The Catamounts are coming off a 7-4 (5-3 SoCon) campaign.
Western Carolina is aiming to compete for the SoCon title this season, and with star quarterback Cole Gonzales returning, the preseason accolades are rolling in. All-conference nods, top-25 rankings, and a note that WCU “will make a beautiful corpse in Week 1” from Cannon Fodder Digest.
Gonzales threw for 2,803 yards last season, with 28 TD passes against eight picks, and completed nearly two-thirds of his attempts. The Catamounts averaged over 500 yards of offense per game.
That offense should be good again—SP+ rates it 30th among FCS teams heading into the season—but will need to replace leading rusher Desmond Reid (897 yards, 13 TD) and leading receiver Censere Lee (“Sincerely”? That’s a bold move, mom and dad.), both of whom transferred to Pittsburgh.
Gonzales spread the ball around quite a bit last year, though, with eight different players grabbing at least 15 passes, and I’m sure he’ll find some new targets to rely on. He also has the team’s second- and third-leading receivers returning, in AJ Columbo and Calvin Jones.
The team’s second-leading rusher from 2023, Branson Adams, figures to step into the feature role at running back—he ran for 539 yards on 6.1 per carry. WCU has three offensive linemen to replace, but it is expected to have seniors starting across the board, and center Blake Whitmore is a preseason All-SoCon guy.
Defense was a bit of an adventure last year, which is probably why the Catamounts have a new defensive coordinator. They will have to replace their top two tacklers.
Western Carolina runs a 4-2-5 that leaves it a little light and can make stopping the run a problem. In their pre-camp depth chart, for instance, their three corners are listed at 170 pounds, 170 pounds, and 160 pounds. I’m not sure how much support those guys can be expected to provide.
Those corners are all under six feet tall, so uh, they may get pushed around in more ways than one. NC State will have a significant physical advantage in the receiver-corner matchup, that’s for sure.
WCU has veterans up front but on the whole the defense wasn’t very disruptive in 2023, totaling 59 TFL and just 21 sacks. Opponents averaged 4.0 yards per carry and 8.0 yards per pass attempt.
In WCU’s lone FBS game last season, it lost to Arkansas, 56-13. The Catamounts managed a little over four yards per play, and turned it over five times.
While Gonzales and the offense may provide a bit of a challenge early on Thursday night—not a bad thing—NC State should be in firm control by halftime. Western Carolina has way too many concerns on the defensive side to keep this competitive.