NC State football’s Brennan Armstrong gets second chance, Wolfpack smacks Wake Forest
Sometimes goodbye is a second chance.
NC State football quarterback MJ Morris elected to sit out for the rest of the season and redshirt, allowing quarterback Brennan Armstrong the opportunity to retake the reins for the Wolfpack against Wake Forest on Saturday.
Armstrong and NC State’s vaunted defense responded to a challenging week by smacking the Demon Deacons in a 26-6 win for the Wolfpack’s first victory in Winston-Salem since 2015.
In his first start since late September, Armstrong accounted for 207 yards and two touchdowns to help NC State (7-3, 4-2 ACC) win its third game in a row.
Here’s how the Wolfpack got it done against the Demon Deacons.
NC State football quarterback Brennan Armstrong makes most of opportunity
After starting the first five games, Armstrong was benched for four games but remained a captain and contributed as a running back.
The Virginia transfer set the tone out of the gate with a 20-yard touchdown pass to Julian Gray on the opening drive. He also had a 1-yard touchdown run as NC State built a 21-0 lead in the first half.
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As a passer, Armstrong completed 12-of-17 passes for 111 yards. He also had 96 yards on 16 carries as the Wolfpack’s leading rusher.
Payton Wilson, Wolfpack defense continue to do their part
NC State’s defense made life miserable for Wake Forest, which had two first downs in the first half and 45 total yards. The Wolfpack limited Wake to seven rushing yards, the lowest for an ACC opponent since Syracuse had three in 2020.
The Demon Deacons scored their only points late in the fourth quarter as the Wolfpack finished with two takeaways and limited an opponent to single-digit points for the second week in a row. It's the fewest points allowed in consecutive games since 1992.
Veteran linebackers Jaylon Scott (eight tackles) and Payton Wilson (seven tackles) led the defense against the Deacs.
NC State riding high with Virginia Tech, UNC up next
For the first time since starting 4-0 last season, NC State has a three-game winning streak. Following a 21-point loss at Duke on Oct. 14, the Wolfpack was at a crossroads. Now, it seems NC State has found a winning formula.
The Pack will have a chance to carry that momentum to Virginia Tech before returning to Raleigh for the regular-season finale against rival North Carolina. With two more wins, NC State can have at least nine wins in a season for the second time in three seasons.
Staff writer Rodd Baxley can be reached at rbaxley@fayobserver.com or @RoddBaxley on X/Twitter.
This article originally appeared on The Fayetteville Observer: Brennan Armstrong returns, NC State football smacks Wake Forest
