NC State football set to open the season under the lights against Western Carolina

No. 24 NC State football will begin its 2024 season as it takes on the Western Carolina Catamounts on Thursday, Aug. 29.

This will be the eighth matchup between the Wolfpack and the Catamounts in school history. The Pack has won all seven previous matchups with the most recent being a 41-0 win during the 2019 season.

The Catamounts, an FCS team, clocked in at No. 20 in the preseason FCS top 25 poll. They are fresh off their best season since 2015 with a 7-4 record. In head coach Kerwin Bell’s fourth season, Western Carolina will look to continue to make improvements as it has steadily improved in the win column in each season of Bell’s tenure.

Leading the way for Western Carolina is quarterback Cole Gonzales. Named as the preseason SoCon offensive player of the year, he returns after throwing for 2,803 yards and 28 touchdowns to only eight interceptions. Losing his two leading receivers from last season, Gonzales will be complemented by the likes of receivers AJ Colombo and Calvin Jones, who combined for 786 receiving yards and seven scores last season. Colombo was also named to the preseason All-Southern Conference team.

In regards to running the ball, the Catamounts lost their leading rusher from last season and will turn towards running back Branson Adams to lead the way this year. He compiled 805 all-purpose yards last season, 539 of which were on the ground. He also accounted for seven total touchdowns during 2023.

With the loss of team leader Payton Wilson, the NC State defense aims to find a new identity as it has plenty of individuals who should be able to rise to the challenge.

As a collective unit last season, the NC State defense allowed an average of 323.5 yards per game as well as 20.2 points per game. With returners such as graduate defensive lineman Davin Vann, graduate linebacker Devon Beatty and redshirt junior linebackers Sean Brown and Caden Fordham, the Pack will look to benefit from these players’ experience all season long.

NC State’s secondary is anchored by graduate cornerback Aydan White, the unit returns after allowing a modest 218.8 yards per contest through the air last season. With multiple seniors among the group, this may be the oldest position group that the Pack boasts. With senior safeties Ja’Had Carter, Bishop Fitzgerald and DK Kaufman, NC State will look to supplement White’s prowess in the pass defense game, even despite little playing experience between Carter and Kaufman.

Western Carolina maintained a solid defensive approach last season, allowing an average of just under 28 points per game. With four starters named to the preseason All-Southern Conference team, this unit looks to be a steady one in 2024. The Catamounts’ secondary had three members of the preseason team which includes the likes of junior cornerback Samaurie Dukes who collected three interceptions last season.

NC State will need to also take into account defensive lineman Curtis Fann Jr. After a promising season in which he tallied 22 tackles as well as a pair of sacks, many expect him to take another step this season as an anchor in the Western Carolina defense.

On the other side of the ball, NC State looks to get the ball rolling on an offense that was completely revamped during the offseason. With many new transfers, the Pack looks to find sustained success on offense, something that it did not find last season. Led by graduate quarterback Grayson McCall, the Pack will look to improve on the fact that it only averaged 193.1 passing yards per game last season.

With star returning sophomore receiver KC Concepcion and newcomers redshirt freshman receiver Noah Rogers and junior tight end Justin Joly, NC State should make significant strides in this aspect. In week one, it will have to take on a Western secondary that could make some noise.

Finally, NC State addressed another need this offseason with the addition of graduate running back Jordan Waters. Over the past few seasons, the Wolfpack has not found much success in terms of its running game. Last season, it only averaged 156 yards per game on the ground, much on the back of either quarterback Brennan Armstrong or Concepcion. This week should prove to be a great measuring block for Waters and the ground game as the Pack will take on a defense that allowed 154 rushing yards per game last season.

Kickoff with the Catamounts is slated for 7 p.m. on Thursday at Carter-Finley Stadium. The game will be televised on ACC Network.