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Belk Bowl represents farewell for not one, but two good senior QBs
By Randy Capps
Published:
Bowl games often serve as a chance to honor a departing player and thank them for their contributions to the program.
In this year’s Belk Bowl (Dec. 30, 3:30 p.m., ESPN), both teams will be doing just that.
Mississippi State will bid farewell to senior QB Dak Prescott while N.C. State will do the same with its senior signal caller, Florida transfer Jacoby Brissett.
PRAISING PRESCOTT
A three-year starter, Prescott has wiped out the Mississippi State record book. The Haughton, Louisiana, native now owns or shares 38 school records.
This season, he is second in the league in total yards, second in passing yards, third in passer rating and, among full-time starters, has thrown a league-low four interceptions to go with his 25 touchdown passes.
His career numbers are even more impressive.
Prescott is the fourth player in FBS history (Dan LeFevour, Tim Tebow and Colin Kaepernick are the others) with 60 passing TDs and 40 rushing TDs. He’s also third in SEC career total offensive yards (11,470, behind Aaron Murray and Tebow), and with just four passing yards and 26 rushing yards in the bowl game, he’ll become only the fourth player in FBS history (same group as above) with 9,000 passing yards and 2,500 rushing yards.
“I’m going to keep it simple. I want to thank everybody,” Prescott said this week. “I want to thank Coach (John) Hevesy for recruiting me. Coach (Dan) Mullen for giving me the opportunity to play here. I love all of y’all. I love you like brothers, man. This is a family. Coach (Brian) Johnson, I appreciate everything, making me a better player.
“I just have to say, hard work, man. Hard work pays off. I think I’m a prime example of that. I’m not any more athletic than any of y’all. I’m probably the least athletic, but I’ll tell you, hard work, love what you do, having the passion for what you care for, man, it will really pay off. I think I’m a prime example of that. Take advantage of every opportunity you give a man and just do it with relentless effort. Love what you do. I love y’all.”
BRAGGING ON BRISSETT
While Prescott’s journey from high school standout to college stardom had only one stop, Brissett took a longer route to the Belk Bowl and the end of his collegiate career.
His first stop, the University of Florida, has become a bit of a revolving door for high-profile QB transfers. Brissett was one of six players to transfer out of Gainesville in recent years at the position, joining Will Grier, Jeff Driskel, Skyler Mornhinweg, Tyler Murphy and Max Staver.
Like Driskel and Murphy, Brissett landed on his feet.
“Where would we be without him? I don’t really know. But he’s given all that he can, and that’s all you can ask,” said N.C. State coach Dave Doeren, who recruited Brissett from Florida when he was hired in 2013. “He’s been a great teammate, a role model with not only how he does community service but how he treats people. Could he have had better throws? Sure. Every player could. But he couldn’t have worked harder.”
Brissett delivers hand-written notes to his offensive teammates each week, in addition to baking for his offensive linemen.
And when he’s not being thoughtful, he’s posting solid numbers.
He’s thrown for 2,448 yards, 19 TDs and four interceptions this season while adding 303 yards and five more scores on the ground. In just two seasons in Raleigh, he’s fifth in school history in career passing TDs (42), seventh in yards (5,054) and fifth in completions (446).
Both Belk Bowl quarterbacks are ranked around the top 10 in terms of the their NFL Draft prospects. But before they chase their professional dreams, they will square off in the home of the unbeaten Carolina Panthers.
Who knows? Maybe Cam Newton will join the crowd and watch the final college game for both Prescott and Brissett.
Randy Capps is a contributing writer for Saturday Down South. He covers SEC football, South Carolina and Georgia.
