The Wolfpacker: An Independent Magazine Covering NC State Sports
Issue link: https://comanpub.uberflip.com/i/1497827
MAY/JUNE 2023 ■ 35 State. Armstrong took a statistical step back in 2022 after Anae left Virginia for Syracuse, and now the veteran quarter- back looks forward to recapturing his previous All-ACC form. "I just feel like I have something to prove," Armstrong said. "I really wanted to put two great years together, and there's just a chip on my shoulder. I think this is the best place for me to prove that. "There's a lot of opportunity here. I think the guys, especially on the offen- sive side, are itching to just be better. I feel like they felt they didn't do their part last year. We're all in this together." Record-Setter During the 2021 season, Anae and Arm- strong produced one of the nation's most potent passing offenses. The Cavaliers averaged 515.8 total yards per game that year, including 392.6 yards through the air, the second-highest mark in the FBS. The offense wasn't able to maintain that pace last fall, averaging 344.1 yards in UVA's 10 games. Nevertheless, Armstrong threw for 2,210 yards and became the pro- gram's all-time leading passer with 9,034 career yards. He also showed his capabilities as a dual-threat quarterback, racking up 1,267 yards and 20 touchdowns on the ground in his time at UVA. When Anae and Tujague recruited Armstrong out of Shelby, Ohio, they were intrigued by the signal-caller's ability to run the ball. But then Armstrong arrived on campus, and the staff quickly came to realize that he could sling it, too. "In my work and training and devel- opment with Brennan, we started with his legs, what he can do on the ground running the football," Anae said earlier this year. "That was the starting point with his recruiting. Once he got on campus, I was like, 'Whoa, this guy can really throw the football.'" The quarterback and coordinator are close now and are working together on and off the practice field to implement the Wolfpack's new air raid system. However, it took a while for the two to develop a productive relationship. Armstrong did not instantly mesh with his new offensive coordinator when he signed with UVA as a three-star signal- caller in the 2018 recruiting class. "I remember my freshman and soph- omore years, I didn't really like him that much," Armstrong said. "He really got on me, and I was young. "But then it started to transition into more of just a relationship instead of me being told what to do and being yelled at. I took the feedback, took the coach- ing, and the relationship has grown a lot." Finding The Right Fit When he entered the portal, Arm- strong wanted to join a program with a strong culture. In NC State, he found an ideal fit. "I wanted to find a place I could suc- ceed in, and I thought this place was it, bottom line, with my old OC coming here, and [head] Coach [Dave] Doeren]," Armstrong said. "I wanted to find a place that was established." Syracuse was one of the schools that expressed interest in him. The Orange's offensive coordinator, Jason Beck, had worked with Armstrong during his pre- vious tenure as quarterbacks coach at Virginia. There were other Power Five programs that wanted to bring him aboard, too, but the Wolfpack stood out as the right fit for his next collegiate home. "Coach [Jason] Beck called me, but I felt like this was the best place for me," Armstrong said. "I felt like Coach Doeren had the best culture here. "I thought NC State was just the right place for me. There were obviously other schools involved, but this was it, and I just felt it. This was where I knew I needed to be." Armstrong said he believes the of- fense could be "special" this year under Anae's leadership. Quarterbacks coach Kurt Roper and the rest of the position group are all communicating well, and the graduate student signal-caller said he has been impressed with sophomore MJ Morris and freshman Lex Thomas. Armstrong also lauded Ben Finley, the redshirt sophomore quarterback who entered the transfer portal after the spring game. "The whole room is great," Armstrong said. "This is a pretty dang skilled room that I'm in. I really believe that … "I think their future here is really bright. These guys can ball." The upcoming season will be Roper's second as quarterbacks coach at NC State; he served in that role in 2019, his first year in Raleigh, before taking charge of the running backs the past three sea- " I thought NC State was just the right place for me. There were obviously other schools involved, but this was it, and I just felt it. This was where I knew I needed to be. " Armstrong Armstrong set career records at Virginia for passing yards (9,034) and total offense (10,301) before opting in January to finish his career at NC State. PHOTO BY KEN MARTIN