NC State turns to the mad scientists whose offense lit up the ACC two years ago
No one’s seen what is almost certain to be the wonderful weirdness of N.C. State’s new offense, not yet. The spring offense was deliberately generic, and if his history at Virginia is any indication, not only will new offensive coordinator Robert Anae hold back a big chunk of the playbook in the opener at Connecticut, he’ll put things on tape in that game designed to mislead Notre Dame in Week 2.
All of which means it may be a little while before the Wolfpack really starts flipping through the pages of Anae’s unconventional playbook, but it’s coming. Brennan Armstrong came to N.C. State to recapture the magic he and Anae discovered at Virginia in 2021, when they combined to conjure up the ACC’s most unpredictable and explosive offense.
“I’m really excited to get into some of the motions, different formations, the really weird stuff,” Armstrong said. “It’s not always weird, but you can confuse the defense a little bit and put guys in positions to be successful.”
In the wake of a 16-12 bowl-game loss to Maryland that seemed to put the finest of points on just how stale and unimaginative N.C. State’s offense had become, the injuries at quarterback notwithstanding, Wolfpack coach Dave Doeren acknowledged that it was time for change. By that point, he’d already gone as far in the opposite direction as possible.
When offensive coordinator Tim Beck left to become head coach at Coastal Carolina, Doeren stayed within the ACC to hire Anae, who had mild success last season at Syracuse but left a lasting impression with his wild, unpredictable, incredibly productive offense at Virginia in 2021.
A big part of that was Armstrong’s improvisational ability, and his Jedi mind-meld with Anae meant that as much as the Cavaliers mixed things up before the snap, they were just as creative after it, with Armstrong throwing receivers open as they all read the defense together.
As Doeren is concerned, he’s willing to let those two guys go do their thing, crazy as it may be. It’s a leap of faith he’s happy to make.
“It’s his offense,” Doeren said. “We’re going to talk about things and I know our players well too, so we’re going to talk about how to use guys, but it’s his. Schematically. I do like watching film with him and hearing why they do it. Robert’s super-creative, and he has that touch.”
While influenced by trendy Mike Leach-type Air Raid concepts, Anae’s offense is decidedly and deliberately unconventional. At Virginia, he had converted quarterbacks and other misfits at receiver, some wearing numbers in the 90s like defensive linemen, even reserving a position on the depth chart for FBP: “Football player.”
It worked. The Cavaliers had eight players with at least 10 catches, nine with at least one touchdown and five with 30 or more catches while Armstrong led the ACC in passing yards and was fourth in touchdowns. Other than an ill-advised tackle-eligible play at the goal line that cost the Cavaliers the rivalry game against Virginia Tech, it was a smoothly running offensive machine.
There’s a method to all the madness. All the motions and movement before the snap have a purpose, to create specific situations and spacing, and Armstrong’s ability to think on his feet and buy time in the pocket allows him to wait for the right matchups to develop. In some ways, he’s more the point guard in a basketball motion offense than a quarterback in football offense.
During that 2021 season, the Cavaliers were doing things at the start of the season designed to set up defenses later in the season, playing 4D chess with a playbook that was almost impossible to thoroughly scout. And with all the new faces at receiver at N.C. State, nobody’s really going to know what’s coming.
“That’s what he’s the best at,” Armstrong said. “I think that’s why coach Doeren hired him. He causes problems for a defense to look at and scout and whatever personnel we have, puts guys in positions to be successful. Those two things, most of the time you’re going to have success if you do those two things, right?”
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