NCAA FB: NC State 41, Western Carolina 0

Wolfpack piles it on Catamounts

NC State Athletics Communications

Triangle Sports Network

editor@trianglesportsnet.com

RALEIGH, N.C. – Calm before the storm could describe N.C. State’s meeting with Western Carolina at Carter-Finley Stadium on Saturday.

A 41-0 drubbing of the Catamounts came on 540 yards of total offense, the majority of which was gained following the opening quarter.

Accumulating just 57 yards over the first 15 minutes of play and holding a 3-0 lead, the Wolfpack went to work.

Three touchdowns in the second quarter and holding a 24-0 halftime lead, N.C. State eventually padded its resume to 2-0 following the final 30.

Quarterback Matthew McKay went 18-of-20 for 200 yards with a touchdown pass, while running back Zonovan Knight carried a lot of the load, earning 119 yards on 18 carries for two scores.

The shutout was the Wolfpack’s first since 2015, and extended its win streak over FCS opponents to 32 games, dating back to 1987.

Quote of Note

N.C. State coach Dave Doeren:

“I didn’t think Matt (McKay) was very sharp in the first quarter. Didn’t really give our run game an opportunity with two incompletions in the first drive. But then he just kind of settled in. Most offenses these days are built around getting that first first down and gaining some tempo in your offense. Once we started to do that and got their defensive kids tired, it was a lot better from a line of scrimmage standpoint. Five hundred and forty yards and a bunch of rushing yards and a bunch of guys played, it was pretty positive.”

Triangle Sports Network: 401-323-8960, @tsportsnet