ORLANDO, Fla., Dec. 20 (UPI) -- North Carolina State and Pittsburgh meet in the return of the Tangerine Bowl Thursday, one night after East Carolina and Marshall staged the highest-scoring game in bowl history.
Byron Leftwich engineered a stunning comeback on Wednesday in the GMAC Bowl as the 25th-ranked Thundering Herd rallied from a 30-point halftime deficit to stun East Carolina, 64-61, in double overtime.
The 6-5, 230-pound junior tossed an eight-yard touchdown pass to Josh Davis in the second overtime to give Marshall its fourth straight bowl victory.
The teams combined for 125 points and more than 1,100 yards in a 4 ½-hour marathon. It was the highest-scoring bowl game ever, surpassing the 96 points in the 1995 Copper Bowl between Texas Tech and Air Force.
Like Marshall, Pittsburgh (6-5) staged a respectable comeback of its own this season.
The Panthers dropped to 1-5 following a 45-7 loss at Boston College on October 20 and coach Walt Harris' job appeared to be in jeopardy. But Pittsburgh responded by winning its final five games, including a 38-7 rout of bowl-bound Virginia Tech on November 3.
The key to Pittsburgh's chances on Thursday could hinge on the health of star receiver Antonio Bryant. He has been bothered by a sprained ankle and his availability will be a game-time decision.
The highlight of North Carolina State's season was a 34-28 victory at Florida State in November as the Wolfpack became the first ACC team to win at Doak-Campbell Stadium.
The Wolfpack (7-4) also had a strong finish, winning four of their last five to earn a bowl invitation after splitting their first six games.
Philip Rivers enjoyed a steady, if not spectacular, season for North Carolina State, passing for 2,586 yards with 16 touchdowns and seven interceptions.
The current Tangerine Bowl succeeds the Micronpc.com Bowl, which had three title sponsors and drew an average of just 28,359 in its 11-year history.
Founded in 1946, the Tangerine Bowl was held in Orlando for 37 years before giving way to the Citrus Bowl. Boston College and Auburn played in the last Tangerine Bowl in 1982.
The 25-game bowl season began Tuesday, when Colorado State raced to a 17-point lead eight minutes into the first quarter and coasted to a 45-20 victory over North Texas in the inaugural New Orleans Bowl.
The bowl season concludes January 3, when top-ranked Miami meets No. 4 Nebraska in the Rose Bowl.
