NC State beats UConn 24-14, safety Rakeim Ashford taken off field on stretcher
Posted August 29, 2023 1:33 p.m. EDT
Updated August 31, 2023 11:06 p.m. EDT
 NC State Wolfpack |
24 |
 UConn Huskies |
14 |
| Final | |
Final: NC State beats UConn 24-14.
NC State quarterback Brennan Armstrong completed 17 of 26 passes for 155 yards. He also had 19 carries for 96 yards and two touchdowns in his first game for NC State. Wolfpack safety Rakeim Ashford was injured in the third quarter and taken off on a stretcher.
4th Quarter: Wolfpack linebacker Payton Wilson intercepts UConn's Joseph Fagnano to end any of UConn's comeback hopes. Wolfpack lead 24-14 with seconds left.
4th Quarter: NC State defensive lineman Davin Vann records the Wolfpack's first sack of the season as the Huskies were forced to punt for the fifth time.
3rd Quarter: Wolfpack QB Brennan Armstrong rushes into the end zone for an eight-yard score late in the third quarter, capping off a four-play, 27-yard drive. NC State adds to the lead, 24-14.
3rd Quarter: NC State reserve safety Rakeim Ashford injured on ensuing kickoff on a late hit. Trainers put Ashford on a stretcher before taking him off the field.
Ashford gave a thumbs up as he was leaving the field.
3rd Quarter: UConn's running back Victor Rosa broke free from defenders, taking a 70-yard run to the house. The Huskies cut the Wolfpack lead, 17-14.
3rd Quarter: After a UConn pass interference penalty on fourth down extended the drive, NC State's Delbert Mimms III pushed his way into the end zone from one yard out. Following the PAT, the Wolfpack lead 17-7.
3rd Quarter: NC State defense forced UConn to punt after an eight-play drive stalled.
3rd Quarter: Wolfpack drive fizzled out, forced to punt on first possession of third quarter.
3rd Quarter: NC State to receive the second-half kickoff.
Halftime: NC State leads UConn at the half, 10-7. Wolfpack QB Brennan Armstrong completed 11 of his first 16 passes for 84 yards. He also lead the team with 37 rushing yards and a touchdown on the team's opening drive of the game.
True freshman receiver Kevin "KC" Concepcion leads the way in receiving for the Wolfpack with three catches for 24 yards.
The Huskies also scored on their first possession, topped off by a 17-yard run by UConn's Victor Rosa.
The Wolfpack and Huskies had three drives each after their opening-drive touchdowns. The Wolfpack are averaging 4.2 yards per play and punted once. The Huskies mustered only 22 yards on their three drives with punts ending each.
2nd Quarter: Graduate transfer kicker Brayden Narveson gave the Wolfpack the lead 10-7, after a 44-yard field goal.
2nd Quarter: NC State kicker Brayden Narveson missed 49-yard field goal attempt. Score remains tied, 7-7.
1st Quarter: QB Brennan Armstrong ran for a 4-yard touchdown, capping a nine-play, 66-yard drive. After the PAT, the Wolfpack ties the game 7-7.
1st Quarter: UConn's RB Victor Rosa gives the Huskies the lead with a 17-yard touchdown run. Following the PAT, Huskies take a 7-0 lead.
Pregame: Wolfpack defensive lineman Savion Jackson in street clothes, out for Thursday night's game
Preview:
The NC State Wolfpack football team is making final preparations ahead of the season opener on the road against UConn.
Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Pratt and Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field in East Hartford, Connecticut. The game airs on the CBS Sports Network.
“[There are] a lot of unknowns,” NC State head coach Dave Doeren said. “You think you know what you have going into the first game, but under the lights, [there are] gamers.
“Sometimes, guys emerge and sometimes guys shrink. And so, I’m anxious to see the guys on game day. I’m excited to see them play. They’ve worked hard. It’s a really close-knit team.”
During a Tuesday media availability, Doeren downplayed any bearing that last year’s 41-10 Wolfpack win had on this year’s matchup against the Huskies.
“Last year’s games don’t mean anything,” Doeren said. “Last year’s teams don’t win this year’s games, and so, we know UConn is a better football team.
“We know they’re a different football team. We’re also a different football team.”
While UConn finished the 2022 season with a 6-7 record, the Huskies had a 5-1 record at home. They also won five of their last seven games.
Doeren said from the film he watched, UConn got better as the 2022 season went along. He complimented running backs Victor Rosa (140 carries, 636 yards and 11 touchdowns) and Devontae Houston (84 carries, 578 yards and three touchdowns).
“I think those two backs could play in our league for anybody,” Doeren said. “They’re really good players.”
The Wolfpack defense will also be tasked with stopping quarterback Joseph Fagnano, a 6-foot 3, 224-pound senior transfer from Maine.
“He’s a good quarterback,” Doeren said of Fagnano. “He knows their offense.
“He’s got good size [and] poise in the pocket, and he’s a guy that can move around, and he’s not necessarily a guy that’s going to run all day on you, but he runs well enough to hurt you.”
Fagnano started two years at Maine. In one of those seasons, Fagnano played under UConn offensive coordinator and former Maine head coach Nick Charlton.
“[It’s] certainly similar to what we have with [transfer quarterback] Brennan [Armstrong] and [offensive coordinator] Robert [Anae],” Doeren said. “They’re going to be able to work back on games they’ve coached and played in together, and have some recall in their game planning.”
Anae replaces Tim Beck, who was hired as Coastal Carolina’s head coach in the offseason.
Armstrong threw for 4,449 yards, 31 touchdowns, 10 interceptions and completed 65.2% of his passes in 2021 at Virginia while playing under Anae.
When Anae went to Syracuse for the 2022 season, Armstrong’s stats dipped. Last season, Armstrong threw for 2,210 yards, seven touchdowns, 12 interceptions and completed 54.7% of his passes.
