RALEIGH, NC – It’s a totally different feel to begin the season in Raleigh this year compared to this time last season. The excitement and anxiousness are there, but missing is the media hype and preseason ranking beside the name ahead of the NC State Wolfpacks season opener Thursday night on the road against the UConn Huskies.
Kickoff is slated for 7:30 PM inside Pratt & Whitney Stadium at Rentschler Field. The contest can be seen live on the CBS Sports Network and also over the air on Sirius/XM 134/193.
UConn will be looking to avenge last season’s 41-10 blowout defeat against NC State on September 24 inside Carter-Finley Stadium.
The Huskies used last year’s drubbing as motivation the rest of the way – winning five out of their next six games, including a gutsy win over then-ranked Liberty earning a trip to the Myrtle Beach Bowl.
It will also be a new-look Wolfpack with a new offensive coordinator Robert Anae and quarterback Brenan Armstrong, who is set to make his NC State debut after heading to Raleigh from UVA. While adding a new offense to the gameplan, the Wolfpack return a veteran-heavy defense along with coordinator Tony Gibson.
Game Notes
- NC State head coach Dave Doeren is entering his 11th season at the helm of the Wolfpack. That marks the second-longest tenure in the school’s history and ranks eighth among current FBS coaches.
- NC State and UConn will face each other for just the fourth time in history, and just the second time at Rentschler Field.
- Last season, the 12th-ranked Wolfpack won 41-10 in Carter-Finley on Sept. 24.
- Prior to opening the season at ECU last season, NC State had not kicked off a season on its opponent’s home field since 2008. Now the Pack will do it twice in two years.
- UConn Head Coach Mora returns for his second season leading the Huskies. Mora guided UConn to a 6-7 record in year one and brought the Huskies back to a postseason bowl game for the first time since the 2015 season.
- UConn has an all-time record of 69-53 at Rentschler Field and a 35-18 mark in non-conference games prior to re-classifying as an independent in 2020.