NC State Wolfpack vs. Virginia Cavaliers Pick & Prediction SEPTEMBER 22nd 2023
North Carolina State quarterback Brennan Armstrong will be in a special place in the team's Atlantic Coast Conference opener Friday night.
He will be back in Charlottesville, Va., where he played the last five seasons for Virginia.
Armstrong has shown few signs of peeking ahead. But now it's game week for his return.
Gino Russo
"I haven't looked at what other people are doing," Armstrong said. "We'll start to figure out what they do. I'm taking it game by game. We'll figure out what this next defense likes to do and be able to adapt."
Armstrong started 30 games for Virginia the past three seasons.
This year, he still appears to be in adjustment mode with NC State (2-1), though he was 27 for 32 with a touchdown in Saturday's 45-7 home trouncing of Virginia Military Institute.
"This was a great game for us to bounce back," Armstrong said.
(1)(1)(1)(1)(1)(1)(1)(1)(1)(1)(1).jpg?auto=compress,format)
Virginia (0-3) needs something good to happen, though there were stretches of positives the past two weeks. But the Cavaliers couldn't hold leads against James Madison or Maryland.
"We got to go make the plays," Virginia coach Tony Elliott said. "We can't wait for somebody else to make the play. We can't hope that the team across the field doesn't make the play. We have to go make the play."
It will be Virginia's second consecutive Friday night game after a 42-14 loss at Maryland.
The Cavaliers seem less clear at quarterback since Armstrong's departure. Tony Muskett began the season as the starter, but an injury resulted in Anthony Colandrea taking that role.
Five experts, five days of football, over 40 picks, and ALL profit!
Muskett practiced last week, but he was given at least another week for his non-throwing shoulder to heal.
"I have full confidence in the offense," Cavaliers safety Jonas Sanker said. "I know what they're capable of, so there's never any doubt."
Virginia's Malik Washington, a transfer from Northwestern, caught nine passes for a career-high 141 yards in the Maryland game.
NC State and Virginia haven't met since the 2020 readjusted schedule, with the Wolfpack winning 38-21 at Charlottesville. Armstrong played in a starting, but limited role that day, throwing two interceptions among his nine passes and absorbing three sacks.
--Field Level Media
NC State Wolfpack vs. Virginia Cavaliers Recap SEP 22TH 2023
Brayden Narveson kicked a game-winning field goal from 33 yards out on the final play as North Carolina State pulled out a 24-21 victory against Virginia in the Atlantic Coast Conference opener for both teams on Friday in Charlottesville, Va.
Wolfpack quarterback Brennan Armstrong threw for two touchdowns against his former team.
Kevin Concepcion caught both scoring passes from Armstrong, who was a Virginia starter the past three seasons. The graduate-student QB completed 15 of 30 passes for 180 yards with one interception for NC State (3-1, 1-0 ACC).
Virginia quarterback Anthony Colandrea second touchdown pass to Malik Washington went for 3 yards with 36 seconds to play in regulation, and then he tossed a tying two-point conversion pass to Malachi Fields.
The tying drive for Virginia (0-4, 0-1) covered 66 yards in 11 plays and took 2:53. An unsportsmanlike-conduct penalty on the Cavaliers assessed on the kickoff allowed NC State to move 33 yards in five plays to set up the winning field goal.
The Wolfpack's defense came up with interceptions on back-to-back Virginia possessions in the fourth quarter to cling to the lead. The second of those pickoffs came after the Cavaliers reached the NC State 26-yard line.
After scoring its last touchdown, NC State punted on its next three possessions to give the Cavaliers chances.
Colandrea finished 18-for-30 for 271 yards with two touchdown passes and two interceptions.
Virginia got field goals from 21 and 36 yards from Will Bettridge in the third quarter to close within 14-13.
Sean Brown and Aydan White made the interceptions for NC State's defense. Brown grabbed his pick after teammate Bishop Fitzgerald batted the ball away from the intended receiver. White's snatch came at the 1-yard line.
Concepcion racked up 116 receiving yards on six catches. His second touchdown play came with 11 seconds remaining in the third quarter as he cut through Virginia's defense for the final 27 yards of the 48-yard play.
NC State's rushing attack was held to 139 yards in its first game since running back Jordan Houston opted to leave the program.
Armstrong threw for to Concepcion a 12-yard touchdown for the game's first points on the first play of the second quarter.
Virginia got even on its next possession with Colandrea throwing 8 yards to Washington.
The Wolfpack went back ahead when Delbert Mimms III ran in from 1 yard out with 28 seconds to play in the first half.
--Field Level Media