GAMEDAY! NC State Football Opens the 2024 Season vs Western Carolina Catamounts | NC State Podcast

we've waited eight long months to the day today is Thursday August 29th and it is an NC State wolf pack game day let's go you are locked on Wolfpack your daily podcast on the NC State Wolfpack part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day what's up Wolfpack Nation it's time to get locked lock in with locked on thanks for making locked on Wolfpack your first listen each and every day we are free and available wherever you get your podcast and on YouTube part of the locked on podcast Network your team every day today's game day sponsor is very fittingly 5H Hour Energy 5H Hour Energy fixes tired fast with zero sugar in a convenient portable size it's the perfect pickme up for getting stuff done go to 5our energy.com and use promo code locked on CFB in all caps to receive 20% off your order this offer is only valid from now until September 30th on one order and cannot be used with other promotions go to 5H Hour Energy today happy Thursday Happy Wolfpack football game day for the first time in the year of Our Lord 2024 as always I'm Grayson Boon joined by former Wolfpack defensive tackle Kenton Gibbs Kenton we are so back we have maybe never been this back ever before NC State football plays a real football game on real grass against a real opponent tonight in Carter Finley 7 PM we host the catamounts of Western Carolina we'll get into additional details we've already given you some earlier this week we're going to give you our final thoughts our final score predictions and of course it is a game day that means we're coming right back at you with kenton's keys for the first time here in 20 24 I am excited I don't know how I was able to sleep well spoiler alert we're recording this on Wednesday night I probably won't be able to sleep if I see so much as a single brick wall anywhere in my vicinity on Thursday I can assure you that it will be knocked down with the quickness Kenton it's game day how are we feeling oh I'm feeling great man I'm feeling great Grayson I love the energy please do not attempt to run through a brick wall uh I I with all due respect you're a baseball guy uh take a bat to it or something you know what I mean hit it with your meanest curve but do not attempt to run through a brick wall but I'm gonna tell you NC State Should attempt to run through some catamounts this evening because boy this is the time to find out right this is the time to find out if you are all hype or you are all everything that people said you were during all the offseason we heard so much about so many teams that week zero has exposed I'm looking at you knows that is a team that messed around when undefeated last year when they had their full uh slate of players came into this year supposed to be physically dominant over everybody and got pushed around in game one so I would challenge NC State to not end up in that same position in terms of hey what is your strength has to be your strength do not have a moment where we're stuck sitting here afterwards looking around what the hell just happened who the hell were those guys in red and white we do not want to see that come out handle business do what you got to do but Dam it is game day and I'm geeked up like Fab I'm just not seeing spaceships from Bank head baby months of anticipation months of waiting for this day months of talking about what we acquired in the transfer portal months of breaking down our schedule all the new players that we have to be excited about the nervousness about having two really big games and then 10 other games that we should stand on business the months of talking about making it to the ACC Championship and the college football playoff all of that finally comes to a merciful end we're tired of talking preseason football y'all we want to talk about actual football today is the day we've waited long enough it's time to put the ball down and on 12 different occasions for the next three months we're going to find out who the better team is every single weekend I'm more than ready to get this thing going I did see that DJ Burns is the alpha wolf starter of the game for this evening don't know if you could have a better selection for that the stadium might actually crumble when that man walks out of the tunnel he is going to get the loudest Ovation I could possibly imagine when he comes out to start this game not only that in terms of DJ getting a loud Standing Ovation because he is DJ Burns but this is still the first game of the year this is the first time that some college students will experience a c ofly tail this is their first one this is gonna be their first time being out there during this type of environment and even beyond that this game to me feels like a coming out party of sorts for the wolf packs new offense and I say that not to say like oh well I hope they dig in their full bag of tricks and all that I don't think you understand how how rough it was at times watching that offense from last year yeah and I mean even against Bad teams there were moments where you were just like what under God's green earth was that what exactly are we doing here and so to see a situation and that's not to blame it on any any one player because it wasn't Brenan armster MJ Morris underperforming on their own it wasn't