Friday, December 29
Charlotte, N.C.
12 p.m.
Texas A&M
vs
Wake Forest
GAMEDAY: Belk Bowl
Dec 28, 2017 | Football
Texas A&M will face the Wake Forest Demon Deacons for the first time when the two teams battle in the 2017 Belk Bowl at the Bank of America Stadium on Dec. 29 in Charlotte, N.C.
2017 Belk Bowl
TEXAS A&M vs. Wake Forest
DATE: Dec. 29, 2017
KICKOFF: 12 noon CT
Site: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C. (capacity: 75,525)
RANKINGS:
Wake Forest: (Not Ranked)
Texas A&M: (Not Ranked)
TELEVISION:
ESPN (National)
Jason Benetti, play-by-play
Kelly Stouffer, analyst
Kris Budden, sideline
RADIO:
ESPN Radio (National)
Matt Schick, play-by-play
Mike Golic Jr., analyst
Roddy Jones, sideline
Texas A&M Radio Network (Regional)
The Texas A&M Radio Network provides coverage via nearly 60 stations across the state of Texas. For a complete list of affiliates, please go to 12thMan.com.
Dave South, play-by-play
Dave Elmendorf, analyst
Will Johnson, sideline
Texas A&M Spanish Network (Regional)
Texas A&M's Spanish broadcast can be heard on radio stations in Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, El Paso, Brownsville and McAllen, Texas. Locally, the TAMU Spanish Network can be heard on 1550 AM.
Pedro Vela Almaguer, play-by-play
Noel Orellana, analyst
SIRIUS XM:
The ESPN Radio national call of the game can be heard on SiriusXM 80, while Wake Forest's call can be found on channel 84.
Series vs. Wake Forest: First Meeting
• It will be the Aggies' 39th bowl game appearance in program history, which is the 18th-most among FBS teams.
• 2017 is Texas A&M's ninth-straight season that will end with a bowl game appearance, which is the longest bowl streak in school history.
• Texas A&M's nine-season streak with a bowl game ranks in a tie for 11th-longest in the FBS.
Most Consecutive Seasons in a bowl game
Florida State 36 1982-2017
Virginia Tech 25 1993-2017
Georgia 21 1997-2017
Oklahoma 19 1999-2017
LSU 17 2001-17
Boise State 16 2002-17
Wisconsin 15 2003-17
Alabama 14 2004-17
Clemson 13 2005-17
Oklahoma State 12 2006-17
Texas A&M 9 2009-17
Stanford 9 2009-17
• The 2017 Belk Bowl will mark the Texas A&M football team's first-ever game in the state of North Carolina.
• It will be the third time that the Aggies have been led by an interim coach at a bowl game. Previously, the Aggies fell to Penn State, 24-17, in the 2007 Alamo Bowl (interim coach: Gary Darnell) and defeated Northwestern, 33-22, in the 2011 Texas Bowl (Tim DeRuyter).
• A victory would give the Aggies their 25th win away from Kyle Field since joining the SEC. Texas A&M, Alabama and Georgia are the only SEC teams with 20 or more road victories since 2012.
MILESTONES TO WATCH ...
• Junior WR Christian Kirk needs two catches to become the second Aggie to make at least 60 in three straight seasons and the first to do it in his first three seasons. Ryan Swope also had at least 60 catches from his sophomore through senior seasons from 2010-12.
• Kirk needs one receiving TD to match Ryan Swope for No. 3 on A&M's career receiving TDs list. He needs 121 receiving yards to match former teammate Josh Reynolds at No. 3 on the career receiving yards chart. He needs 12 catches to match Jeff Fuller at No. 2 on the career receptions list.
• WR Jhamon Ausbon needs two catches to become the sixth true freshman (seventh freshman) to reach 40 receptions in a season. Ausbon needs 41 receiving yards to become the ninth freshman (seventh true freshman) to reach 500 yards.
• Redshirt freshman QB Nick Starkel needs just over 100 passing yards in the bowl game to ensure the Aggies of having a passer that averages 200+ passing yards/game for a 10th straight season. He would join Johnny Manziel as the only freshman QBs to average 200+ passing yards in a season in school history.
• Starkel needs 250 passing yards to match Kevin Murray at No. 2 on the Aggies' freshman passing yards list. Fellow freshman Kellen Mond needs 129 to match Murray at No. 2.
• Tyrel Dodson needs three tackles to become the Aggies' first sophomore LB to reach 100 tackles in a season in nearly 20 years (Brian Gamble, 110, 2000).
• Junior LB Otaro Alaka needs nine tackles to reach 200 for his career.
• Junior PK Daniel LaCamera needs five points to become the first Texas A&M placekicker to score 100 points in consecutive years and just the second to score 100 points twice in his career.
• LaCamera needs three FGs to become the fourth placekicker in school history to hit 20 FGs in a season (Others are Randy Bullock (29), Taylor Bertolet (22) and Scott Slater (21)).
