N.C. State looks to ‘protect the mission’ in San Diego Holiday Bowl against UCLA
Updated: Hours before N.C. State was scheduled to take on UCLA in the Holiday Bowl, the game was called off. For more, read this developing story.
The tours have been fun.
The players went to the zoo and SeaWorld. They saw Naval ships and fed exotic animals. It’s been quite the vacation, a west coast swing for an east coast team.
California is a little further away than most fans liked, but the players have been having a blast. But, in a few hours, it will be time to get down to business.
The trip is about winning a football game, the 10th of the season, if N.C. State pulls it off. The Wolfpack (9-3) takes on UCLA (8-4) in the Holiday Bowl Tuesday at 8 p.m. EST.
The teams have been staying blocks apart, but will be a lot closer when the ball is kicked off. N.C. State traveled across the country to make history. A 10th win would be the second time in school history the program has won double-digit games.
With the hype surrounding the 2022 team, with so many players returning, a win over the Bruins would only add to that. Fun aside, the team is fully aware of what’s at stake in San Diego.
“Protect the mission,” Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren responded when asked about the week, including canceled games because of COVID. “We’re here to try to win our 10th game. There’s a lot at stake.”
N.C. State won two straight to end the year, but has been off since Nov. 26. In over a month, Doeren’s squad has had a chance to heal. The guys who were out for the year, are still out. But they return a healthy Devan Boykin, who missed the UNC game with an injury. Other guys who battled through small things, including the flu the week of the Carolina game, are fresh and ready to play.
“We’re in a great spot as far as our health,” Doeren said. “It’s great to get everybody kind of healthy and back and have a good week.”
The Bruins are led by Chip Kelly, and his fast-paced offense is averaging 36.5 points per game and more than 400 yards per game. Offense is the name of the game for Kelly, but he respects the guys across the line of scrimmage.
“I think they are extremely well coached,” Kelly said about the N.C. State defense. “They seem like they have the answer to the test before the test is given.”
Kelly said linebacker Drake Thomas is one of the best they’ll see all year. He also had high praise for safety Tanner Ingle.
“Not only are they really well coached,” Kelly said. “They’ve got good personnel. It’s a challenge that our guys are excited about.”
It’s the first meeting between the two teams since the 1960 season. The Bruins defeated the Pack in 1959 and ‘60.
Playing in a baseball stadium in Southern California is also unique, part of the whole experience for the team.
“We look forward to playing a really good football team,” Doeren said. “There are a lot of seniors on that side of the football (offense) and you can see it on film, they don’t make a lot of mistakes.”
This story was originally published December 27, 2021 at 7:53 PM with the headline "N.C. State looks to ‘protect the mission’ in San Diego Holiday Bowl against UCLA."
