NC State’s Brennan Armstrong continues resurgence in win at Virginia Tech 

BLACKSBURG, Va. — Brennan Armstrong did not find success against Virginia Tech when he was the starter at Virginia in his previous two contests against the Hokies. He and the Cavaliers struggled to beat their arch rival, but when he walked into Lane Stadium in NC State’s black and white uniform on Saturday afternoon, the tide turned. 

Armstrong and the Wolfpack’s offense controlled the game from the second quarter on, and he was pivotal in the team’s five straight touchdown drives to build a three-score lead, which the red and white held on to win 35-28. 

The graduate quarterback native was an efficient 18-of-26 passing for 203 yards and two touchdowns.  And it was not just his arm, either. The bruising runner logged 113 rushing yards prior to his intelligent kneel downs that he ran backwards with at the end of the game to let the clock expire. 

But this Armstrong is a different version than the one that played against the Hokies the first two times around. It is even a different sample of a quarterback than the Armstrong that was the Wolfpack’s starter through the first five weeks. 

If you ask NC State coach Dave Doeren, it comes down to letting his talent do the work — not trying to force himself to be better.

“He’s just having fun,” Doeren said of Armstrong. “He had such a tough year last year, and I think he had such a desire to fix that. And sometimes you press, ‘I got to be better, I got to be better.’ That’s not how you play better, actually. You play better by doing what the offense needs you to do, and letting your skill set be your skill set.”

Armstrong has done just that through his last two starts when he returned to the starting lineup after sophomore quarterback MJ Morris elected to redshirt the rest of the season. Armstrong threw six interceptions in his first five games, including three against Notre Dame. 

But since then, Armstrong has taken care of the football. He has not put the ball in harm’s way in either of the past two games, which has led to success for the Pack. Over the past two outings, Armstrong is 30-of-43 for 316 yards with three touchdown passes. He has also added  36 carries for 185 yards on the ground with a trio of scores to pace NC State’s rushing attack. 

That’s a long way from him hearing boos inside Carter-Finley Stadium. Armstrong’s improvement has come through his mindset, freshman wideout Kevin Concepcion said. 

Concepcion, who has been Armstrong’s favorite target all season, added that he has enjoyed seeing his signal-caller have success. 

“It’s been amazing,” Concepcion said. “I feel like the fans had counted him out a little bit. It’s definitely amazing to see him come back, get the starting role, and do what he’s been doing for the past two weeks.”

Concepcion was not alone in that. Graduate tight end Trent Pennix, who used to watch Armstrong play against the Wolfpack, is still amazed at some of the licks that the quarterback can take as a runner. 

But the thing that has impressed Pennix even more is Armstrong’s grit. He did not hang his head when he was benched after the 13-10 loss to Louisville. Instead, Armstrong embraced his new role as a backup. 

“He ain’t going to let nobody talk down on him or the outside noise really impact his game,” Pennix said. “He’s really focused and disciplined in his craft. He’s there for his teammates, as y’all can see. … He’s there for anybody playing that quarterback spot, and that’s what we value in him — that leadership role, that poise and a guy that we can really look up to and depend on every game on offense.”

That is something that Doeren has noticed, too. The team needed a spark earlier in the season, which led to the quarterback switch, but with Armstrong back in the fold, he has served as an igniting player, too. 

“I think the team embraced his journey — his suffering, his pain — and saw just a good teammate,” Doeren said. “Man, did he gain respect in those four weeks being a good teammate after he went through what he did. When that opportunity came, I think everybody was pulling ‘like all right man, let’s go.’ That’s been cool to see the team rally around him like that.”

Armstrong served as a rallying point for the Wolfpack, and it paid off with back-to-back road wins at Wake Forest and Virginia Tech. Now, NC State will prepare for its regular season finale against North Carolina in Raleigh. 

The Wolfpack quarterback’s journey may be inspirational, and the Pack is focused on growing with him. 

“He’s a tough guy,” Concepcion said. “All of us, we just keep growing week to week, and we keep winning games. I hope we just keep on doing it.”