Four Downs: Prescott, Mississippi State hand NC State lopsided loss in Belk Bowl

Mississippi State cruised past NC State in the Belk Bowl's ACC-SEC showdown, winning 51-28 in star quarterback Dak Prescott's final collegiate game. Here are four thoughts from the game:

1. How long of a leash will Dave Doreen have in 2016?

On the surface, it would seem the NC State program is moving in the right direction under its 44-year-old head coach. Doeren followed up a three-win debut season with back-to-back bowl bids and 15 wins over the past two seasons. That overall record is fool's gold, though.

Doeren's program has not played a single non-conference Power Five team and it owns a 6-18 mark in ACC play. NC State is 0-6 against ranked opponents over that span and while there have been bright spots along the way — hanging tough with then-No. 3 Clemson in 2013, beating rival North Carolina and pushing top-ranked Florida State last season — the 2015 campaign offered zero signature moments. The Wolfpack's bowl eligibility was built on a foundation of non-conference wins over Troy, Eastern Kentucky, Old Dominion and South Alabama ... a scheduling strategy that will be upended next year only because the ACC mandates a game against Notre Dame.

The lackluster results through the first three seasons of the Doeren Era leaves the program in an intriguing position entering this offseason. If it's not necessarily a hot-seat scenario, it's at least a situation worth monitoring. Add in the fact that Doeren's staff needs to replace a quality quarterback, among other senior starters, and that needed breakthrough against top-tier teams — Florida State and Clemson join Notre Dame on the schedule — is going to be difficult.

The added pressure is compounded by the fact that the ACC continues to make strides on the national level. Either Florida State or Clemson has finished the regular season undefeated for the past three years, and if the top-ranked Tigers can defend their No. 1 ranking in the 2015 College Football Playoff, it will give the conference two national title in three seasons. The conference dominated the college football carousel with the hires of Mark Richt, Justin Fuente and Bronco Mendenhall. NC State rivals North Carolina and Duke have won division titles (in a weaker Coastal Division) in recent years.

In a college football landscape that demands year-to-year gains, stagnation is the enemy. Doeren, like any coach at any school, deserves an opportunity to put his stamp on the program. Still, that record against quality opponents needs to change.

(Silver lining: Advanced metrics are high on NC State. Under Doeren, NC State went from 78th to 50th to 27th in overall opponent-adjusted efficiency entering the Belk Bowl.)

2. Dak Prescott receives proper send-off

With 30 seconds remaining in his college career, Dan Mullen "benched" Dak Prescott.

The Bulldogs had already eliminated the Wolfpack on the scoreboard, so with nothing left on the line Mississippi State's head coach allowed the crowd and Prescott's teammates to celebrate the greatest player in school history one final time.

The senior went out in style, too. The win sealed back-to-back nine-win seasons for the first time in school history. Prescott toyed with NC State's defense throughout, passing for 380 yards and four touchdowns — the most by any player in Mississippi State's bowl history. His performance simply extended a few of his 38 school records.

A two-time All-American and 2014 Heisman contender, Prescott's final year was a quieter one, thanks in part to missing pieces in his supporting cast. Still, in a conference where quarterback play leaves much to be desired, he developed into the standard. His final career counting numbers: 11,897 total yards, 114 total touchdowns and 26 wins in a three-year stretch.

In a brutal division, Prescott helped put Mississippi State back on the map.

3. Replacing Jacoby Brissett will not be easy, either

NC State lucked out in landing Brissett.

A former four-star recruit, the dual-threat option (and fairly accurate Prescott clone) hit the transfer market after losing a quarterback battle with Jeff Driskel at Florida. The West Palm Beach, Fla., native's initial choice was closer to home (Miami), but the Hurricanes' roster was already overloaded with quarterbacks. In many ways, Brissett was Doeren's first major recruit when he chose the Wolfpack over the likes of ACC challengers Clemson, North Carolina, Virginia Tech and Duke.

Brissett delivered on his promise in offensive coordinator Matt Canada's system, developing into an NFL prospect with two consecutive seasons of 2,500 yards and 20 touchdowns. His Belk Bowl performance (12 of 28, two total touchdowns, two interceptions) left much to be desired, but he's been the primary driving force behind the program for the past two years.

Now he's gone and NC State, much like Mississippi State, has big shoes to fill.

Jalan McClendon, a 6-foot-5 four-star recruit out of Charlotte, will more than likely get the first crack at the job after serving as Brissett's primary backup in 2015. A rising redshirt sophomore, he's completed a grand total of eight passes for 69 yards. (Perhaps the staff should have given him a few more reps in those early-season blowouts?)

If McClendon is ready for the limelight right out of the gate — early-season games against William & Mary, East Carolina and Old Dominion should help Brissett's replacement ease into the role — Canada's offense may not miss a beat. If not, that Year 4 leap is going to be hard to come by.

4. Will the Wolfpack defense continue to make strides

Brissett & Co. were always going to steal the headlines, but NC State's defense quietly improved in 2015 ... at least until the Belk Bowl demolition.

The Wolfpack entered postseason play ranked 41st nationally in scoring defense and 34th in efficiency — both the top marks of the Doeren Era by a wide margin. Defensive coordinator Dave Huxtable loses a few key pieces, notably defensive end Mike Rose and defensive backs Hakim Jones and Juston Burris, but it was a sophomore-laden group that returns the vast majority of its two-deep roster.

Sophomore linemen B.J. Hill and Bradley Chubb combined for 21.5 tackles for loss and nine sacks during the regular season, while fellow underclassmen Airius Moore, Justin Jones and Darian Roseboro were similarly disruptive. The secondary loses some of its playmakers, but the linebacking corps returns intact. It's a promising group.

NC State could very well take a step back offensively in 2016. The spotlight now grows brighter on Huxtable: Can he turn his unit into the program's strength?