St. Petersburg, FL (SportsNetwork.com) - Matt Dayes rushed for two touchdowns in the third quarter as the North Carolina State Wolfpack capped off a remarkable turnaround season with a 34-27 win over the UCF Knights Friday night in the St. Petersburg Bowl.

Jacoby Brissett completed 15-of-26 passes for 262 yards with one touchdown for the Wolfpack (8-5), who had gone 3-9 in coach Dave Doeren's first season in 2013.

Dayes totaled 78 yards on 13 carries, while his backfield mate, Shadrach Thornton, rushed 17 times for 96 yards and added a touchdown pass.

Justin Holman threw three touchdown passes to Josh Reese, the last coming with 1:44 left in the game, but the Knights (9-4), with no timeouts remaining, were unable to secure the onside kick.

Holman was 23-of-53 for 291 yards with one interception, and Breshad Perriman had 138 yards on nine receptions.