During Thursday’s contest with the Western Carolina Catamounts, NC State football struggled throughout the game to find much of a rhythm. Despite issues on both sides of the ball, most eyes were on the incapabilities of the offense to find sustained success.
Despite gaining 120 total yards more than Western and having more total first downs, it seemed as if many things were missing as the Pack had to rely on a strong fourth quarter to finally finish with a 38-21 win.
Quarterback
Throughout the past few seasons, NC State has been looking for answers behind center as it has had to rely on multiple signal-callers. This offseason, it added high-caliber transfer graduate quarterback Grayson McCall in the hope of solving this issue. On the stat sheet, McCall produced a solid showing in his Wolfpack debut, throwing for 318 yards and three touchdowns. However, a large blemish on his performance came midway through the first quarter as McCall was intercepted and the ball was returned to the Pack’s eight yard line. This gave the Catamounts a springboard to draw first blood with a touchdown.
Despite some struggles, fans should find excitement in the chemistry between McCall and standout sophomore wide receiver KC Concepcion. Able to locate Concepcion in the red zone twice for a score, McCall also connected with him for a longer score as he tossed a 35-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter as the game began to firmly turn in favor of NC State.
Running backs
The Pack enjoyed a mostly successful rushing attack against Western Carolina, accumulating 203 yards — an encouraging number as NC State only averaged 156.5 rushing yards per game last season. Graduate running back Jordan Waters was the primary back for the Pack. After torching the Wolfpack last season as a member of the Duke Blue Devils, fans watched as his efforts worked for the good of the red-and-white in the opener.
Waters collected 123 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 20 rushes, which included an explosive fourth quarter in which he scored twice as the Pack pulled away. However, before that run, Waters only averaged around four yards per rush. Apart from Waters, the ground game of NC State also got some contributions from freshman running back Hollywood Smothers and sophomore running back Kendrick Raphael — they combined for 63 additional yards.
Wide receivers
After a record-breaking freshman season, Concepcion did not waste any time in getting his sophomore season off on the right foot. With the offense largely finding trouble establishing itself, Concepcion provided a reliable face upfield as he hauled in nine receptions. He proved trouble for Catamount defenders as he racked 121 receiving yards and three touchdowns. Each of his touchdowns came at crucial moments throughout the game as they helped keep the Pack afloat.
Despite a hat trick performance from Concepcion, NC State also reaped the benefit of other strong receiving play from redshirt freshman receiver Noah Rogers. With a 43-yard receiving day, he averaged 18 yards per reception and helped provide key first downs. Junior tight end Justin Joly also provided another weapon for McCall as he caught five balls and amassed 75 yards. This is an encouraging sign for Pack football as it has not had an imposing presence at tight end for many seasons and with someone like Joly able to haul in passes, this should help make the NC State offense even more imposing in the future.
Offensive line
For the men up front, week one was a mixed bag. The line played an integral part in helping pave the way for Waters to establish himself on the ground. However, there were many instances where the line made mistakes that hindered offensive firepower.
Despite only allowing one sack on McCall, the Catamounts tallied nine tackles for a loss. The Pack needs to regroup before next week against Tennessee as the Volunteers boast a defensive line that contains the likes of James Pearce Jr. who is regarded as perhaps the potential first pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
