NC State football shows mixed bag in season opener

At least this time the NC State football season opener did not rely on a missed field goal at the end of the game. Instead, the Pack was able to comfortably kneel on the ball while lining up in victory formation to wrap up a tough 24-14 win at UConn.

Some of the problems from a year ago still look prevalent. The passing game lacked explosiveness, and the short yardage success rate is not as high as needed. If NC State football wants to make a debut appearance in a division-less ACC Championship game, a lot of improvement will be needed between now and then.

But there was a positive similarity from last year. Other than one drive (the opening) and one play, the defense continues to look stout. UConn was held to 273 total yards of offense, 52 of that coming on their final possession where NC State brought limited pressure.

And there was one positive difference from 2022: quarterback Brennan Armstrong. New NC State offensive coordinator Robert Anae will have to get to work figuring out why the passing attack was lacking. The early guess is that the concerns about the offensive line were proven justified. Armstrong did not have plentiful time, but to his credit he confessed after the game he may have also been too quick to tuck and run at times.

Yet, Armstrong’s tough running was the difference in this game, and NC State not only did not have that last season, it hasn’t enjoyed that on a full-time basis since Jacoby Brissett was starting in years two and three under head coach Dave Doeren, who is now in year 11.

Armstrong finished with 19 carries for 96 yards and a pair of touchdowns. His ability to read where the pressure was coming from limited UConn to just one sack in a game where the Huskies seemed to be in the backfield more than that.

The true dual-threat was an element that NC State only had for a brief stretch last season, when quarterback MJ Morris was running the offense for most of a three-game stretch before injuring his knee.

The manner of which Armstrong moved the chains, the Pack did gain a solid 23 first downs, with his legs was somewhat reminiscent of how now NFL-starter Sam Howell carried UNC’s offense in 2021. After Howell lost his vaunted receiving corps following two productive years, he ran for 828 yards and 11 touchdowns as a junior with a similar running style to what Armstrong showcased Thursday.

The play that exemplified what Armstrong meant for NC State was when he ran for an 8-yard touchdown on third and goal. That’s a low percentage down and distance that Armstrong converted because of his ability to escape and his toughness.

Considering this is a new offense, with a clearly more up-tempo approach, and Armstrong is working with new receivers, there’s reasons to hope that the passing game will improve as the season unfolds. That’s the best source of optimism.

The defense is still good. The kicking was good. Brayden Narveson did miss a 50-yarder but had the distance and he rebounded to make a 44-yarder. The offense ran for 209 yards thanks to Armstrong’s dual-threat capabilities.

That’s not a bad starting point, especially when considering offenses tend to improve more during a year than the defense.

There are still unknowns though, including how good is UConn? A year ago, the Huskies went 5-1 at home with some nice wins included. UConn also legitimately boasts good line play, especially on offense. But a rule of thumb is to take four weeks to get the landscape of college football. That’s an almost impossible ask in the era of instant hot takes, but on Sept. 23, the same venue will see Duke visiting.

Many believe that the Blue Devils could be on a team to watch in the ACC a year ago after a 9-win campaign.

It also remains to be seen if the NC State offensive line, who failed on a fourth and one in the fourth quarter and a few other third and shorts to create a push for bruising running back Delbert Mimms III, can improve enough so that NC State is not relying on Armstrong’s scrambling to consistently run the ball.

The lack of downfield passing is also a little disconcerting, given how much NC State struggled in that department a year ago even when Devin Leary was healthy and slinging the football. Six different NC State receivers did catch the football Thursday, so that might be a positive.

NC State football fans will obviously find out a lot more about the Pack on Sept. 9 when Notre Dame comes to Raleigh, but until then there is a decidedly mixed bag to consider.

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