a a Keon l Bradley Rosner on their own it was not that it was as a unit the offense was not there it when you got one group going another group didn't and vice versa and it was it was always something this year no more no more we're expecting great things from the offense and I'll tell you I'm excited for this thing more than any other reason like you talked about with uh DJ Burns coming back and all that we need that Championship Juju in the state we need that Against All Odds energy in the stadium because this is the time the odds makers not giving NC State the best shot in the conference to go ahead and win it don't get me wrong we are tied for third so let me not piss this Rodney Dangerfield we get no respect deal but we need that that energy of you know what NC State is to be taken serious as a championship Contender because they can go out and win an ACC Championship this year but don't win the championship in Charlotte on just that day you win it by winning Thursday and then Saturday and then Saturday and then sat that's how you get it done you get it done one game at a time go one and0 every week stack wins on top of each other and see what you can do at the end of the season touching on your point about this being the first game of the year typically every home opener has that new energy in the stadium that you can feel it's a new season new expectations new players a lot of just overall excitement is palpable in the stands I'm expecting that this evening in Carter Finley it'll be a couple notches above that typical home opener electricity I say that because of the expectations because of the roster we put together because of the aspirations for what they want to do at the end of the season which is making it to Charlotte not once but twice and then of course making it into the new look 12 team playoff there is a different Buzz ready about this team before they get going but once everyone steps into Carter friendley tonight and the players take the field and DJ Burns comes on the field as the alpha wolf starter they play the intro music they got the red lights going because it's a night game it is going to be an extremely special moment for NC State Wolfpack fans a season a new but possibly the most lofty aspirations we've had maybe ever or at least on a really long time probably all the way back to 2002 it's going to feel different when all boils down to it it's standing on business for four straight quarters 60 Minutes of domination we are better than you and we're going to prove it that's what NC State needs to look for uh this evening in Carter Finley coming up next we've been waiting a long time to hear these we have kenton's keys for game one against Western Carolina stick with us our first sponsor of the day is 5H Hour Energy 5H Hour Energy fixes tired fast whether you have a long list of todos for work or a list of do-it-yourself projects to tackle at home take a 5H Hour Energy Shot so you can check everything off that list effectively if you're like me you always have a large list of projects for the home I literally do when you get your supplies for the project don't forget the most essential Supply which is a 5H Hour Energy Shot 5H Hour Energy is the brand that hardworking people like you and I have trusted for over 20 years it gives us that alert energized feeling that we need in order to get through a busy hectic day you always know where to find 5our energy shots because they're literally everywhere right at the cash register at nearly every convenience drug or grocery store Nationwide stock up on moneysaving Multi packs to make sure you never run out of the delicious energizing 5H Hour Energy shots if you go to 5our energy.com and that is the number five and then hour energy.com you get some 5H Hour Energy product today you can use promo code locked on CFB in all caps and receive 20% off your order this offer is only valid between now and September 30th on one order and cannot be used with other promotions the code is not good on subscription orders so make sure you go over to 5H hour energy.com today middle portion of our Thursday show it's finally time yet again for kenton's keys kenton's keys for game one against Western Carolina here we go all right Fray as y'all know we always start off with offense and ended with defense and special teams so you got to get the season cracking like a bad bat with some good running we need at least 180 rushing we need at least 180 let me tell you why we have talked about the fact that the strength of the catam mouse defense is their secondary well you know how you can negate a secondary what if I told you there was a way to keep a secondary from being effective in a football game that way is to run the damn ball okay I am excited about this I am too ready to go and I hope the offensive line in the running game is in this running back room is as well because I can tell you right now if this rushing attempt can do what it has to do today that is a great Arbiter and sign of things to come to me every quarterback wants to stay in front of the sticks but especially a guy like Grayson McCall that specializes in making the right decision on time on target you know what the normal antithesis or weakness of those guys is is having to make these huge big- time throws outside the numbers why is that important you know when you're