the sidelines, and will perhaps have to undergo surgery that will remove him from contention at the combine. Still a sensible mid-round pick if he rehabs up enough.

Jock Sanders, WR. Another diminutive prospect, the improbably-named wideout needs 18 yards to surpass last year's total of 688 receiving yards, and is just 78 yards shy of a 2,000-yard career. He chose an ignominious year to return for his senior season, but could still blossom as a late-round selection.

Chris Neild, DT. The 'Eers' imposing nose tackle was honored earlier this month with a first-team selection to the Big East's all-conference squad. Ranked in the top 20 at his position, he may fall to free agency but will likelier be selected around the seventh round.

The 2010 Champs Sports Bowl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. EST. Connect with West Virginia fans at SB Nation's Smoking Musket, and browse our complete 2010 college football postseason schedule.

Champs Sports Bowl, West Virginia Vs. NC State Pick: Brandon Hogan Injury Will Hurt Eers

The line: The West Virginia Mountaineers opened as -2 Champs Sports Bowl favorites over the N.C. State Wolfpack, though the public has extended that margin as high as -3, depending on where you look.

Notable West Virginia units: The entire defense. Top ten in total, scoring, passing, and rushing defense, the Mountaineer D gave up fewer points this year than any defense besides TCU's. Their weakness, as it were, is their passing defense, as they ranked a relatively squishy tenth in the nation. Minus ace cornerback Brandon Hogan, who's out with a torn ACL, much will depend on whether the rest of the WVU secondary can carry the load.

Notable N.C. State units: Quarterback isn't really a unit, as it's kind of just one guy, but let's say quarterback and middle linebacker. Russell Wilson might be the ACC's second-best offensive player behind Virginia Tech QB Tyrod Taylor, finished 11th in the nation in total offense -- and only two yards per game behind Cam Newton. And LB Nate Irving is a disruptive force, racking up seven sacks and 85 tackles in only 11 games.

The pick: West Virginia's defense has yet to get lit up all year. While even Wilson isn't enough to pull that off, I still think he'll be able to make enough plays to get it done against a Mountaineer defense missing one of its best players.

Champs Sports Bowl, West Virginia Vs. NC State: Mountaineers D Looks To Shut Down Russell Wilson

The key Champs Sports Bowl matchup: the West Virginia Mountaineers passing defense against N.C. State Wolfpack QB Russell Wilson. Can the dynamic Wolfpack passer succeed against one of the nation’s best defenses? Backing The Pack crunches the numbers on WVU’s defense, and comes away impressed:

Their defense is at least on par with Clemson’s, and probably a bit better. Both of Football Outsiders’ metrics rate the Mountaineers slightly ahead. In raw terms, it’s not all that close. So this very well could be the biggest challenge NC State’s offense has faced all season.

The Smoking Musket does some math of its own, and finds several Wolfpack weaknesses to exploit, from the running game to special teams. However:

Games aren’t played on paper by stat geeks like me. Turnovers always make an impact, and I think we might be right to worry about the mental state of the team with all that has transpired in the last couple of weeks. We also fit the classic mold of a “team-that-thinks-it-should-be-playing-in-a-bigger-bowl-and-forgets-to-show-up-for-the-one-it-is-in.”

SB Nation Pittsburgh is concerned about West Virginia’s traditionally strong traveling presence and the distractions of playing a bowl in the middle of a coaching change, but foresees a Mountaineer win thanks to the defense taking its “last stand.”

For more on tonight’s Champs Sports Bowl participants, visit The Smoking Musket, SB Nation Pittsburgh, and Backing The Pack.

The 2010 Champs Sports Bowl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. EST, Tuesday, December 28. The game will be televised on ESPN. For a complete list of bowls, browse our 2010 college football postseason schedule.

2010 Champs Sports Bowl Game: Time, Location, History And More

To help prime you for Tuesday's college football doubleheader, we've compiled this handy list of fun factoids concerning the 2010 Champs Sports Bowl.

