NC State football predictions: Western Carolina
By Ethan McDowell
NC State football kicks off its season Thursday night. That’s right. Thursday as in tomorrow’s Thursday. It’s time to return to Carter-Finley Stadium and cheer on the Wolfpack vs. Western Carolina under the light of a summer sunset in Raleigh.
This will be NC State’s first time opening the season against an FCS opponent since the program defeated James Madison 24-13 in 2018. Western Carolina went 7-4 last year and played one game against an FBS program— a 56-13 loss to Arkansas.
The Catamounts fielded one of the top offenses in the FCS in 2023, leading the country with 504.1 yards per game. NC state will kick off against WCU at 7 p.m. on the ACC Network. Here are TheWolfpacker.com’s predictions for the FCS clash.
Ethan McDowell’s prediction for NC State vs. Western Carolina
NC State has not lost a season opener since 2017, but, recently, those wins haven’t been easy. Three of the program’s past four week one contests have been decided by 10 points or less.
That shouldn’t be a concern Thursday night. Head coach Dave Doeren has never lost to an FCS program, and this matchup against the Catamounts does not smell like an upset. Don’t be surprised if Western Carolina puts up a few points in the game.
The in-state program has an explosive offense with an experienced quarterback — preseason Southern Conference Player of the Year Cole Gonzales — and a head coach that will not hesitate to throw the ball for 60 minutes.
With that said, the program needs to replace a production void left by last year’s leading receiver and rusher transferring to Pittsburgh. The Western Carolina offense will need time to mesh, and it will be tough to do that against a Tony Gibson-coached defense.
On the other side of the ball, the Catamounts also have to replace their leading tackler from 2023, Andreas Keaton, who now plays for Temple. NC State should impose its will offensively, dominating on the ground behind an experienced offensive line and a retooled running back room.
Graduate transfer Jordan Waters should have 100 yards by halftime, Grayson McCall will throw fewer than 5 incompletions, and fans will have plenty of time to enjoy a peek into the future of this program as the backups play most of the second half.
Prediction: NC State 45, Western Carolina 10
Noah Fleischman’s prediction
Welcome to the 2024 season. NC State football is finally back, and it’s for a sold-out game against Western Carolina inside Carter-Finley Stadium. That’s quite a way to begin a new campaign in Raleigh.
The Wolfpack boasts its brand-new offense with a boatload of talent from the transfer portal. We’ve seen them in practice and the spring game, but this will be the first time graduate quarterback Grayson McCall and company get to unleash their talents in front of a packed crowd. And in a meaningful game.
Western Carolina, the No. 19 team in the FCS preseason poll, should not present too tall of a challenge for NC State. The Wolfpack offense should be able to get rolling fairly quickly, especially on the ground with Duke transfer running back Jordan Waters. I expect the Pack offense, while it will be simple plays most likely, to attack the Catamounts early and jump out to a big lead by halftime.
In all, the Pack should know what it has with both its starters and backups this fall by the end of the game.
Prediction: NC State 47, Western Carolina 3.