most likely to have to make those throws third and long fourth Downs you know how you stay away from that run the ball effectively rush for 180 plus rushing yards number two let's go less than three negative plays in the first half there's a reason I said in the first half because I don't believe our starters will be playing uh much into the second half but I need to see the same way I talk about the rushing game and standing on schedule this less than three negative plays definitely plays in this means that you are again you're either stal or gaining yards on every single play you need that because again you need to stay on schedule how's the clock ticking it need this offense needs to look like a Rolex Perpetual movement no ticking no stopping no it looks a little weird it feels a little weird less than three negative plays is definitely a key to success because if you are the more physically imposing team and you have a team on their heels that's when you can hit them with all types of play action that's when you can hit them with all types of De shots because now they're loading up to box to stop um to stop you because you're in third and short second and short situations and so less than three negative plays in the first half major key last but not least I know that all three of these kind of stick to the same thing but that's on purpose friends I promise you it's very intentional stay ahead of the sticks you stay ahead of the sticks by averaging four and a half yards or more on first down I need this team to do that because come out with the right temperament do not sleep on this team do not say oh we can we can wake up eventually we'll be no come out of the gates hot come out of the gates ready come out of every first down ready to move the chains again or come damn close to this game is nothing more than their best versus our best and I'll tell you already our best is better we are stronger we are faster we are better coached we are more athletic and we need to shove it down their throat from go doing this I expect that running the ball will be the main function of our offense just because there's no need to show your whole Playbook with Tennessee coming in week two and there's no need to do anything crazy that's ineffective against an FCS team Smashmouth football run the ball give it to Jordan Waters let him go to work don't overwork him of course because of the whole injury Factor this new staple of healthy running backs should be put to full use against Western Carolina you have four running backs that you feel comfortable all four of them can be plugged into this game and can make a massive difference use that to your advantage spread out the carries make western work make them labor and then that is when you break them probably before halftime but if it's not at halftime then probably very early in that third quarter this needs to be a No Nonsense No Frills no funny business punch that time clock go to work earn your pay and then call a day now kenon let's jump over to the defense and special teams absolutely so defense and special teams create three plus plus field position opportunities so what does plus field position means plus field position means you're starting in your opponent's territory why is this important one of the biggest factors showing a team whose boss is ending up in situations where you get one drive one playay touchdowns or three playay touchdown drives and you get that not just by hitting extremely big plays but also shortening the field now how can you do that right we've talked about the punt we've talked about the punt return team and we've talked about who's going to be back there handling the punts and all that is it gonna be Koy is it gonna be Smothers is it g to be concepion by the way when people say Casey concepion is a lot like saying ATM machine or pin number uh the last thing is the never mind We're not gonna get into that long story short create three plus plus field position opportunities give your offense short field I don't care if it's by a turnover I don't care if it's by a big return find yourself in situations where you've made it extremely easy for that offense to put points on the board let's go over to number two the next one sack Cole Gonzalez three or more times here's the thing right Cole Gonzalez is a good quarterback he is a good quar anybody who tells you co Gonzalez is a slouch he's terrible he's whatever the man was the conference player that year last year for a reason but I I challenge you to find me more than one quarterback who is good horizontally Patrick Mahomes made that one pass in the Super Bowl where he was parallel to the ground and it hit a receiver in the face he ain't walking through that door for the catam no other quarterback if they are even to the ground normally they're laying on it that's how that works you have to get to co Gonzalez because is the engine that makes this offense go there everything starts and ends with him he stirs the drink he makes the drink he's the bartender with the tow over his shoulder saying shaking or stir if you get to him the whole operation is over sack H Gonzales at least three times and last but not least no Western Carolina pass cancers over 85 yards here's the deal if Western Carolina can run the ball on us they deserve they deserve everything that they get and we