Proper name: Champs Sports Bowl. Simple, direct, and understandable, right up until you start talking about the Champs Sports Bowl Champs. It's remembering the current title that's the real problem. Previous iterations of this particular postseason contest include the Blockbuster Bowl, Carquest Bowl, the MicronPC Bowl, the Mazda Bowl and the Tangerine Bowl. No, not the Tangerine Bowl that became the Citrus Bowl and then the Capital One Bowl. The other Tangerine Bowl. Got that?

Setting: Not Miami! Further compounding matters is the game's former home in south Florida and current setting in Orlando, at the Citrus Bowl.

Traditional conference pairing: ACC versus Big East

2010 matchup: The No. 22 West Virginia Mountaineers (9-3) versus the North Carolina State Wolfpack (8-4)

Announcers: Joe Tessitore, Rod Gilmore, and Rob Stone. Tessitore will, at some point during the third quarter, put a scheme in motion to escape the broadcast booth and invade EPCOT to rifle through Spaceship Earth attendants' unmentionables in a very special episode of Storm the Dorm. Do not attempt to detain him, and keep your fingers away from his teeth.

Neatest fact: This game's MVPs, throughout its patchwork history, include noted crankpot Philip Rivers (twice), a punter (Graham Gano, then of Florida State), Steve Taneyhill's mullet, and historically terrible Georgia Tech quarterback Reggie Ball. 


Closest finish: The Champs Sports Bowl has been decided by a field goal on two occasions, most recently in Boston College's 24-21 win over Michigan State in 2007.

Most lopsided finish: The year was 1999. Britney Spears was enjoying the spoils of her debut hit single. And Illinois could still do things like beat Virginia 63-21 in a bowl game.

Tidbits of interest: The late, celebrated natural turf of the Citrus Bowl field, since replaced with sturdy plastic, will live forever in our hearts among the least helpful surfaces on which to play a game of football in recorded human history. No matter the weather, you're going to get an earful about the poor field conditions contributing to the history of the game. The sorry state of that turf cannot be exaggerated by any means of hyperbole we currently possess: Bill Stewart could whittle a smoother plane out of a knotty piece of cedar, blindfolded. (Shortly before halftime, he will be spotted attempting to do just that, as Geno Smith attempts a swing pass to himself.)

The 2010 Champs Sports Bowl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. EST, Tuesday, December 28. The game will be televised on ESPN. For a complete list of bowls, browse our 2010 college football postseason schedule.

Champs Sports Bowl, No. 22 West Virginia Vs. NC State:

The Champs Sports Bowl, jewel of the mighty Florida Citrus Sports cartel, will need all the excitement the surrounding Orlando metro area can provide to infuse life into the two milquetoasty teams the game itself will feature. Tom O'Brien versus Bill Stewart: Who you got?
 
The 8-4 Wolfpack, on offer from the ACC, reeled off a 4-0 start that included wins over a solid Central Florida team and outfits from Cincinnati and Georgia Tech that looked solid at the time, before losing three of their next five. This included the rare spectacle of a shootout defeat against Virginia Tech, a second high-scoring loss to East Carolina two weeks later, and a baffling 14-13 road defeat at the hands of Clemson.

The No. 22 Mountaineers, 9-3, are also emerging from a season in which they contended for a conference title down to the final week while also being beset on all sides by ridiculous losses. They played then-No. 15 LSU close in Week 4, but back-to-back trip-ups against Syracuse and UConn betrayed a laughably inept offense that couldn't capitalize on talented personnel.

The 2010 Champs Sports Bowl kicks off at 6:30 p.m. EST on Tuesday, December 28. The game will be televised on ESPN.

Stay tuned to this StoryStream right up through game time, as we review key unit matchups, odds, bowl history and more, and connect with fans at SB Nation's Backing the Pack and The Smoking Musket. For a complete list of bowl games, browse our 2010 college football postseason schedule.