NC State pulls away in 4th quarter to defeat Western Carolina

NC State kicked off against Western Carolina shortly after 7:30 p.m. ET following a brief lightning delay. The Wolfpack won the contest 38-21, scoring 21 fourth quarter points after going into the final 15 minutes trailing by 4.

Star sophomore receiver KC Concepcion dominated in his sophomore debut, catching 9 passes for 121 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Here’s an instant recap of the key updates and highlights from the Wolfpack’s win over the Catamounts.

Live updates from NC State vs. Western Carolina

FOURTH QUARTER

10:53

FINAL: The Wolfpack pulls away to defeat Western Carolina 38-21

10:45

Touchdown Wolfpack. Waters rips off a 50-yard scoring run, his second of the night. The Pack leads 38-21 with 1:50 to go in the game.

10:34

Western Carolina drove deep into NC State territory but missed a 37-yard field goal. The Pack takes over on its own 20 with 4:18 to go.

10:23

Touchdown NC State. Jordan Waters breaks a few tackles on a 7-yard scoring run. The Pack pulls ahead 31-21 with 6:32 left in the game.

10:15

Brandon Cleveland makes a pair of big time tackles to help force a punt down to the Pack 19.

10:10

NC State takes the lead on a 35-yard catch and run by KC Concepcion— his third touchdown of the night. The Pack holds a 24-21 advantage with 14:45 left in the game.

THIRD QUARTER

10:05

END OF 3Q: Western Carolina leads NC State 21-17

10:02

Davin Vann blows up a third down play to force a punt, and the Pack will take over at its 49 with 32 seconds left in the third.

9:55

NC State drove into Western Carolina territory, but the drive stalled. Noonkester punted down to the WCU 13 with 1:52 left in the third.

9:48

Touchdown Western Carolina on a 17-yard rush by Branson Adams. The Catamounts take a 21-17 lead with 4:36 left in the third quarter.

9:38

NC State takes its first lead of the night on a 46-yard field goal by Kanoah Vinesett. The Pack went 39 yards on 14 plays.

SECOND QUARTER

9:06

HALFTIME: NC State and Western Carolina are tied at 14.

9:03

Turnover on downs. The Pack drove deep into Western Carolina but could not come up with points with under a minute to go in the half.

8:49

WCU went for it on fourth down near midfield, but Devon Betty and Jayland Parker combined to stuff that attempt. NC State takes over at the 50 with 4:09 left in the half.

8:43

NC State drove into Catamount territory, but Western Carolina stuffed the Pack on consecutive short yardage situations. The FCS program takes over at its own 41 with 5:49 to go in the half.

8:38

The Pack forced a punt near midfield, and kick catch interference gives the hosts solid field position at the 36 with 10:11 left in the second quarter.

8:30

Touchdown NC State. A pop pass to Concepcion goes for the sophomore’s second TD of the night.  It’s a tie game once again, 14 points apiece with 12:03 left in the second quarter.

FIRST QUARTER

8:21

END OF 1Q: Western Carolina leads NC State 14-7

8:18

Touchdown Western Carolina. The Catamounts drove 75 yards in 6 plays to take a 14-7 lead with 5 seconds left in the first quarter.

8:11

Touchdown NC State. KC Concepcion hauls in the 17-yard touchdown with 2:39 left in the first quarter. The Pack ties the game at 7.

8:00

Touchdown Western Carolina. The Catamounts capitalize on the turnover and take an early 7-0 lead over the Wolfpack with 5:55 to go in the first quarter.

7:57

The Pack forced a three-and-out, and KC Concepcion returns the punt down to the WCU 45. Grayson McCall threw an interception on the next play, returned down to the NC State 8 with 6:03 left in the first quarter.

7:47

After driving into Western Carolina territory, the Catamounts stopped a Jordan Waters rush on third down for a loss. Caden Noonkester punts for a touchback with 7:52 left in the first.

7:43

NC State takes over at its 30 with 10:46 left in the first after forcing a turnover on downs.

7:39

Western Carolina drives into Wolfpack territory as Caden Fordham is ejected for targeting.

7:31

NC State wins the toss and defers to the second half.