The Wolfpacker Show: NC State vs. Western Carolina reflections
NC State’s 2024 football season is officially underway, and the Wolfpack started 1-0 Thursday night despite a rocky path to earn the debut win. The program took down FCS foe Western Carolina 38-21 in Carter-Finley Stadium behind 21 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.
In the first 45 minutes of game time, the Pack looked about evenly matched with the Catamounts, struggling with ball security (3 fumbles, 1 interception), passing accuracy (multiple throws behind or ahead of receivers), run blocking (3.4 yards per carry) and a lack of quarterback containment (4 rushes of 10 yards or more by WCU’s signal-caller).
Despite those miscues, NC State dominated the final quarter and escaped with a comfortable win. So, after the unexpectedly competitive FCS win, is it time to recalibrate expectations for this season?
“The Wolfpacker Show” hosts Ethan McDowell and Noah Fleischman sat down to record a new episode, debating that topic and much more.
In this episode of “The Wolfpacker Show” …
*** Noah and Ethan discussed the scene at Carter-Finley Stadium Thursday night, sharing their initial takes on the Wolfpack win and sharing some big-picture observations on the victory.
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*** Then, the hosts shared their concerns. NC State ended up winning comfortably but, after trailing by three points at the end of the third quarter, the Wolfpack needed a big fourth quarter to pull away. Ethan and Noah expressed their worries around the program’s run-blocking.
*** Quarterback Grayson McCall played an inconsistent game in his Wolfpack debut, delivering some beautiful passes while also missing some receivers and throwing his first interception of the season. Despite that, Ethan and Noah remain hopeful about his potential for the rest of this year.
*** The Wolfpack’s defensive performance did not concern the hosts despite giving up a few explosive quarterback runs. Missing redshirt junior linebacker Caden Fordham and nickel Ja’Had Carter led to some issues that could be fixed with them back in the lineup against Tennessee.
*** To wrap up the show, Ethan and Noah talked about what gave them hope from this game and handed out some game balls.
“The Wolfpacker Show” is available in audio and video on TheWolfpacker.com’s YouTube channel.
