LOOK: NC State awarded Holiday Bowl trophy after UCLA forfeit
The North Carolina State Wolfpack saw their season abruptly end when the Holiday Bowl got canceled on Tuesday, just four hours before kickoff. After scrambling to find an opponent, there was no other option but to move on to the 2022 season.
“After exhausting every possibility and contacting numerous schools personally through the Holiday Bowl, we have no other option than to end our season,” North Carolina State athletic director Boo Corrigan said in a statement on Wednesday. “As disappointing as this stunning turn of events was, we must not let it diminish the accomplishments of our 2021 football team or forget the moments of joy they brought us.
“I commend Coach Doerson, his staff, and especially our players for making great decisions and doing the right things to ensure that they were ready to play every week and all the way until yesterday. I can’t wait to watch them run it back in 2022.”
According to Andrea Adelson of ESPN, head coach Dave Doeren told her the Holiday Bowl came into their locker room after the game to present the Wolfpack with the trophy. Additionally, North Carolina State will be counting it as a win, giving them 10 on the season.
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If North Carolina State does in fact count the Holiday Bowl as a win, it will be the second 10 win season in program history. The first came back in 2002 when quarterback Phillip Rivers was lead the Wolfpack to 11 wins.
Bruce Feldman of The Athletic reported that UCLA was down to just two interior defensive linemen, with a linebacker preparing to play as the backup nose tackle. However, due to even more COVID-19 problems, there was no choice but to cancel the Holiday Bowl.
The Bruins now end the season with an 8-4 record, their first winning season under head coach Chip Kelly. UCLA won their final three games of the year, including a victory over cross-town rival USC.