Kevin Concepcion stars as focal point of NC State's offense
NC State began its non-conference matchup with Marshall with a clear goal in mind: get Kevin Concepcion the ball early and often. The freshman caught just 1 pass for 7 yards against Louisville, and the Wolfpack was not going to let that happen again.
Concepcion ran open 13 times against the Cardinals, head coach Dave Doeren shared earlier this week, but the Pack did not get him the ball frequently enough during the ACC loss.
The receiver took his season-low receiving performance in stride and said he focused on making plays in other areas of the game.
“Last week, I wouldn’t say that it was hard for me because I just had to figure out ways to contribute to the team without the ball in my hands,” Concepcion
Offensive coordinator Robert Anae schemed up a plan against Marshall that put the freshman in frequent pre-snap motion for pop passes, and his playmaking opportunities expanded as a result.
He finished the win with career-high 8 catches for 102 yards and 2 touchdowns.
“That was just the game plan, just to try and get the ball in my hands as many ways as possible,” Concepcion said.
Doeren broke down the strategy after the game. The Wolfpack head coach wanted to give Concepcion and redshirt sophomore wide receiver Julian Gray more touches, so the staff put them in situations where, regardless of what the defense did, the pass catchers would have a chance to pick up yards after the catch.
Concepcion led the Pack in that category coming into Saturday with 133 yards, nearly double Gray’s 67 yards, which was second on the team before the Marshall game. That trend continued during NC State’s fourth win of the fall.
Out of Concepcion’s 102 receiving yards, 87 of them came after the catch.
“He was electric running the football for us too,” Doeren said.
MJ Morris targeted Concepcion a total of 16 times, more than triple any other Wolfpack pass catcher. The sophomore quarterback said he works out with the first-year receiver frequently after practice, which helped establish a strong bond between them.
“He knows what he’s doing out there on the field, he’s never nervous, he knows exactly what he’s doing, he knows how to get open, he knows coverages,” Morris said.
“That dude is special. I love him.”
Concepcion heaped praise on NC State’s defense after the game. Practicing against that unit prepared him for a stage like Saturday, he said.
Halfway through his first collegiate season, the receiver leads NC State with 31 receptions for 347 yards. Concepcion is the focal point of the offense and continues to play as one of the top freshmen in the nation.
“It feels amazing,” Concepcion said. “It’s all God. I go out there, I play for my family, I play for my brothers.”
