Game balls from No. 24 NC State’s win over Western Carolina
No. 24 NC State needed most of the game to put away Western Carolina, but the Wolfpack was able to open the fall with a 38-21 win over the Catamounts on Thursday night at Carter-Finley Stadium.
TheWolfpacker.com is acknowledging those that sparked the Wolfpack in the victory with four game balls after NC State’s season-opening victory.
Sophomore wide receiver Kevin “KC” Concepcion: It did not take long for Concepcion to pick up where he left off from last fall. The reigning ACC Rookie of the Year caught two touchdowns in the first four drives to help push the Wolfpack from behind against Western Carolina. He made a sweet grab near his feet for the first score, while a pop pass led to the second. Concepcion finished the first half with seven receptions for 80 yards and two touchdowns. He paced the Wolfpack for the game, too, with nine catches for 121 yards and the pair of scores. It marked Concepcion’s sixth-career multi-touchdown game of his career in just 14 college football games with the Wolfpack.
Redshirt junior linebacker Jayland Parker: An early first-quarter Caden Fordham ejection led to Parker being thrown into the mix at MIKE linebacker. Parker, who entered the game with just three career tackles in his two seasons on the field with the Wolfpack, found a way to make a major impact in the middle of NC State’s defense. The Macon, Ga., native logged a career-best seven tackles, including two solo stops, to help the Pack defense as it was short handed for much of the game defensively.
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Senior defensive end Davin Vann: NC State’s defense struggled in the early going, but it was Vann who seemed to help jumpstart the Wolfpack’s unit in the second half. He was all over the backfield in the final 30 minutes, including teaming up with Brandon Cleveland for NC State’s first sack of the game early in the fourth quarter. Vann finished the night with three total tackles, including one solo stop, 0.5 sacks and 1.5 tackles for a loss.
Junior tight end Justin Joly: In his NC State debut, Joly had to do a little bit of everything to keep the Wolfpack ahead of the Catamounts. Not only did he have a standout game in the receiving department — more on that later — but he was key in keeping Western Carolina from a couple major momentum plays. He chased down a Catamounts’ defender from a pick-6 in the first quarter, while he also was able to recover a Jordan Waters fumble in the early going. In addition to helping limit Western Carolina’s damage, Joly also finished the game with five receptions for 75 yards in his first game with the Wolfpack.