deserve everything that we get if we cannot stop a running game in which a team saw their best back leave who by the way was young enough to where the team was probably planning on having them back if we cannot stop that running game we deserve it and that's why all of these are are by and large based on the passing game but last but not least no wide receiver no Western Carolina pass catches over 85 receiving yards let me tell you why this is important if you can make sure that Cole Gonzalez has to spread the ball around to beat you how many quality receivers do you think Western Carolina when you see games like this and NC State that struggled in the past I was a part of one of them we struggled to pull away from Richmond my true freshman year well I guess I wasn't part of it because I had a torn Achilles and was watching from the balcony in the Murphy Center but do get the point when we played Richmond I can't remember name for the life of me but there was one receiver that absolutely went off we struggled so mightily stopping him until we knocked out there starting quarterback I am telling you right now if you find ways to say you know what if you're GNA be us it has to be a complete team effort everybody across the board has to chip in I think you'll be just fine but if you let somebody become a star on that field Thursday night it could spell for a very long night for the wolf pack f as we discussed earlier this week if Western has any semblance of a shot against NC State it relies solely on the shoulders of their quarterback Cole Gonzalez he is their best player he's their best returning player he was their conference player of the year the soan last season he's gonna have to go absolutely insane on NC State secondary if they're gonna have a shot unfortunately for Cole gonzalas the NC State secondary is one of the deepest groups we have on this team so Western is that an extreme disadvantage in this game that makes bullet point two and three here so important for the defense to come out and impose your will number one when talking about field position oftentimes it's very closely related with turnover margin I expect us to win that in this game very very easily as well so I'm I will be way more tuned into how many times we can get into the back field and make cole Gonzalez life difficult this evening in Carter Finley that is going to be the story of the game if you get after him if you make him sweat if you make him if you pressure him into very poor decisions it is going to be a wrap very very quickly into this game so these are our defensive keys and then I told you I was going to do it I added in one more slide Above All Else stay healthy we cannot afford any major injuries in a week one game against a team that we're hoping to just get a lot of very meaningful Reps for some depth pieces we have one of our biggest two games of the season and I know you shouldn't look ahead but it's really hard not to in Tennessee in week two we have to be firing on all cylinders if we want to have a shot at taking out the balls down there in Charlotte so Above All Else stay healthy play smart football don't overdo it don't pick up any really dumb targeting penalties that could cost you some playing time as well just needs to be a very smartly played four quarters of football in which you put your best foot forward and you dominate the catamounts you couldn't agree more help is you know health is super important for this team and and to this team and again this is why Grace and I in games like this we're so keen on get right church and let's go home get be in a situation where you can get your starters out of game early the earlier you can pull your starters the better because you keep their legs fresher you reduce the chance of injury all those types of things whoop the wheels off these guys don't play around don't let them hang around don't let them because the biggest thing even outside of injury is when you play around with a team like this start getting confidence the game gets late it's getting there Dawn it's close uh oh do we have the ball are we only down three point don't let this team stick around don't let this team stay close don't let this team believe that they can that they can get anything done against you you want their halftime speech to be to be we're not don't look at the scoreboard don't look at the score I just want to see you execute something well just do one thing well and we'll go from there that's it it could be Western Carolina it could be App State it could be the dirty foot Club it could be Tennessee if you have a comfortable lead and you let that other team believe that they can stick around and come back and beat you hope is a very dangerous thing when you were the more physically imposing team go out and let them know from the beginning this a No Nonsense no funny business game you you're the better team go out and proove it take care of business and then we're on to the next one that's really all that's left to say here about this game one against Western Carolina but to close out our show we're going to give you our final thoughts our score predictions and if you're into this type of thing I have a couple picks that maybe you want to play on FanDuel this comes after a quick word from our sponsors our second sponsor of the day is FanDuel you've heard us talk