TUCSON, Ariz. -- Scott Geyer returned the second of his two interceptions 85 yards for a touchdown and Ronald Veal threw a rare scoring pass Sunday night to spark Arizona to a 17-10 victory over North Carolina State in the inaugural Copper Bowl.
The Wildcats, who led the Pacific-10 in rushing with 241 yards a game, managed only 50 on the ground but prevailed because of two big plays and an outstanding defense led by Geyer and linebacker Chris Singleton.
Veal, an option quarterback who completed only 39 percent of his passes this season, hit Olatide Ogunfiditimi with a perfect 37-yard strike for the game's first score. It was only the senior's sixth TD throw this year and 10th in two seasons.
Playing before a disappointing home crowd of 37,237, Arizona finished 8-4 and handed Dick Tomey his first bowl victory in 13 years as a head coach.
The Wolfpack, 7-5, opened their season with six straight victories but ended with four consecutive losses.
The Atlantic Coast Conference school held the ball for more than 38 minutes and outgained Arizona 310 yards to 130, but committed four turnovers and was hurt by a poor performance from quarterback Shane Montgomery.
The most prolific passer in North Carolina State history, Montgomery completed 21 of 46 attempts for 222 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
Geyer, who entered the starting lineup when All-Pac-10 safety Jeff Hammerschmidt was injured Oct. 28, had only two interceptions entering the game.
But the 5-foot-10 senior, named the defensive player of the game, grabbed Montgomery's badly overthrown pass at the 15 and sprinted untouched into the end zone for a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter.
Geyer, who earlier picked off an option pass from flanker Mike Kavulic, came up big again in the fourth quarter. With the Wolfpack driving for the tying touchdown, Geyer and Ty Parten tackled Aubrey Shaw for no gain on fourth-and-inches at the Arizona 26.
North Carolina State got the ball back with two minutes left, and Montgomery completed four straight passes to get his team to the Arizona 41. But on fourth-and-four, Chris Williams dropped a pass at the 20, and the Wildcats ran out the clock.
The Wolfpack had moved to within 17-10 with 4:58 left in the third quarter on Damon Hartman's 43-yard field goal. Montgomery set up the score with a 24-yard pass to tight end Todd Harrison.
On North Carolina State's first two possessions, Hartman missed a 50-yard field goal and Anthony Barbour fumbled the ball away on the Wolfpack 5.
Arizona, which played without suspended David Eldridge, its leading rusher, then took a 7-0 lead with 1:59 left in the first quarter when Ogunfiditimi beat Barry Anderson with an over-the-shoulder catch for a 37-yard TD.
Montgomery completed only one of his first seven throws, but appeared back on track after hitting Al Byrd for 25 yards to the Arizona 23.
But two plays later, Montgomery overthrew fullback Todd Varn, and the ball went directly to Geyer, who raced to the easy score.
It marked the fourth straight game a North Carolina State opponent had returned a Montgomery interception for a touchdown.
The Wolfpack, though, got back in the game when Fernandus Vinson recovered Mario Hampton's second fumble of the contest. Nine plays later, Montgomery hit Varn with a 4-yard TD pass with 1:55 left in the half.
But the Wildcats marched 47 yards to Gary Coston's 34-yarder 10 seconds before halftime for a 17-7 lead.