• Senior P Shane Tripucka needs four I-20 punts to match his school record of 27 set last year.
TIGHT GAMES
Many of the Aggies' 2017 games have been in doubt in the second half, including four comeback wins.
Opp Result Situation
@UCLA L, 45-44 34-pt rally by UCLA
Nicholls W, 24-14 14-14 tie early in 4Q
ULL W, 45-21 A&M trails 21-14 at half
vs. ARK W, 50-43 OT 8 lead changes*
SC W, 24-17 A&M trails 17-7 in 3Q
ALA L, 27-19 Tried onside kick down 8 in 4Q
@FLA W, 19-17 A&M trails 17-10 in 4Q
@ OM W, 31-24 A&M trails 24-21 in 3Q
* - Biggest deficit was 14 points in 2Q (21-7)
Jimbo Fisher named Aggie head coach
Jimbo Fisher, who led Florida State University to a national championship in 2013, was named head football coach at Texas A&M on Dec. 4, 2017. Fisher agreed to a ten-year contract worth $75 million. No state-appropriated funds will be used to pay the coach's salary.
• Fisher took over the FSU football program in 2010, following the retirement of coaching legend Bobby Bowden. Fisher averaged more than 10 wins per season during his tenure and compiled an overall record of 83-23 with a .783 winning percentage, fourth-best among active head coaches (minimum five years). His winning percentage is the best in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) history. His ACC record was 48-16 with three ACC championships and four Atlantic Division titles.
Thanks Coach Sumlin
Kevin Sumlin was relieved of all duties at Texas A&M on Nov. 26, 2017.
• Sumlin coached six seasons at A&M, posting an overall record of 51 wins and 26 losses (.662 winning percentage), including a record of 25-23 (.521) in Southeastern Conference (SEC) games.
Starkel settles in at QB1
Redshirt freshman QB Nick Starkel is averaging 305.0 passing yards per game in his three starts since returning to QB1 after missing six games due to injury.
• Since his return to the lineup, Starkel has connected on 21 pass plays of 20 or more yards in five games.
• Starkel has connected on at least one pass of 45 yards or more in all five games since returning to action.
• Starkel torched UNM for 416 passing yards on 21-of-30 passing (70.0 percent), all in the first half. It marked the first time that a Texas A&M QB reached the 400-yard plateau in passing in the first half in school history.
• In five games of action since returning from a broken ankle suffered in the season opener vs. UCLA, Starkel has completed 75-of-129 passes for 1,232yards and all 10 passing TDs of his career.
2017 Belk Bowl
TEXAS A&M vs. Wake Forest
DATE: Dec. 29, 2017
KICKOFF: 12 noon CT
Site: Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, N.C. (capacity: 75,525)
RANKINGS:
Wake Forest: (Not Ranked)
Texas A&M: (Not Ranked)
TELEVISION:
ESPN (National)
Jason Benetti, play-by-play
Kelly Stouffer, analyst
Kris Budden, sideline
RADIO:
ESPN Radio (National)
Matt Schick, play-by-play
Mike Golic Jr., analyst
Roddy Jones, sideline
Texas A&M Radio Network (Regional)
The Texas A&M Radio Network provides coverage via nearly 60 stations across the state of Texas. For a complete list of affiliates, please go to 12thMan.com.
Dave South, play-by-play
Dave Elmendorf, analyst
Will Johnson, sideline
Texas A&M Spanish Network (Regional)
Texas A&M's Spanish broadcast can be heard on radio stations in Dallas, San Antonio, Houston, El Paso, Brownsville and McAllen, Texas. Locally, the TAMU Spanish Network can be heard on 1550 AM.
Pedro Vela Almaguer, play-by-play
Noel Orellana, analyst
SIRIUS XM:
The ESPN Radio national call of the game can be heard on SiriusXM 80, while Wake Forest's call can be found on channel 84.
Series vs. Wake Forest: First Meeting
• It will be the Aggies' 39th bowl game appearance in program history, which is the 18th-most among FBS teams.
• 2017 is Texas A&M's ninth-straight season that will end with a bowl game appearance, which is the longest bowl streak in school history.
• Texas A&M's nine-season streak with a bowl game ranks in a tie for 11th-longest in the FBS.
Most Consecutive Seasons in a bowl game
Florida State 36 1982-2017
Virginia Tech 25 1993-2017
Georgia 21 1997-2017
Oklahoma 19 1999-2017
LSU 17 2001-17
Boise State 16 2002-17
Wisconsin 15 2003-17
Alabama 14 2004-17
Clemson 13 2005-17
Oklahoma State 12 2006-17
Texas A&M 9 2009-17
Stanford 9 2009-17
• The 2017 Belk Bowl will mark the Texas A&M football team's first-ever game in the state of North Carolina.
