Virginia Tech Football: 3 takeaways from loss to NC State
By Scott Roche
NC State put on an impressive ball-control offense
North Carolina State came into the game wanting to take the sold-out crowd out of the game and not allow Virginia Tech’s offense to get going like they did last weekend at Boston College. Mission accomplished.
In the first half, the Wolfpack ran 38 plays for 228 yards, compared to 18 plays for 95 yards by the Hokies. After a scoreless opening quarter, NC State scored 21 points in the second quarter, but just when it seemed like Virginia Tech was going to get some momentum, they answered.
After falling behind 14-0, Bhayshul Tuetn returned a kickoff to the NC State 47, then on the next play, Xayvion Turner-Bradshaw scored on a reverse to cut the deficit to one score. The Wolfpack answered with a long touchdown drive before halftime and scored with 18 seconds left. Then pulled the double score by matching downfield on the opening drive of the second half for a 28-7 lead.
That man 5 was movin' 😤#ThisIsHome | 📺 on @accnetwork pic.twitter.com/PYuPf0W3m4
— Virginia Tech Football (@HokiesFB) November 18, 2023
NC State quarterback Brennan Armstrong was 18-for-26 passing for 203 yards and he rushed for 89 yards, while wide receiver KC Concepcion had two touchdown receptions and a touchdown throw. The Wolfpack sent a lot of players in motion, ran some trick plays, and kept the Virginia Tech defense off balance. It was an impressive ball-control display by Dave Doeren’s team.