Dave Doeren expresses excitement, confidence in MJ Morris ahead of first start in 2023

NC State made a change at quarterback this week. Sophomore MJ Morris is taking over for senior Brennan Armstrong for Saturday’s game against Marshall.

Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren spoke with the CW before the game and shared that he feels confident in Morris as he enters his first start of the year. With that said, it’s important that everyone else on the offense plays well and helps the young quarterback out, Doeren said.

“We need to play together,” Doeren said. “These guys need to go play hard up front for him. The running backs run hard, receivers run precise routes, and he just needs to go do what he does. I’m excited for him. He’s going to play well.”

Doeren added that he also wants to see the NC State defense play well against Marshall. In particular, Doeren wants NC State to slow down the Thundering Herd’s rushing attack.

“Well, their quarterback, for one, can run around and make some plays. And their tailback’s an excellent player,” Doeren said. “So we’ve gotta do a good job tackling.”

Dave Doeren reveals how NC State QB Brennan Armstrong handled decision to start MJ Morris

MJ Morris moving into a starting role means senior Brennan Armstrong will now head to the bench.

Doeren revealed how the Virginia transfer handled the decision.

“Met with those guys individually and let them know what we’re doing. They both handled it as good teammates and competitors would. Like I said, Brennan’s going to be a great teammate. He handled a very tough conversation as well as he possibly can. I think my respect for him has always been high because he’s a super competitive dude, but he is an excellent teammate.”

Going forward, one thing that Doeren does expect to see is that Armstrong will continue to be a leader and a good teammate.

“So, he handled it as well as you could hope and you’ll see that. You’ll see him leading. He’ll be on the sidelines cheering guys on throughout the game, and if he’s needed to play, he’s gonna play. He’ll come in and play hard.”

Dave Doeren then confirmed that Brennan Armstrong will be the backup quarterback moving forward.

NC State is 3-2 this season, with losses to Notre Dame and Louisville. For his part, Brennan Armstrong is completing 58.8 percent of passes for 971 yards and five touchdowns. He’s also thrown six interceptions.

On3’s Dan Morrison contributed to this report