TAMPA, Fla. — CJ Bailey threw for 221 yards and two touchdowns, and he scored another on the ground as North Carolina State beat Memphis in the Gasparilla Bowl, winning 31-7 on Friday at Raymond James Stadium.
Playing at the home of the NFL’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a postseason matchup featuring a pirate theme, the Wolfpack plundered the Memphis defense while building a 24-0 lead.
The Wolfpack, who broke even in Atlantic Coast Conference competition at 4-4 by winning their final two games of the regular season, ended the year with one more victory — their first in a bowl game since a 52-31 triumph against Arizona State in the Sun Bowl in December 2017. N.C. State finished 8-5, giving 13th-year head coach Dave Doeren at least eight wins in seven of his past nine seasons leading the program.
Jayden “Duke” Scott racked up 108 rushing yards to pace the offense for the winners, while Wesley Grimes led the receiving game with 48 yards and a score on three catches and six targets.
N.C. State struck gold on the game’s opening drive as Bailey scampered for a 14-yard rush to the end zone. The Wolfpack scored on all but two of their first-half possessions to take a 31-7 lead into the break.