• It will be the third time that the Aggies have been led by an interim coach at a bowl game. Previously, the Aggies fell to Penn State, 24-17, in the 2007 Alamo Bowl (interim coach: Gary Darnell) and defeated Northwestern, 33-22, in the 2011 Texas Bowl (Tim DeRuyter).
• A victory would give the Aggies their 25th win away from Kyle Field since joining the SEC. Texas A&M, Alabama and Georgia are the only SEC teams with 20 or more road victories since 2012.
MILESTONES TO WATCH ...
• Junior WR Christian Kirk needs two catches to become the second Aggie to make at least 60 in three straight seasons and the first to do it in his first three seasons. Ryan Swope also had at least 60 catches from his sophomore through senior seasons from 2010-12.
• Kirk needs one receiving TD to match Ryan Swope for No. 3 on A&M's career receiving TDs list. He needs 121 receiving yards to match former teammate Josh Reynolds at No. 3 on the career receiving yards chart. He needs 12 catches to match Jeff Fuller at No. 2 on the career receptions list.
• WR Jhamon Ausbon needs two catches to become the sixth true freshman (seventh freshman) to reach 40 receptions in a season. Ausbon needs 41 receiving yards to become the ninth freshman (seventh true freshman) to reach 500 yards.
• Redshirt freshman QB Nick Starkel needs just over 100 passing yards in the bowl game to ensure the Aggies of having a passer that averages 200+ passing yards/game for a 10th straight season. He would join Johnny Manziel as the only freshman QBs to average 200+ passing yards in a season in school history.
• Starkel needs 250 passing yards to match Kevin Murray at No. 2 on the Aggies' freshman passing yards list. Fellow freshman Kellen Mond needs 129 to match Murray at No. 2.
• Tyrel Dodson needs three tackles to become the Aggies' first sophomore LB to reach 100 tackles in a season in nearly 20 years (Brian Gamble, 110, 2000).
• Junior LB Otaro Alaka needs nine tackles to reach 200 for his career.
• Junior PK Daniel LaCamera needs five points to become the first Texas A&M placekicker to score 100 points in consecutive years and just the second to score 100 points twice in his career.
• LaCamera needs three FGs to become the fourth placekicker in school history to hit 20 FGs in a season (Others are Randy Bullock (29), Taylor Bertolet (22) and Scott Slater (21)).
• Senior P Shane Tripucka needs four I-20 punts to match his school record of 27 set last year.
TIGHT GAMES
Many of the Aggies' 2017 games have been in doubt in the second half, including four comeback wins.
Opp Result Situation
@UCLA L, 45-44 34-pt rally by UCLA
Nicholls W, 24-14 14-14 tie early in 4Q
ULL W, 45-21 A&M trails 21-14 at half
vs. ARK W, 50-43 OT 8 lead changes*
SC W, 24-17 A&M trails 17-7 in 3Q
ALA L, 27-19 Tried onside kick down 8 in 4Q
@FLA W, 19-17 A&M trails 17-10 in 4Q
@ OM W, 31-24 A&M trails 24-21 in 3Q
* - Biggest deficit was 14 points in 2Q (21-7)
Jimbo Fisher named Aggie head coach
Jimbo Fisher, who led Florida State University to a national championship in 2013, was named head football coach at Texas A&M on Dec. 4, 2017. Fisher agreed to a ten-year contract worth $75 million. No state-appropriated funds will be used to pay the coach's salary.
• Fisher took over the FSU football program in 2010, following the retirement of coaching legend Bobby Bowden. Fisher averaged more than 10 wins per season during his tenure and compiled an overall record of 83-23 with a .783 winning percentage, fourth-best among active head coaches (minimum five years). His winning percentage is the best in Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) history. His ACC record was 48-16 with three ACC championships and four Atlantic Division titles.
Thanks Coach Sumlin
Kevin Sumlin was relieved of all duties at Texas A&M on Nov. 26, 2017.
• Sumlin coached six seasons at A&M, posting an overall record of 51 wins and 26 losses (.662 winning percentage), including a record of 25-23 (.521) in Southeastern Conference (SEC) games.
Starkel settles in at QB1
Redshirt freshman QB Nick Starkel is averaging 305.0 passing yards per game in his three starts since returning to QB1 after missing six games due to injury.
• Since his return to the lineup, Starkel has connected on 21 pass plays of 20 or more yards in five games.
• Starkel has connected on at least one pass of 45 yards or more in all five games since returning to action.
• Starkel torched UNM for 416 passing yards on 21-of-30 passing (70.0 percent), all in the first half. It marked the first time that a Texas A&M QB reached the 400-yard plateau in passing in the first half in school history.
• In five games of action since returning from a broken ankle suffered in the season opener vs. UCLA, Starkel has completed 75-of-129 passes for 1,232yards and all 10 passing TDs of his career.
Players Mentioned
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
PLK
/ Football
LB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
PK
/ Football
QB
/ Football
WR
/ Football
QB
/ Football
P
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