NC State football rebounds in a big way: Wolfpack runs over VMI, 45-7
N.C. State football earned its first win at Carter-Finley Stadium in 2023 Saturday.
The Wolfpack (2-1) defeated Virginia Military Institute (1-2), 45-7, in the first game between the two teams since 1946. VMI, however, still leads the series 11-8-1.
The Wolfpack took a 31-0 lead into halftime. It scored 21 points in the first quarter alone, including one touchdown from nickelback Robert Kennedy. The nickelback intercepted a pass from Keydet quarterback Collin Shannon and returned it for a 30-yard TD, jumping over a defender en route to the end zone. It was his first pick six for the Pack.
Quarterback Brennan Armstrong also contributed multiple explosive plays. His most notable were a 64-yard pass to Julian Gray and a 16-yard touchdown pass to Bradley Rozner on the same drive.
It was the commanding performance — with all three phases of the ball working in sync — N.C. State had been looking for.
Here are three takeaways from the Wolfpack’s big victory:
Brennan Armstrong finds his receivers
Armstrong came to N.C. State after his prolific career at Virginia, topping the record books in 15 statistical categories. He recorded 9,034 career passing yards — 4,449 in 2021. Many expected him to put up big numbers for the Wolfpack, but he only had 415 yards and completed 39-of-73 passes through two games.
Photos: NC State football defeats VMI
The early struggles were attributed to a combination of youth among the receiving corps and Armstrong still settling into his new role. N.C. State’s offense quelled concerns for at least another week, looking in sync against VMI.
Armstrong found different seven receivers for double digit yardage. He finished 27-of-32 for 264 yards and a touchdown. His most impressive drive came in the first half, when he connected with redshirt sophomore Julian Gray for a 64-yard pass and followed that up with a 16-yard touchdown pass to graduate student Bradley Rozner.
Gray led all receivers in yardage, with freshman Kevin “K.C.” Concepcion following behind. Concepcion has quickly become a regular target in Armstrong’s rotation, but he hadn’t been consistent in the first two contests. That wasn’t the case this weekend. He recorded 62 yards on seven catches, and aside from senior Keyon Lesane, grabbed all of the passes from Armstrong.
Giving up explosive plays
There have been questions about the defense’s ability to stop opposing teams from picking up explosive plays, and that still remains a concern. An explosive play in this instance is defined as a pass of 15-plus yards or a rush of 10-plus yards.
The Wolfpack gave up five big plays to the Keydets. Two passes were good for more than 40 yards each. N.C. State’s defense also allowed a VMI rusher to advance 24 yards.
The Keydets added passing plays of 16 and 22 yards. The 22-yard pass, despite pressure on quarterback Collin Shannon, led directly to VMI’s lone touchdown.
State responded well, forcing punts on all but the one drive. The team, however, can’t continue to give up explosives when it gets into ACC play. N.C. State saw against Notre Dame what those positive gains can turn into when facing a more consistent offense.
Special teams doesn’t get enough credit
The Pack showed impressive growth on offense and defense, but special teams continued to shine.
Redshirt sophomore Julian Gray finished with 181 all purpose yards, including 94 on kickoff returns. One of his returns was for 82 yards and a touchdown, a first of his career. He is up to 233 return yards on the season after his stellar performance.
Fellow returner Jalen Coit contributed 68 yards on punt returns. His longest return was for 33 yards, a career high. Plus, he now has 109 yards on the punt return duties.
Graduate student Brayden Narveson was perfect on PATs and made his one field goal attempt.
Overall, the special teams squad helped the Pack immensely and showed more of what it’s capable of.
