Texas A&M will take on Wake Forest in the Belk Bowl on Dec. 29 at noon CT at The Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte, North Carolina.The bowl game was announced by both the SEC and ACC Sunday afternoon.
“We look forward to representing the SEC in the matchup against Wake Forest and look forward to outstanding hospitality from the Belk Bowl and Charlotte, North Carolina,” A&M Athletic Director Scott Woodward said in a statement. “We look forward to the 12th Man doing a great job of supporting our team.”
This will be the Aggies first ever matchup against the Demon Deacons, and their first appearance in the Belk Bowl. The bowl bid also extends A&M’s number of consecutive bowl appearances to nine, a school-record streak beginning with the Aggie 2009 appearance in the Independence Bowl.
With interim head coach Jeff Banks leading the charge, the Aggies hope to close the season on a high-note and grab their first postseason victory since 2014.
“We are honored to represent Texas A&M in the Belk Bowl,” Banks said in a statement. “Our players will be excited to get back to work and prepare to face an excellent and well-coached Wake Forest football team.”
Wake Forest is 7-5 on the year and finished third in the ACC Atlantic Division behind Clemson and NC State. The Demon Deacons closed the regular season with a 31-23 loss to Duke. Wake Forest began the season 4-0 before dropping four of its next five games.
On offense, the Demon Deacons are led by quarterback John Wolford, a senior with dual-threat capabilities. He averages 253.8 passing yards per game, and leads the team in rushing touchdowns with 10. His top target out wide is slot receiver Greg Dortch. The redshirt freshman is the team’s leading receiver with 722 yards on 53 receptions and nine touchdowns.
Defensively, Houston native Duke Ejiofor heads the rush. As a redshirt senior defensive end he leads the team in sacks (6.5) and tackles for loss (14.5). Linebacker Justin Strnad poses a dynamic threat in the secondary. The redshirt sophomore has recorded a team-high three interceptions, and has been disruptive in the backfield with 3.5 sacks and 7.0 tackles for loss.