Raleigh, N.C. – Branson Adams scampered into the end zone from 17 yards out at the 4:36 mark of the third quarter to give NCAA FCS No. 19/20 Western Carolina a 21-17 lead entering the fourth quarter of Thursday night's 2024 season-opener at FBS No. 24/22 NC State.
 
However, the homestanding Wolfpack scored 21 unanswered points in the final frame including a pair of rushing scores by transfer running back Jordan Waters to escape with a 38-21 win over the Catamounts at a steamy Carter-Finley Stadium.
 
Quarterback Cole Gonzales tossed a pair of touchdown passes to tight end Jake Young and wide receiver AJ Colombo as WCU took a pair of seven-point leads in the first half, standing toe-to-toe with the ranked foe that was predicted to compete for the ACC crown and a potential berth into the newly-expanded playoff. His two aerial strikes gave the Catamounts leads of 7-0 and 14-7 before the Wolfpack knotted the game at 14-all on KC Concepcion's second of three touchdown receptions.
 
Trailing for the first time by three after grueling 14-play drive that covered just 39 yards to start the second half and was capped by a 46-yad Kanoah Vinesett field goal, Adams capped a 75-yard WCU drive with his 17-yard touchdown run to hand the Catamounts their final lead. Concepcion's third TD catch and a pair of rushing scores by Waters including a 50-yard jaunt provided the final tally in the weekday, season-opening contest.
 
Gonzales finished 22-of-35 for 211 yards and a pair of TDs, moving into 10th in program history for career passing yards (4,350) and into sole possession of fourth in the school's ledgers with 41 scoring tosses. He added a career-best and team-high 75 rushing yards that included a career-long 50-yard rush off right tackle.
 
Colombo caught a career-high nine passes for a career-best 97 yards with a score while Young also had a career night with three receptions with a TD and 31 yards. Malik Knight likewise had a career-best performance with 42 yards on three catches. Calvin Jones had five catches for 27 total yards.
 
For the Wolfpack, transfer quarterback Grayson McCall finished 26-of-40 for 318 yards with three touchdowns and an interception. Concepcion was his favorite target, catching all three TD tosses as part of nine receptions for 121 yards. Hemmed in much of the night by the WCU defense, tailback Waters rushed 20 times for 123 yards with two touchdowns.
 
Defensive backs Samaurie Dukes and CJ Williams combined for 12 tackles – six apiece – to lead the Catamounts, both tallying  a tackle for loss as WCU finished with nine total TFLs. Williams collected one of WCU's three forced fumbles. Ken Moore Jr. led six with five tackles apiece with half a TFL to accompany his second career interception, returning his second career pick 51yards to set up WCU's first score from the eight-yard line.
 
Linebacker Hayward McQueen Jr. finished with five tackles and was joined by lineman Tahjae Mullix, DB Tyquez Royal, LB Wesley Scott, and safety Bo Simpson-Nealy. Chris Morgan posted WCU's first sack of the year as part of his three-tackle outing.
 
NC State had three players recorded seven stops apiece including Aydan White, Donovan Kaufman, and Jayland Parker. Lineman Davin Vann was credited with three stops with 1.5 going for losses.
   
Western Carolina (0-1) opens the home portion  of its 2024 schedule this Saturday, Sept. 7, hosting Campbell in a regionally-televised game through Nexstar Media Group affiliates (check local listings) with an updated kickoff time of 1 p.m. at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field. WCU looks to "White Out Whitmire" as the football team will wear white Nike uniforms. The first 5,000 fans through the gates will receive a commemorative "White Out Whitmire" T-shirt that also helps the Catamounts kick off the year-long celebration of 50 years at Whitmire Stadium.
 
Pregame festivities include the first performances of the "Pride of the Mountains" Marching Band and one of the best traditions in NCAA FCS football with the 13th annual Freshmen Run as the Class of 2028 leads the football team onto the turf for the first time this season in game action.
 
Entering WCU's first home game, both season and single-game ticket options remain on sale now. Fans can purchase tickets and game day parking for each game through the WCU Athletics Ticket Office, located on the first floor of the Ramsey Center, or by phone at (828) 227-2401. Fans can also purchase tickets and game day parking in advance online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets. Game day parking is $15 in advance and $20 on game days.
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (FB.com/CatamountSports, FB.com/WesternCarolinaFootball), Twitter (@catamounts, @CatamountsFB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountsfb).