Alex Scarborough, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

More than 100 points later, Wake Forest beats Texas A&M in wild Belk Bowl

The real fireworks won't come until this weekend, but Wake Forest and Texas A&M featured plenty of pyrotechnics in the Belk Bowl on Friday afternoon in Charlotte, North Carolina.

The two offenses combined for more than 100 points and 1,200 total yards.

It was only fitting, too, that the game ended with a defensive stop. After Matt Colburn scored the go-ahead touchdown on third-and-goal from the 1-yard line with 2:18 left, Wake Forest's defense rose up and finally put a halt to Texas A&M's offense to hold on for the 55-52 win.

Aggies quarterback Nick Starkel's 499 yards and four touchdowns through the air just weren't enough. Neither were Christian Kirk's 189 receiving yards and three touchdowns.

"The whole second half it was just, 'Get one stop,'" Wake Forest coach Dave Clawson said. "The offense was moving the ball -- we just had to get the lead back and make one stop."

It came better late than never. After Wake Forest scored 31 unanswered points to take a 31-14 lead, Texas A&M came storming back to take a 45-41 advantage.

Colburn, who scored the winning touchdown for the Demon Deacons, rushed for 150 yards on 21 carries.

Wake Forest rode the arm of quarterback John Wolford to 400 yards and four touchdowns on 32-of-49 passing. Wolford also ran for 68 yards on 15 carries, earning the game's MVP honors.

Wolford spread the ball around, too, as Scotty Washington and Cam Serigne each had more than 100 yards and a touchdown receiving.

It wasn't the most technically sound game with five total turnovers and 11 penalties, but offense wasn't the problem as Wake Forest and Texas A&M each broke the 600-yard mark on offense.

Even so, the game fell short of the FBS record for combined points in a bowl game. That came in the 2001 GMAC Bowl when Marshall and East Carolina used two overtimes to score 125. The record for a regulation game, according to ESPN Stats & Information, is 123 from the 2011 Alamo Bowl that featured Baylor and Washington.

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