NC State started their football season 1-0 tonight, defeating UCONN 24-14. Here are some of my initial observations.
Honestly, I expected the ball to be in the air a lot more than it was. A lot more. I thought Offensive Coordinator Robert Anae was bringing in the Air Raid. Tonight couldn’t have been more of an inverse of that. NC State ran the ball 46 times, and threw the ball 26 times.
Brennan Armstrong led NC State in rushing attempts (19), rushing yards (96) and he picked up 2 rushing touchdowns. I’m honestly not shocked that Armstrong led the Wolfpack in rushing yards and rushing touchdowns. I wouldn’t be shocked if he leads NC State in rushing touchdowns by seasons end.
Armstrong wasn’t impressive in the passing game. His accuracy wasn’t anything to write home about. Neither was the zip on his ball. Yes, he completed 65% of his balls, but most of them were thrown underneath.
I mean no disrespect to Jordan Houston. His numbers were adequate. Houston rushed the ball 13 times for 57 yards, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. My question is this: Why did Michael Allen not touch the ball more? Allen rushed the ball 4 times for 30 yards (7.5 yards per carry), and caught 3 passes for 27 yards. He ranked 3rd on the team in receptions and receiving yards, which tells me Anae wants to get the ball in his hands, but I want to see him used more in the rushing game. He is more electric than Houston, and you can’t rush your QB close to 20 times a game.
I didn’t expect Delbert Mimms to get 8 carries in the season opener. Not one bit. Yes, he scored a touchdown, but he averaged 2.5 yards per carry on the night.
True Freshman Kevin Concepcion led the Wolfpack in receptions (5), receiving yards (36) and targets (5). I wouldn’t be shocked if he led the Wolfpack in all three categories at the end of the year.
Defensively, I’m not upset with NC State giving up 14 points or 273 total yards of offense. I’m not a fan of the Wolfpack giving up an average of 6.2 yards per carry.
In epic fashion, Linebacker Payton Wilson sealed the deal with an interception with the game coming to a close. He finished the game with 10 tackles, 1 tackle for loss, 1 pass breakup, and 1 interception.
Safety Sean Brown had 2 pass breakups, and one of those should have been an interception, ending with the turnover bone in his hand.
The Wolfpack, who are known to blitz incessantly under Tony Gibson, seemed to settle for a three-man push.
Julian Gray averaged 29 yards per kickoff return (3 returns).
Punter Caden Noonkester averaged 45.3 yards per punt (3 punts).
Starting Defensive End Savion Jackson didn’t play in the game. His absence was noticeable, with some of UCONN’s success running to the outside.
Matthew is Co-Owner of Pack Insider. He writes for all sports, with a focus on football and recruiting, and is in charge of business strategy. He is an NC State alum who majored in business. Matthew is also the lead pastor of The Point Church in Cary, NC.
I think it might take a few games for our offense to really start to click. It’s a new offense, the players are getting used to Armstrong, and Armstrong is getting used to the players. Not thrilled by last night’s game but consider it good on many fronts, a win on the road, a first win of the season and a W in the win column. I would have hated to loose a game like this, but somehow only feel lukewarm about how we won. But again, a lot of new, so I’m cautiously optimistic.
NC State Cornerback Shyheim Battle has received an invitation from the New York Jets to participate in their Rookie Mini Camp.
NC State’s Shyheim Battle has been invited to rookie mini camp with the Jets with the opportunity to earn a priority free agent contract. #ncstate#NFLDraft#wpn
Battle had 1 year of eligibility remaining, but declared for the NFL Draft on January 3rd.
He finished this past year as the most experienced player on the Wolfpack’s defense, starting in 41 of the 51 games he has played in dating back to 2019. In a rarity in this day-and-age, Battle was a 4-year starter at the Cornerback position for NC State. He graduated with a degree in Communications.
In his final season in Red and White, Battle had 46 tackles, 2 tackles for loss, 2 interceptions, 4 pass breakups and 1 fumble recovery. His PFF Grade of 70.6 was the 7th best on the Wolfpack defense.
Kennedy III won’t be without a friend. He will be joined by Defensive End Savion Jackson, who also signed an Undrafted Free Agent deal.
Kennedy started for the Wolfpack in every single game this season at Nickelback, tallying 31 tackles, 2 interceptions, 6 pass breakups, 2 forced fumbles and 1 fumble recovery.
His ProFootballFocus grade for the season is 79.7, which is the 2nd highest grade on the Wolfpack defense, and the highest grade of all the Safeties that came out of the Transfer Portal last year.
In his one season in Raleigh, Narveson made 18 of his 23 Field Goal attempts for the Wolfpack, and made all 38 Extra Point attempts. Narveson made some history in his one season at NC State, kicking a 57-yard Field Goal against Duke, breaking the school record for the longest Field Goal.
Narveson ranked 4th in the ACC in Field Goals attempted (23), and 5th in Field Goals made (18) this season. He ranked 9th in conference in scoring (7.1 points per game).
I think it might take a few games for our offense to really start to click. It’s a new offense, the players are getting used to Armstrong, and Armstrong is getting used to the players. Not thrilled by last night’s game but consider it good on many fronts, a win on the road, a first win of the season and a W in the win column. I would have hated to loose a game like this, but somehow only feel lukewarm about how we won. But again, a lot of new, so I’m cautiously optimistic.