Dave Doeren reveals what he's looking for from the N.C. State offense vs. Virginia

The N.C. State Wolfpack are looking for their third straight win against the Virginia Cavaliers on Friday night. The two teams will clash under the lights in Scott Stadium in Charlottesville, Virginia. Just a few minutes before kickoff, ESPN’s Paul Carcaterra spoke with Wolfpack head coach Dave Doeren on what he expects from his offense and former Virginia quarterback Brennan Armstrong on Friday night.

N.C. State head coach Dave Doeren on his quarterback

“You know I think it’s just continuation of what you saw last week. Managing the ball, getting the ball to the right people. He’s shown in spurts what he can do. I like how he’s making the right decisions for the team right now. And as he gets to know these receivers and they get to know him and evolve some more and more each week. For coach Anae and them together. It’s just that, you know, synergy, that you’re looking for between those two groups. It’s getting better each week,” Doeren said.

In the first half of Friday night’s game, Armstrong racked up over 150 all-purpose yards, while tossing in one touchdown and one interception.

What’s allowed the NC State defense to create so much pressure? “Well, Tony Gibson does a great job. He’s very creative. He knows the system. Knows how to set things up. The players understand what they’re doing within the system and they play really hard,” Doeren said.

N.C. State led Virginia 14-7 at halftime. Wolfpack receiver Kevin Concepcion hauled in four catches for 61 yards in the first half. He also tacked on a touchdown catch.

Friday night’s game is the first return home for former Cavalier signal-caller Brennan Armstrong, who shattered numerous records during his time there, before hitting the transfer portal and joining the Wolfpack this offseason. He also played there while Robert Anae, who is the current offensive coordinator for N.C. State, was his offensive coordinator for Virginia.

He shattered records in 2021 for the Cavaliers, throwing for 4,444 passing yards, while tossing in 31 touchdown passes and 10 interceptions. He earned third team All-ACC honors.

He became UVA’s single-season passing yardage leader against BYU in 2021, after he eclipsed Bryce Perkins’ mark of 3,538 passing yards. In that game, Armstrong reached 3,557 passing yards for the season. That’s not the only record he broke at UVA, as he threw for a school-record 554 passing yards against UNC in their 59-39 loss in 2021, shattering the single-game passing yardage record.