NC State football was previously 2-9 since 2000 against Wake Forest in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and year after year, the Demon Deacons have played host in the Pack’s house of horrors. But today, you wouldn’t have been able to tell.
This time, the Wolfpack (7-3, 4-2 ACC) waltzed into Winston and defeated its demons, dismantling Wake Forest (4-6, 1-6 ACC) 26-6 behind an impassioned performance from graduate quarterback Brennan Armstrong and a stifling defensive display.
“Really proud of the players,” said head coach Dave Doeren. “I just told them, ‘That doesn’t happen often…’ It’s been a long time since I could be happy at the end of the game in this stadium, and so I’m thankful to them. … The players are the ones that got to deliver, and they did. They came ready. They didn’t let anything get them out of their focus.”
With the news of sophomore quarterback MJ Morris’ decision to redshirt this past week, Armstrong was thrust back into the starting role after losing it earlier this season. Despite the surprising turn of events, the graduate didn’t shrink in the spotlight.
Armstrong led the Wolfpack to a dominant, 21-point first half, flashing his ability to run the football with 96 total yards on the ground and one rushing touchdown. By the end of the game, Armstrong and the offense accumulated a season high of 268 total rushing yards.
“I don’t think you can say enough about how he is as a teammate,” Doeren said. “To see him, in his last year of college football, not pout when things didn’t go his way. You know, he just dug in. He’s a good teammate; he worked hard every day.”
That hard work and patience paid off immediately for Armstrong and the Wolfpack. The visiting Pack launched out of the gates on its first drive, which was catapulted by a 65-yard rush from freshman wide receiver Kevin Concepcion. Just two plays later, Armstrong threw his first touchdown since Sept. 22, finding redshirt sophomore wide receiver Julian Gray for a 20-yard score.
The graduate has been through it all in his final season of college football. After weeks of sitting, Armstrong and his supportive teammates celebrated his emotional first drive touchdown toss.
“I feel like I’ve grown through this time that I was sitting,” Armstrong said. “And yeah, it just felt good again; it felt like myself. I really don’t have words for it. It just felt different than the other ones. You know, [it’s] just that comeback thing. So yeah, I enjoyed it.”
While the Pack hit paydirt on offense, the defense continued to establish itself as a force to be reckoned with. The unit forced Wake Forest to punt the ball away on five consecutive drives, and senior defensive end Savion Jackson was a key part in establishing defensive momentum as he amassed a pair of sacks in the opening quarter.
“When we step on the field, we know exactly what we want,” Jackson said. “… We know exactly what we’re trying to accomplish, so I mean getting the sacks and everybody making their plays and doing what we’re supposed to do is literally just textbook.”
While its defense continued to frustrate Wake Forest, NC State was determined to capitalize on its momentum offensively.
Armstrong established himself as a prominent rushing threat on the Pack’s second scoring drive. The graduate wasn’t afraid to lower his shoulder and take it to the Demon Deacons himself, helping the NC State offense pave its way down the field. The Pack reached the redzone, Armstrong called his own number and punched in a score to extend his team’s lead to 14-0.
After yet another fruitless Wake Forest drive, the Pack picked up where it left off. Armstrong continued to rack up rushing yards, and by the end of the night, he led the Wolfpack on the ground. NC State capped off the drive with a one-yard score by redshirt junior running back Delbert Mimms III to grant NC State a commanding 21-0 lead.
The Demon Deacons briefly seized momentum away from the Pack after forcing a fumble that set them up deep in NC State territory. However, Wake Forest missed a field goal and suffered more self-inflicted wounds that kept a potential comeback far out of reach.
This was evident in the second half as well — graduate nickel back Robert Kennedy forced a fumble after a Wake Forest first down, and redshirt sophomore safety Sean Brown recorded an interception. Even as the Demon Deacons scored in the waning minutes of the game, the Pack did not back down, and senior linebacker Jaylon Scott intercepted their two-point attempt to the house to put the NC State lead at 26-6.
“We can only handle what we can handle on our side of the ball,” Scott said. “… And as long as we continue to stay as a team and keep on pushing that fight together, we’ll come out victorious and successful.”
After Scott’s two-point score, it was all over. NC State ran the ball out for a majority of the second half, relying on its strong offensive line and legion of capable ball-carriers to control the game.
With his team rallied around him, Armstrong is set to lead the Wolfpack for the remainder of both the season and his college career. With two more big ACC matchups left, the graduate is looking to make the most of his time left on the field, especially after his stint on the bench.
“It was just a mental reset,” Armstrong said. “[I had to] give myself grace, don’t be so hard on myself and just go play. I got two games left in my career or three games left, so [I need to] just enjoy them.”
The Wolfpack is set for a showdown in Blacksburg, Virginia for its penultimate regular season game. Kickoff against Virginia Tech is set for 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 18. The game will be televised on ACC Network.
