UVA Opponents Series: Can former Wahoo Armstrong take NC State to ACC Championship?
Posted on Friday, Sep. 1, 2023, 1:38 am
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Countdown to KickoffEDITOR’S NOTE: This is the fourth in a 12-part series on Virginia’s football opponents, compiled by our interns, Clay Meeks and Harry Farley. For the first three opponents, they are archived on our site
By Harry Farley
JerryRatcliffe.com Correspondent
Photo: NC State Athletics
The second home game of the year will again have a big emotional component to it, as NC State and former Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong will face off against the Cavaliers in a Friday night game (the second straight Friday night contest).
It will be interesting to see how receptive Cavalier fans are to Armstrong — but expect a warm welcome and an understanding of the situation Armstrong faced. He tested the NFL Draft waters for the second straight postseason to learn that he would likely become a struggling free agent, which was definitely a factor that prompted his return to college and transfer to NC State.
His reunion with offensive coordinator Robert Anae could be the key to re-unlocking Armstrong’s game. Anae spent six years at Virginia as Bronco Mendenhall’s OC and helped lead Armstrong to a prolific season in 2021, when he threw for 4,449 yards, 31 touchdowns, and a passer rating of 156.4 — all career-highs.
The Wolfpack came into 2022 with high expectations but fell short of those — after reaching as high as No.10 in the AP Top 25, NC State’s schedule picked up and fell short to No.5 Clemson and No.18 Syracuse last October. The offense struggled quite a bit, averaging just 24.3 points per game (ninth in ACC) and 339.8 yards of offense per game (11th in ACC). The hire of Anae and transfer of Armstrong could be the magic combination that the Wolfpack needs to make a serious run at an ACC Championship.
The 2023 schedule looks relatively similar to last season in terms of matchups. However, several notable opponents are all at home for the Wolfpack and may be a recipe for a strong season — Notre Dame, Clemson, Miami, and North Carolina will all visit Carter-Finley Stadium. Whether or not the Wolfpack can finally have a breakout year and win an ACC Championship — which they haven’t done since 1979 — is a question mark.
With the addition of Anae (who spent the 2022 season as offensive coordinator at Syracuse) and Armstrong, the key to winning tough games for the Wolfpack will be the rapport that Armstrong develops with his receiving group, including Keyon Lesane, Terrell Timmons Jr., and Porter Rooks. While some view 2023 as a potential rebuilding season for NC State as it attempts to grow a strong offense over several years under Anae, Armstrong could catch fire and re-discover his game.
However, the Wolfpack defense, which ranked third in the ACC in yards per game allowed and first in the conference in points allowed, lost the likes of starters LB Drake Thomas, S Cyrus Fagan, S Tanner Ingle, LB Isaiah Moore, and DT Corey Durden. Despite those losses, the defense should again be one of the best in the ACC, including a strong defensive line anchored by Davin Vann and C.J. Clark, who recorded 4.5 sacks and 3 sacks in 2022, respectively.
