A Good Week's Work Shows in the Pack's 45-7 Win

The way NC State played on Saturday was a direct result of what happened during the week leading up to the game with VMI. The proof was in the preparation coming off of a tough loss to Notre Dame.

"They're very coachable," Dave Doeren said. "You know, when they make mistakes, they listen, they take them to heart. They work really hard on improving. And they did that today."

The Wolfpack's offensive performance in the opening half was near perfect with three touchdowns and a Brayden Narveson field goal. The scores came on the ground from Delbert Mimms III, in the air from Brennan Armstrong to Bradley Rozner and the defense contributed with a beautiful tip drill, pick six from Robert Kennedy.

"It was really amazing because that was my first pick-six in division one college ball," Kennedy said after the game. "It feels real good, and we won. So it feels even better."

The Pack did not punt a single time in the opening half.

VMI had shown a tendency to blitz defensively, but against the Pack, dropped in coverage to keep receivers in front of them. Armstrong and the offense patiently picked the Keydets apart with pinpoint accuracy, completing 84% of this passes for 264 yards, a score and no interceptions. It was the Pack's best passing performance of the season and the most accurate game for a Wolfpack QB since 2015 (Jacoby Brissett, 84% vs. Troy).

"I thought Brennan did a really nice job of understanding what they were doing, and where the soft spots were," Doeren said. "And the receivers worked for him."

The longest pass play came in the second quarter when Armstrong showed the perfect touch into a tight window with three defenders in the area. The ball fell softly into the hands of Julian Gray who never broke stride en route to a 64 yard gain.

That play was part of Gray's 181 yards of all-purpose yards. He scored TWICE on kick returns but because of a penalty, only the second one counted. VMI tried a squib kick but Gray fielded it like an all-star shortstop and quickly found his top speed down the sideline for an 82-yard touchdown.

"I kind of hope to take every return to the house," Gray said. "So with this one, I don't really think it was anything too much different. After I got second level, I turned on the jets."

What a spectacular way for Gray to score his first touchdown at NC State. It was something that many have seen coming. "He's dynamic with the football and his confidence is growing," Doeren said.

Complimentary football is something the program strives for each week. NC State achieved that in a 45-7 win, playing a game that mirrored the weather; clean, crisp and cloudless.

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Team Stats

Brennan Armstrong

Players Mentioned

Brennan Armstrong

Julian Gray

Robert Kennedy

Brayden Narveson

Bradley Rozner