It wasn’t pretty, and it certainly wasn’t close to covering the 32-point spread, but NC State escaped Carter-Finley Stadium in a 38-21 win over Western Carolina on Thursday.
The Wolfpack (1-0) kicked off the season ice cold, trailing for much of the first half. The Catamounts (0-1) jumped all over the red-and-white, playing with confidence against a seemingly timid NC State team.
“This is a game we would have loved to have played better in the first half,” said head coach Dave Doeren. “But I’m not going to apologize for winning either. I think Western Carolina played a hard-fought game.”
Without sophomore receiver Kevin “KC” Concepcion, NC State may not have been competitive against the Catamounts. The Wolfpack star posted his first career three-touchdown performance, earning three of the red-and-white’s four scores.
“My mindset, if nobody else gonna do it, it might as well be me,” Concepcion said. “My teammates talking to me, giving me confidence throughout the game and me giving them confidence throughout the game.”
Similar to last season, Concepcion was the only wide receiver consistently open for the Wolfpack. While Concepcion is proving himself to be one of the best players in the country, the Pack needs more from its newly added playmakers if it wants to have a chance at competing for an ACC title.
While Concepcion shined, the rest of the offense struggled throughout the night. Graduate quarterback Grayson McCall’s accuracy was shaky and he never fully found his footing. Even completed passes were often behind receivers, making his playmakers work extra to make routine plays. The Coastal Carolina transfer finished with 318 yards, three touchdowns and an interception on 26/40 passes.
“Week one, had a little bit of nerves getting out there for the first time in a while,” McCall said. “Didn’t think I played my best ball, but happy to be out there, play four quarters, get the win.”
The NC State offensive line did McCall no favors during his debut, struggling against the Catamounts’ defensive front. Through the first three quarters, the Pack struggled to run the football, while suffering nine tackles for loss. But in the fourth quarter, the line finally wore down the Catamounts which allowed the Pack to effectively run the ball, a theme capped off by a 50-yard touchdown rush by graduate running back Jordan Waters to finally put away Western Carolina at the end of the game.
Defensively, the Wolfpack found itself in unfamiliar territory, playing without former standout linebackers Payton Wilson and Jaylon Scott. Additionally, redshirt junior linebacker Caden Fordham was ejected during the game’s first drive for a targeting penalty, leaving NC State vulnerable at linebacker.
With Fordham out, NC State moved Sean Brown to the mike linebacker spot, while playing redshirt junior Jayland Parker in an expanded role. Parker proved to be capable, with seven total tackles —- more than he’s recorded during his entire career.
“When you get your chance, make sure that you’re around the ball,” Parker said. “Coach Doeren says when we make a snapshot, he wants to see how many guys are around the ball, so I just wanted to make sure I was around the ball to make as many tackles as I could.”
While Parker and Brown did the best they could in new roles, the Wolfpack struggled badly in run defense. Western Carolina averaged an impressive 6.3 yards per carry. Most concerningly, Catamount quarterback Cole Gonzalez broke off a 50-yard run through the teeth of the Pack’s defense. One of NC State’s weaknesses in past years has been defending mobile quarterbacks, and it looks like that trend will continue into 2024.
“Defensively we didn’t tackle well in the first half,” Doeren said. “Gave up some third downs that we usually don’t.”
In the secondary, NC State also showed concerning signs. Western Carolina receiver AJ Colombo torched the Pack secondary with nine receptions for 97 yards. Early on, NC State appeared to lose track of Colombo, most notably on a first-half touchdown where Colombo managed to get wide open.
Next up, the Wolfpack will face No. 15 Tennessee, where the red-and-white will be in serious trouble if it cannot resolve its issue on the backend. The Pack and the Vols will square off in the Duke’s Mayo Classic on Sept. 7 in Charlotte, North Carolina. Kickoff is set for 7:30 p.m. and will be televised on ABC.
