The 2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl was a college football bowl game played on December 28, 2023, at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida. The 34th annual Pop-Tarts Bowl (although the first under that name) featured NC State from the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) and Kansas State from the Big 12 Conference. The bowl was ranked 9th in the fbs, the game began at approximately 5:45 p.m. EST and was aired on ESPN.[4][5] The Pop-Tarts Bowl was one of the 2023–24 bowl games concluding the 2023 FBS football season. The bowl game's title sponsor was Kellanova (formerly Kellogg's) through their Pop-Tarts brand.

2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl
34th Pop-Tarts Bowl
1234 Total
NC State 01090 19
Kansas State 71407 28
DateDecember 28, 2023
Season2023
StadiumCamping World Stadium
LocationOrlando, Florida
MVPAvery Johnson (QB, Kansas State)[1]
FavoriteKansas State by 3.5[2]
RefereeLarry Smith (Big 10)[3]
Attendance31,111
United States TV coverage
NetworkESPN
ESPN Radio
AnnouncersAnish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), and Paul Carcaterra (sideline) (ESPN)
Sean Kelley (play-by-play) and Rene Ingoglia (analyst) (ESPN Radio)
Pop-Tarts Bowl
 < 2022 2024

Teams

edit

Consistent with conference tie-ins, the bowl featured the NC State Wolfpack of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) against the Kansas State Wildcats of the Big 12 Conference.

This was the first time that NC State and Kansas State played each other.[6]

NC State Wolfpack

edit

The Wolfpack entered the game with a 9–3 record (6–2 in the ACC), having finished in third place in the conference and 18th in the College Football Playoff rankings.

This was NC State's sixth Pop-Tarts Bowl, tying Miami (FL) for the most appearances in the game. The Wolfpack had a 3–2 record in prior editions of the game, most recently appearing in the 2010 Champs Sports Bowl (when the bowl was played under that name), which they won.

Kansas State Wildcats

edit

The Wildcats entered the game with an 8–4 record (6–3 in the Big 12), tied for fourth place in their conference and 25th in the College Football Playoff rankings.

This was Kansas State's first Pop-Tarts Bowl.

Game summary

edit
2023 Pop-Tarts Bowl
Quarter 1 2 34Total
No. 18 NC State 0 10 9019
No. 25 Kansas State 7 14 0728

at Camping World StadiumOrlando, Florida

  • Date: Thursday, December 28, 2023
  • Game time: 5:45 p.m. EST
  • Game weather: Cloudy • Temperature: 61 °F (16 °C) • Wind: 7 mph (11 km/h) W
  • Game attendance: 31,111
  • Referee: Larry Smith
  • TV announcers (ESPN): Anish Shroff (play-by-play), Andre Ware (analyst), and Paul Carcaterra (sideline)
  • Box score
Game information
First Quarter
  • (12:35) KSU – DJ Giddens 37 yard pass from Avery Johnson, Chris Tennant kick (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:25; Kansas State 7–0)
Second Quarter
  • (7:29) KSU – DJ Giddens 4 yard run, Chris Tennant kick (Drive: 9 plays, 90 yards, 4:49; Kansas State 14–0)
  • (3:22) NCSU – Brennan Armstrong 31 yard run, Brayden Narveson kick (Drive: 9 plays, 76 yards, 4:07; Kansas State 14–7)
  • (0:55) KSU – Avery Johnson 19 yard run, Chris Tennant kick (Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 2:27; Kansas State 21–7)
  • (0:00) NCSU – Brayden Narveson 26 yard field goal (Drive: 8 plays, 57 yards, 0:00; Kansas State 21–10)
Third Quarter
  • (12:51) NCSU – Brayden Narveson 49 yard field goal (Drive: 6 plays, 44 yards, 2:09; Kansas State 21–13)
  • (1:50) NCSU – Trent Pennix 60 yard run, two point pass conversion failed (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 4:03; Kansas State 21–19)
Fourth Quarter
  • (2:48) KSU – Jayce Brown 11 yard pass from Avery Johnson, Chris Tennant kick (Drive: 15 plays, 72 yards, 7:24; Kansas State 28–19)

Statistics

edit
Statistics NCSU KSU
First downs 17 22
Plays–yards 62–399 71–435
Rushes–yards 33–235 40–257
Passing yards 164 178
Passing: compattint 14–29–1 14–31–0
Time of possession 29:06 30:54
Team Category Player Statistics
NC State Passing Brennan Armstrong 14/28, 164 yards, INT
Rushing Brennan Armstrong 17 carries, 121 yards, TD
Receiving Kevin Concepcion 7 catches, 72 yards
Kansas State Passing Avery Johnson 14/31, 178 yards, 2 TD
Rushing DJ Giddens 28 carries, 151 yards, TD
Receiving Jayce Brown 5 catches, 52 yards, TD

References

edit
  1. ^ @DScottFritchen (December 28, 2023). "The moment Avery Johnson is named Pop-Tarts Bowl MVP" (Tweet). Retrieved December 28, 2023 – via Twitter.
  2. ^ Parks, James (December 11, 2023). "College football bowl schedule, game odds, point spreads for 2023-24". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved December 13, 2023.
  3. ^ Austro, Ben (December 3, 2023). "2023-24 bowl officiating assignments". footballzebras.com. Retrieved December 6, 2023.
  4. ^ Straka, Dean (May 31, 2023). "2023-24 college football bowl schedule, games, dates, locations, kickoff times, TV channels". CBS Sports. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  5. ^ Lewis, Barry. "2023-24 College Football Bowl Schedule, Dates, Times Announced". Sports Illustrated. Retrieved June 28, 2023.
  6. ^ "Winsipedia – North Carolina State Wolfpack vs. Kansas State Wildcats". Winsipedia.com. Retrieved December 8, 2023.
edit