Western Carolina football opens its 2024 season on Thursday night under the bright lights at Carter-Finley Stadium in the state capital as the nationally-ranked NCAA FCS Catamounts square off against the nationally-ranked FBS NC State Wolfpack for the eighth time in series history.
Ranked 19th in the AFCA Coaches Poll and 20th in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, WCU opens the year in the holiday weekend meeting against No. 24/22 NC State. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. from Carter-Finley Stadium. The game will be broadcast on the ACC Network with longtime ACC football voice Wes Durham, former Georgia Tech quarterback and ESPN college football analyst Tom Luginbill, and Dana Boyle, a former All-ACC lacrosse player at Virginia on the call for the ACC Primetime Football game.
WCU's season-opener will also be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network with Daniel Hooker and Jeff Bryson calling the action with the Pepsi Pregame Show airing at 6 p.m. Fans across Western North Carolina can hear the broadcast locally on five CSN affiliate frequencies: in Sylva, 105.7 FM and 540 AM WRGC "The River" (wrgc.com); 104.9 FM and 1050 AM WFSC in Franklin (1050wfsc.com); Rewind 100.3 FM "Carolina's Greatest Hits" in Asheville (rewindasheville.com); and through free, live streaming audio online at CatamountSports.com.
Fans can also follow the game with live stats accessible online at CatamountSports.com and with timely in-game updates on Twitter using @Catamounts and @CatamountsFB.
Game 1 – Thursday, Aug. 29, 2024 – 7 p.m.Location: Carter-Finley Stadium (56,919) – Raleigh, N.C.Records: #19/20 Western Carolina (0-0) at #24/22 NC State (0-0)BROADCAST INFORMATION:TV: ACC Network (Ch. 612 on DirecTV; 402 on Dish) (subscription required)Stream: WatchESPN app (subscription required)
PBP: Wes Durham; Analyst: Tom Luginbill; Sideline: Dana Boyle Radio/Audio: Catamount Sports NetworkPBP: Daniel Hooker; Analyst / Producer: Jeff Bryson CSN Affiliates:Sylva – 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGCFranklin – 104.9 FM / 1050 AM WFSCAsheville – Rewind 100.3 WTMT-HD2Click HERE to Listen Online: CatamountSports.com
Western Carolina and NC State meet for the eighth time on the football gridiron dating back to 1986 with the Wolfpack having won each of the previous seven matchups, all played in Raleigh. NC State won the most recent meeting – the first of the current two-game contract – back in 2019, blanking the Catamounts 41-0 behind a strong ground game and smothering defensive effort. But the Catamounts traversing down I-40 this year have a different look and feel than the felines that lined up opposite their canine counterparts five seasons ago.
Behind second-year starting quarterback Cole Gonzales, who matched his 2023 post-season SoCon Offensive Player of the Year honor with the 2024 preseason nod, last year’s Catamount squad set a program record for total offense – eclipsing the 5,000 seasonal yard marker for a third-consecutive season. WCU paced the NCAA FCS in total offense at 504 yards per game, the only team to average over 500 yards of offense at season’s end. Gonzales was a big part of that as the gun-slinger threw for the third-most yards in a single season in program history at 2,803 yards while tossing a school-record 28 touchdown passes.
Son of Florida wide receivers coach Billy Gonzales, the younger offensive-minded Gonzales leads what has the potential to be a potent offense ultimately orchestrated by head coach Kerwin Bell. The former QB and veteran football coach has turned the reins over to protégé Rylan Wells, a former quarterback who played for Bell at Jacksonville and was an understudy of Kerwin’s son, Kade Bell, who guided the WCU offense the last three seasons.
Bell hopes that some of the items that attempted to slow his high-octane offense down a year ago play into his favor this year. Injuries spanning multiple positions provided Bell an impromptu opportunity to gain a glimpse of the future while also giving several players invaluable reps that should bode well entering 2024.
Also during the off-season, Bell reunited with a former Florida teammate and one of his previous assistant coaches Jerry Odom who came to Cullowhee as the defensive coordinator – the third different coordinator in four seasons now for Bell and company. The Chicago Bears pulled Justin Hinds away following the 2021 season and Chazmon Scales departed after two seasons, landing on the staff of SoCon-rival Samford.
