Armstrong and Strong Defense Lead Pack to Win at Wake Forest

Make it three straight for the Wolfpack, as NC State wins in Winston-Salem for just the third time since 1997. And add Brennan Armstrong's name to the (short) list of quarterbacks who have left Wake Forest with a victory in that time span (Philip Rivers, 2001; Jacoby Brissett, 2015).

Armstrong led the Wolfpack offense that scored touchdowns on three of its first four possessions. The first play of the opening drive set the tone as Kevin "KC" Concepcion took a handoff for 65 yards, his longest rush of the season and the longest for the Pack since 2015. Concepcion finished with 86 yards on the ground.

Armstrong hadn't thrown a pass in a game since Louisville on September 29th. His second completion was a well-placed pass to Julian Gray in the corner of the end zone. It was Gray's first receiving touchdown in his Wolfpack career.

It was the 64th touchdown toss in Armstrong's career. But this one hit a different note for the 6th-year quarterback, who returned to the starting line-up this week.

"I've thrown a decent amount (of touchdowns) but this one felt different because I feel like I've grown," Armstrong said. "Even being a sixth-year in college, I feel like I've grown through this time that I was sitting. It felt good again. I felt like myself. I don't have words for it."

The left-hander finished the day 12 of 17 for 111 yards, a touchdown and no interceptions. He led the Wolfpack in rushing with 96 yards and a determined, physical touchdown on the ground.

The storybook final season that Armstrong had hoped for took a major detour when a change at quarterback was made after the 13-10 loss to Louisville.

"I don't think you can say enough about how he is as a teammate," Dave Doeren said. "To see him, in his last year of college football, not pout when things didn't go his way. He dug in. He is a good teammate. He worked hard every day. Whatever we've asked him to do, it's 'yes sir.'"

Time away from the starter's job brought a different perspective to Armstrong.

"I got into a rut playing last year and the start of this year," Armstrong admitted. "I lived and died by this sport. It was my identity. It's all I ever knew. It's all I ever did. I've taken the time to reset. Give myself grace. Don't be so hard on myself. Go play and have fun. Now I've got three of these left in my career."

The Wolfpack defense continued to follow the command of defensive coordinator Tony Gibson. "Just put the ball down and let's roll!"

Wake Forest had seven, 3-and-outs and was held to seven yards rushing and a fourth quarter touchdown. But even then, the Deacons 2-point conversion turned into a pick-2 by number 2. Linebacker Jaylon Scott returned it 100 yards for the final two points in a 26-6 Wolfpack win.

In the last three games, opponents are averaging just 9.6 points per game and the Pack defense has generated eight turnovers.

It's a winning formula that is part of a three-game winning streak with Virginia Tech next on the list for the final road game in the regular season

Armstrong and Strong Defense Lead Pack to Win at Wake Forest

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Team Stats

Brennan Armstrong

Players Mentioned

Brennan Armstrong

Julian Gray

Jaylon Scott