Gator Bowl 2018: NC State vs. Texas A&M live stream – Watch online
NC State and Texas A&M face off in one of college football’s oldest and most historic bowl games on the last day of 2018.
The Gator Bowl has been a part of the college football bowl season since 1946, making it the sixth oldest in existence. This year’s matchup features the NC State Wolfpack take on the Texas A&M Aggies in Jacksonville. Both teams finished with eight and nine-win seasons and are looking to end 2018 on a high note.
N.C. State started off their season hot with five consecutive wins. The road hit a speed bump with three losses in four games to Clemson, Syracuse and Wake Forest. Sitting at 6-3 going into the final stretch, the Wolfpack finished strong with wins over lowly conference foes Louisville and North Carolina. After the game against West Virginia was canceled due to severe lightning, the team scheduled an extra game against East Carolina. A dominant 58-3 win gave N.C. State a 9-3 record and third place finish in the ACC Atlantic standings.
The Wolfpack offense has been one of the best in the ACC all year and is arguably one of the most underrated in the country. Quarterback Ryan Finley is the conference’s passing leader with 3,789 yards and is tied for first in touchdowns with 24. Reggie Gallaspy II has been a dominant force in the ground, rushing for 1,012 yards and 18 touchdowns. The team also has a high-flying receiver in junior Kelvin Harmon. He leads the ACC in receiving yards with 1,186 and has seven touchdowns on the year. The question is: Can this high-octane offense have similar success against a strong SEC defense?
When Jimbo Fisher signed a 10-year, $75 million contract last year, most hoped Texas A&M would become a dominant force in the SEC sooner than later. So far this year, the Aggies look to be trending in that direction. While an eight-win season might not be considered major progress, Fisher has won over the fan base with good conference play.
A&M’s schedule was a tough one early. The team faced two opponents who have made the College Football Playoff all but the first year, Clemson and Alabama. They lost both games but played a close one against the Tigers. After wins over Arkansas, No. 13 Kentucky and South Carolina, the Aggies sat at 5-2 with a chance to finish high in the west division. While they did finish second behind Alabama, it was more of the same feeling under Kevin Sumlin. Two losses to Mississippi State and Auburn had A&M sitting at 5-4. After beating Ole Miss and UAB, the Aggies beat LSU for the first time since joining the SEC in 74-72 seven-overtime endurance test.
Quarterback Kellen Mond was named the starter before the season and it has been the right call. The sophomore showed improvement, throwing for 23 touchdowns to just eight interceptions for the year. He also chipped in with six rushing touchdowns. Trayveon Williams was named to the Doak Walker Award watch list and while he did not have as dominant of a season, he was still one of the conferences’ best running backs with 1,524 yards and 15 touchdowns. Tight end Jace Sternberger has been Mond’s go-to guy all season. The junior has 47 catches for 804 yards and ten touchdowns so far.
While NC State is not ranked, they might as well be. A win over the Wolfpack would be a strong finish for Fisher’s first season. The Aggies have not won a bowl game since 2014.
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This game on New Year’s Eve will be nationally televised on ESPN and can be streamed live on Watch ESPN.
How to watch and bet N.C. State-Texas A&M
Date: Monday, Dec. 31
Start time: 7:30 p.m. ET
Location: Jacksonville, FL
Stadium: TIAA Bank Field
Spread: Texas A&M -7
TV info: ESPN
Stream: Watch ESPN
Prediction: Texas A&M wins but does not cover the spread.