Monday morning quarterbacking: NC State 24, UConn 14

NC State football started the regular season on a positive note, prevailing 24-14 on the road over UConn on Aug. 31, a Thursday night game in East Hartford, Conn. As a result, the Wolfpack is 1-0 for the 10th time in 11 seasons under head coach Dave Doeren.

The Wolfpacker takes a final look at the contest with some Monday morning quarterbacking:

Key Moment Of The Game

NC State took advantage of UConn losing its discipline just as the Huskies may have had a game-changing moment.

The Pack had scored a touchdown to go up 17-7 in the third quarter. A stop and score by the Pack would have been hard for UConn to overcome. Instead, Huskies running back Victor Rosa changed the complexion of the game, twice, on one play.

His 71-yard sprint to the end zone on UConn’s first snap of the drive immediately cut the score down to 17-14, but his ill-advised summersault into the end zone at the end of the run was an automatic 15-yard penalty on the ensuing kickoff.

NC State redshirt sophomore receiver Julian Gray took the short kickoff at the Wolfpack 18 and returned it 40 yards. A late hit away from the ball by UConn’s Isiah Davis added 15 more yards, and the Pack took possession at the Huskies’ 27-yard line. Four plays later, NC State super senior quarterback Brennan Armstrong ran in for an 8-yard touchdown, and the Pack led 24-14 with 34 seconds left in the third quarter.

Three Things That Worked For NC State Football

1. Armstrong’s running: Not including a sack, Armstrong ran 18 times for 97 yards, an average of 5.4 yards per carry. On 13 of his rushes, Armstrong gained at least five yards for NC State. Armstrong added a dimension to the Pack’s offense that has not been seen since the days of quarterback Jacoby Brissett.

2. Special teams: The performance was not perfect. Super senior kicker Brayden Narveson pulled a 50-yard field goal wide left, for instance. But Narveson also made a 44-yarder, and Gray had three good kickoff returns. Redshirt sophomore Caden Noonkester averaged 45.3 yards per punt, and redshirt junior Collin Smith had 3 of 4 kickoffs go for touchbacks.

3. Discipline: No turnovers and only one penalty, a five-yard false start, during the game for NC State. That’s a clean presentation in Week 1.

Three Areas Where NC State Football Struggled

1. Big passing plays: One of NC State’s top goals this season was to be more explosive as a passing team, but Armstrong was just 3 of 9 on throws that went at least 10 yards in the air, according to Pro Football Focus. None were longer than 20 yards.

Armstrong was 14 of 17 passing on throws 10 yards or less.

2. Stopping the run: UConn’s numbers are skewed by Rosa’s 71-yard touchdown, but the Huskies rushed for 170 yards on 24 carries when removing sacks. Only twice did NC State drop UConn running backs behind the line of scrimmage.

Even if you remove Rosa’s touchdown, the Huskies averaged 4.3 yards per rush.

3. Finishing drives: NC State is probably more than 10 points better than UConn. The Pack did not once go three-and-out during the game. A couple of dropped passes turned out to be drive-killers, and an inconsistent success rate on short yardage runs additionally set the Pack back. The inability to get explosive pass plays also forced NC State to have to stay on schedule to sustain drives.

Position-By-Position Battles

NC State football’s offensive line vs. UConn’s defensive front

The results were mixed. Armstrong was productive in his runs, and if PFF data is to be believed, the offensive line graded out well. Armstrong was only officially sacked once. That said, it did seem like UConn was getting fairly good pressure in the backfield, and NC State lost far too many short-yardage battles.

NC State football’s defensive front vs. UConn’s offensive line

The Huskies boast one of the better non-Power Five offensive lines in the country, and that showed in winning this battle against NC State. The Wolfpack only had 4 tackles for loss, including a pair of sacks.

NC State football’s wide receivers vs. UConn’s secondary

The short passing game worked well. NC State’s wideouts did a nice job of getting yards after the catch (116 total in the game, per PFF). However, the lack of downfield passing success was glaring.

NC State football’s secondary vs. UConn’s wide receivers

The Pack won here. UConn was not equipped to challenge NC State through the air, and it showed.

Quarterbacks

Armstrong was efficient and turnover-free, and he created plays with his legs. UConn’s Joe Fagnano had his moments, but he also, at times, looked like a QB making his first career Football Bowl Subdivision start.

Running backs

Rosa may have been the biggest playmaker in the game, rushing for not only the 71-yard score but also a 17-yard touchdown. The Pack’s trio of super senior Jordan Houston (13 carries for 57 yards), sophomore Michael Allen (4 runs for 30 yards) and fifth-year redshirt junior Delbert Mimms III (8 rushes for 20 yards and a score) had solid evenings, but did not create the big plays that Rosa provided.

Tight ends/fullbacks

This was a quiet game for both teams. Super senior Trent Pennix caught a 7-yard pass for NC State.

Special teams

NC State won this battle in one of the more decisive differences in the game. UConn’s inability to get touchbacks on kickoffs help set up some of Gray’s returns, and the costly penalty for the Huskies on Gray’s last runback was a crucial moment in the contest.