KC Concepcion shines as No. 24 NC State overcomes Western Carolina 38-21
RALEIGH, N.C. (WTVD) -- KC Concepcion picked up where he left off from his sensational freshman season to help No. 24 NC State avoid a major upset against FCS foe Western Carolina on Thursday night.
Concepcion caught three touchdown passes and went for more than 100 receiving yards to spark the out-of-sync Wolfpack to a 38-21 victory over the feisty Catamounts.
In the season opener for both teams, NC State's offense showed flashes of the potential fans have dreamed of at the skill positions. But most of the night, new quarterback Grayson McCall looked imprecise, and the offense looked disjointed.
"I thought we played a little bit sloppy, a lot of things to clean up," McCall said. "But happy to come out with a win."
Concepcion bailed the Pack out, though, catching scoring passes in the first, second and fourth quarters. His final score. a slithering 35-yard catch-and-run, gave the Wolfpack the lead 24-21.
Concepcion finished with nine catches and 121 yards
The Catamounts, ranked No. 19 in the FCS preseason poll, struck first, picking off McCall and converting an 8-yard touchdown pass for an early 7-0 lead.
The teams were tied at 14 going into halftime and the Catamounts led 21-17 going into the final quarter, putting them within reach of a shocking upset. But Concepcion's highlight-reel effort put the Wolfpack ahead for good
Then Jordan Waters - a transfer from nearby Duke - shook off what had been a rough debut to that point by keeping his legs churning through multiple tacklers for a 7-yard TD that pushed N.C. State to a 31-21 lead with 6:33 left.
Waters then sealed it by breaking free for a 50-yard scoring sprint with 1:50 left in what morphed into a 123-yard rushing day, while McCall ended up with 318 yards in his first game in Wolfpack red.
Cole Gonzales threw for 211 yards and two touchdowns to lead the Catamounts.
For NC State, there's plenty to work on with a marquee matchup looming against No. 15 Tennessee on Sept. 7 in Charlotte.
The Associated Press contributed.