Bell described Odom as a coach who has about seen it all. Bell was quoted this week, stating, “Jerry knows the answer often before the question is asked,” when referencing his experience level. Known to be aggressive with defensive schemes, Odom has changed the mentality of the WCU defense that ranked 69th in total defense (372.8 yds/gm) and 73rd in scoring defense (27.73 ppg) last year.
Ten Catamounts were named preseason All-Southern Conference by the league’s head coaches including five on offense, four on defense, and one specialist. WCU was picked third in the conference preseason polling behind league-favorite Chattanooga and 2023 playoff team, Furman.
Thursday night’s game is said to be sold out in Raleigh marking a 14th-consecutive sellout as both excitement and expectations for the Wolfpack are high after a 9-4 season in 2023 including five home wins and a 6-2 mark in ACC play. State has won four straight games at Carter-Finley Stadium after dropping two of its first three to start last year.
Ranked just inside the FBS preseason Top 25 in both polls, the Wolfpack just may be the most underrated team in the new-look Atlantic Coast Conference. NC State has added veteran QB Grayson McCall, who was a three-time Sun Belt Conference Player of the Year at Coastal Carolina, to an arsenal of dangerous offensive weapons. The fifth FBS transfer QB under head coach Dave Doeren, McCall threw for a Coastal school-record 10,005 yards and 88 TDs through the air – and he has a dynamic duo at wide receiver to work with including 2023 ACC Freshman of the Year and preseason All-ACC selection in Kevin “KC” Concepcion and Ohio State transfer – and Raleigh native – Noah Rogers. Add in Duke transfer Jordan Waters at running back and the ‘Pack looks to be off and running aided by the portal.
Defensively, the Wolfpack lost a tremendously dynamic playmaker in Payton Wilson, who was a third-round NFL Draft pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers. The cupboard is not bare for fourth-year defensive coordinator Tony Gibson, though, who is working at his fifth FBS program in his career. The preseason depth chart includes 11 seniors or graduate students with a total of 18 players as juniors or older.
Kickoff of the 2024 season in Thursday’s pre-Labor Day weekend primetime matchup is at 7 p.m.
Western Carolina in Season Openers:
Catamount football is 18-30 in season-opening games since joining the SoCon in 1976 – though 25 of those 48 games were against NCAA I-A – now FBS – opponents … WCU has only won THREE of its last 10 season-opening games.
Western Carolina All-Time vs. Members of the ACC:
Catamount football has played 10 of the current 18 ACC members with NC State representing WCU’s most-played ACC foe … WCU is 0-33 against teams currently in the ACC in football … Travel to the Triangle for FBS competition has been commonplace for the Catamounts in recent years as WCU visited sister school North Carolina three times (2017, 2018, 2020) and twice against NC State (2019, 2024).
The Southern Conference – ACC Connection:
Founded in 1921, the Southern Conference is the fifth-oldest in the nation and gave rise to two of the premier leagues in the NCAA today – the Southeastern Conference (SEC) and the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) … Nine of the current 18 teams in the new-look ACC earned their start in The SoCon with six starting as founding members back in ’21 – Clemson, Georgia Tech, North Carolina, NC State, Virginia, and Virginia Tech
Western Carolina vs. NCAA FBS Competition:
Dating back to 1977 when WCU moved to the NCAA Division I ranks, the Catamounts are 0-62 against teams playing up a competition level in the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) … WCU’s two closest games came with a narrow 7-3 loss at Cincinnati back in 2005 and a 36-31 defeat in Tampa against South Florida back in 2014 … WCU is 0-7 against nationally-ranked NCAA FBS teams – four of WCU’s last six FBS games have been against ranked opponents.
Having already surpassed its all-time high for season ticket sales – and counting – for a third-consecutive season, both season and single-game ticket options for WCU’s five home dates in #CatamountCountry 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).Important Dates in Catamount Athletics & Catamount Football:Thurs., Aug. 29 – 2024 Catamount Football season-opener at NC State (Raleigh, 7 pm)Thurs., Sept. 5 – Catamount Women's Soccer – vs. Gardner-Webb (CAC, 7 p.m.)Fri., Sept. 6 – The Bob Waters Memorial – Sequoyah National Golf Club (Cherokee, N.C.)Sat., Sept. 7 – 2024 Catamount Football home-opener, vs. Campbell (1 pm, updated)
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