all summer about FanDuel but that's because it's America's number one sport book we have something a little bit different for you from now all the way until September 22nd all FanDuel customers can bet $5 and get a three-week free trial of NFL Sunday Ticket from YouTube and YouTube TV then with the YouTube TV base plan you'll be able to watch every regular season Sunday afternoon out of Market game all you need is a Google account a current form of payment and if you choose you can cancel at any time head on over to fanduel.com FL locked on 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50F Factor meals.com last couple minutes of our game day Thursday episode now time for our final thoughts and our pregame predictions for tonight's matchup against Western Carolina Kenton I'll let you go first just give us any additional thoughts empty The Notebook for tonight's home opener you know I wish I had a thorough in-depth notebook of like hey this is all the things to look out for all the things to watch out for this is a big matchup here there realistically is not much there it I mean that's just what this is TCB take care of business get out of Dodge early you know make sure that Wolfpack fans are are happy okay make sure everybody's going home happy and make sure even if they do leave at halftime they ain't missing nothing in the second half okay by the way stay after the half but you get the point you get what I'm saying you on do what you got to do make it clear make it definitive make it decisive first round knockout type Vibes do what you got to do wolf back I'm not talking frozen yogurt but I'll even add another letter TCBY take care of business yourself don't leave it up to Western to beat themselves you go out and beat them no nonsense like I've said a million times no funny business and the result that you're after will appear very quickly because we are the better team we have the better roster better every we are more talented on in every facet of this football game go out there and let them know it from the jump tenson how about a final score prediction how do you have it going down tonight you know everybody tells me they squeamish at 30 plus Point lines and I get it I believe NC stays a 32 and a half or 33o favorite I have NC State covering this spread the final score that I have is 52-4 NC State the line did change the last time we talked about it it was 33 A2 and an over under of 60 A2 now it's updated to 32 A2 and an over under of 61 and a half my final score I said it initially and I'll stick to it now I have 4910 I don't see a world where Western can really score more than 10 points if they do maybe 13 I find it extremely hard to believe that Western scores not one touchdown but two touchdowns to start the season so I have 4910 I think again NC States Canna be able to get whatever they want I have 49 to 10 as the final as always through the season I'll post these graphics on Twitter make sure that you guys tell us what you think the final score will be both in the YouTube comments and of course on Twitter as always last thing before we get out of here if you're into this type of thing I will be placing a five leg parlay I have NC State covering this spread of 32 and a half I'm actually taking the under under 61 and a half because I I don't think that Western will score more than 10 I have Justin jool Lee anytime touchdown his importance in this offense I think you're going to see it right out of the gate I have him scoring a touchdown I have Jordan Waters anytime touchdown and my last one I have KC over 50 receiving yards I that maybe sounds a little bit low but with all the new options I wasn't sure how much casy that we're going to see in this game but I do have KC 50 plus receiving yards something else I would love to hear is if you have any plays of your own dump them into the comments I love reading this type of thing same goes on Twitter if you have any additional plays some of youve already tweeted your plays let us know I always find these very fascinating to read through that'll do it for us here on game day this Thursday episode I can't believe this is real it is actually game day should have mentioned this earlier in the episode but of course I will do it again now every regular season game we do have a post game live show right here on our YouTube channel Channel be sure to be on the lookout for that typically we like to wait until after the postgame press conference just in case there's any any information we need to be discussing so roughly 30 to 45 minutes after the game ends if you don't see our tweet on Twitter come over to our YouTube page you'll see our red light light up when it's time to jump into the chat hope to see you all there we really thoroughly enjoy doing these uh after each game last season we get a ton of people to come in and discuss everything with us hopefully you're celebrating a win I believe we probably will be celebrating a win but come with your takeaways we want to know what you all think about this home opener against Western Carolina that'll do it for us here on Thursday can't wait to see this game tonight be sure to hit that like button drop your comments in the comment box and mash that subscribe button if you have not already we will see you all tonight for our post game live and until then go pack go pack wrong button