NC State football quick hits and notes from win at UConn
Here are quick hits and notes from NC State football’s 24-14 win at UConn. The game was played in front of a record crowd of 36,526 fans at Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Conn.
Column: NC State football shows a mixed bag in season opener
Some Notable Debuts
Super senior quarterback Brennan Armstrong, a transfer from Virginia, completed 17 of 26 passes for 155 yards and also led the Pack with 19 rushes for 96 yards and two scores.
NC State true freshman receiver Kevin Concepcion has earned rave reviews in preseason camp, and he led the Pack with four receptions for 36 in his debut. Concepcion was targeted five times and gained 23 yards after the catch. The one pass that was incomplete in Concepcion’s direction was an errant throw.
Another new receiver, Rice grad transfer Bradley Rozner, caught a third down conversion for a first down by making a 14-yard haul, but he could not make a catch in the end zone on a lob pass from Armstrong.
Defensively, junior college addition junior defensive end Jykevious “Red” Hibbler had an impressive strip sack, although UConn was able to recover the fumble. Another JC recruit, junior safety Bishop Fitzgerald, had two tackles and a pass breakup.
Old Dominion grad transfer and starting nickel Robert Kennedy also had a pair of hits and a PBU.
Two Starters Missing
NC State football coach Dave Doeren announced earlier in the week that expected starting guard redshirt sophomore Lyndon Cooper would miss the opener, but the hope was that Cooper would be ready for the showdown with Notre Dame on Sept. 9 in Raleigh.
The fact that Cooper was dressed out and went through warmups further solidifies the expected timeline for Cooper’s return.
Not publicly revealed was that super senior defensive end Savion Jackson was sitting out the game. Jackson went through pregame stretches, but when the team returned from the locker room in uniform, Jackson was in street clothes.
Jackson is returning from a torn ACL that he suffered at Syracuse near the midway point of last season. Redshirt sophomore Travali Price started in Jackson’s place.
NC State Football Rushing Attack
Thanks in large part to Armstrong’s legs, NC State finished with 209 team rushing yards. Will that represent the start of an improvement in the running attack for the Wolfpack?
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A year ago, the Pack was 110th out of 131 Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) teams in rushing yards per game at 113.8. The only time NC State rushed for more yards than the 209 it did at UConn Thursday was when the Pack ran for 217 yards against Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) member Charleston Southern.
The only FBS team in which the Pack ran for 200 yards was Boston College, when NC State ran for exactly 200 yards. The Pack ran for less than 100 yards in six of 10 games against Power Five competition, and in two others did not surpass 115 yards. NC State had 108 yards rushing at halftime alone against UConn.
NC State Football Freshman Watch
We will keep track of this list throughout the season to see who burns their redshirt from the 2023 recruiting class. Freshmen can play up to four games before losing their redshirts.
Receiver Kevin Concepcion – 1 game
Tight end/receiver Juice Vereen – 1 game
What The Win Means
NC State football is 1-0 after winning the season opener for the 10th time in 11 tries under Doeren. The Pack is 5-2 in road season openers since 1970, including a victory last year at East Carolina.
Doeren picked up win No. 73 at NC State, four shy of matching Earle Edwards for most in program history. Doeren is 73-54 as the Pack’s coach. Edwards went 77-88-8 from 1954-70.
The Wolfpack leads the overall series with UConn, 4-0. The two do not have any future games scheduled.
