NC State’s game vs WCU was more of a nail biter than most anticipated...

it wasn't one we want for the Time Capsule um but let's start with the good what was uh what was I mean it's obvious Casey concepion is one of those players um can you in the LA the last 20 years of State football can you compare him to anybody or is he maybe does he have the ability to maybe stand above all of it I mean I think from the the versatility standpoint just because you know he didn't have as many rushes last night as he did last season uh but you know from a versatility standpoint for ncy State you know I I would maybe say Jaylen Samuel okay uh the only thing about jayen Samuels was you know it took him a couple years before he was really as productive as he was late in his career KC came in and it was like the third game of his of his freshman season he was KC already yeah uh interesting interesting staff for him he has like eight games where he doesn't have touchdowns uh and he has zero games with one touchdown and six games now with multiple touchdowns so when he scores one you know he's going to score a second one uh but yeah 121 yards for him last night which was not a career high but the nine receptions the three touchdowns are both career highs uh yeah I mean he was a bright spot for an otherwise frustrating game for NC State uh you know Jordan Waters played well down the stretch but I mean you know if we're we're talking about you know a guy that really put the team on his back throughout much of that game it was it was KC and uh and he showed you know proved to to the country well anybody that was watching that game as opposed to you know Colorado and uh North Dakota State or UNC and Minnesota which were expected to be more competitive games than last night uh they they got to see him and maybe put a little bit of the country on notice last night uh I'm down with KCC so we'll uh we'll maybe we can start that but yeah I mean like he's when he has the ball in his hands it's a touchdown waiting to happen he's got he's got speed that can separate he's elusive he's a strong runner for somebody who doesn't look like he's got uh incredible size and because he doesn't uh but man there's so many things and I know they can use him out of the back field I assume they will but you know they were not going to show stuff like that in advance of Tennessee is it fair to say that the biggest disappointment that came out of last night Cory Smith from pack prde is that the offensive line didn't look great right yeah I would definitely say so I mean you know this is an offensive line that that returned four starters from last season the expectation was hey they're they're all you know everything we had heard was you know Tim McKay getting to focus on playing Right Guard as opposed to you know switching from tackle to guard he was going to be much improved and you know uh a guy like Jakira Peak was going to be you know the guy along the right tackle spot and then you know Anthony Carter Jr s like he was going to be better just didn't see a ton of push I mean I have to go back and look at the the full film to see you know who was at fault there and things along those lines for certain individual plays but you know jakarius Pete got called for the you know the ineligible player downfield on the the big touchdown that Pro I mean seemed like a a momentum changing you know moment there for NC State and yes they did end up scoring on that drive later but that if you get that I mean you could just feel the electricity and in the stadium and and all of a sudden that was just taken out uh by just a silly penalty um for him being downfield so yes I think the the biggest concern that you have coming out of this is you know the expectation was that those are your best guys and those are the guys you're probably going to stick with and you there just wasn't a ton of competition for those guys you know throughout spring and fall Camp so that's what you're going to have to stick with they they have to be the ones that showed the most Improvement to me between week one and week two before you face a much different Beast this upcoming weekend in Tennessee so yeah they've all got to get better uh and I think you know there was there was a couple times where you know Jordan Waters probably could have gotten out of a couple you know two string tackles but uh there there was way too many uh times where he was having a bounce to the outside because there just were not gaps there in the middle for him to be able to run through right I think in one of the fourth downs and they were 0 for two on Fourth and short in the first half I think on one of the fourth Downs uh like I I think think there was the interior of the offensive line had been kind of caved in enough that he didn't even try it he he just bounced it outside immediately and there was really nowhere for him to go uh like the fumble certainly hurt Waters but I do do think that he got better late the touchdown the first touchdown run second touchdown run that's a short yardage play and it the hole open the game was essentially over boom he goes to the house we're going to see that a few times this year but that first touchdown run uh where uh he smashed into the line and then bounced off tacklers backed up two steps and then uh bullied his way into the end zone that's the one that I remember yeah and I was going to say that's kind of why that you live with the all right he didn't he didn't he didn't evade some of those early tackles well he evaded like 18 on that one so you can kind of live with the the early situation and say all right well he he got away from got away from the second one there and made it work so uh yeah I mean you know that's kind of having that veteran back that's what NC State was hoping for going into this season because you know we we've talked a lot about it the last several weeks and months leading up to this season was the fact that you know VC state is going to have the tremendous success they they expect you know be able to kind of move up into that upper echelon and try to compete for double digit wins they're going to need balance and the balance just simply has not been there the last three years NC state does not finished inside the top 10 or or or 10th or better in any rushing category whether it's rushing yards per game whether it's rushing yards per carry or rushing touchdowns in any of those three seasons so in order to be able to you know actually have this offense be as explosive as they expect to you've got to have the run at least be able to set up some of the pass and it can't come from your quarterback and and your wide receiver primarily you have to be able to allow guys like Jordan Waters Hollywood SMS who also had a good game you stats might not bear it tremendously but he had a good game several explosive runs uh they they have the backs to do it now they've got to be able to give them the space to do it yeah I think ultimately uh even though Waters is going to get the majority of the carries as we saw last night I think they've got three good running backs uh you it's funny um NC State probably has more weapons than I have ever seen them have they because we didn't what Casey got nine had nine catch uh I loved uh the tight end Jolly the transfer from Yukon I thought he was Dynamite I was a little worried when he uh went for the waters fumble and uh obviously got a stinger or something smashing into one of his offensive linemen uh but he came back and I thought was really good the rest of the way but we didn't even scratch the surface with some of the uh other wide outs I think they've got a lot of options and I I'm looking forward to them getting more comfortable with one another yeah we talk talked about this on our our postgame podcast last night too that you know there's not just a Shameless plug there for p Pride you got to get something out of this Cory I'm just I'm tapping into you you got get out whatever you need to get out exactly uh but you know the the Justin Joi situation you know I again he would have gone for over 100 yards if he had had that one additional catch that was if I remember correctly like a 35 40 yard touchdown uh on that you know double reverse and and he gets it deep down field if he get that one he's over 100 yards and a touchdown we're talking about a much different night for him he was five for five by the way too and and not on a night where Grayson M Mcall was particularly accurate he comes down with every single one of the balls Noah Rogers I remember kind of coming back for one on a deep shot uh and you know there was another one where the the one you know Target that he had that he didn't come down with uh probably a contested catch that that if McCall puts that you know two or three yards deeper into the end zone he comes down with that easy he's he's got the separation he had to try to go over the DB DB makes a good play for Western Carolina they had some good DBS last night so it was a respectable FCS you know secondary that M state was facing but yeah this was a situation where you know the the wide receivers to me were were the ones that shine last night uh Wesley Grimes had a good game as well agreed Terell Anderson that that one kind of sideline catch that he made to to keep an extended drive when MC State really needed it uh there late in the game so know they they've got all the weapons and and I agree with you I think there hasn't been a time where they've had this much talent and a lot of it is Young Talent that's still developing so as guys like Noah Rogers Terell Anderson those guys get more comfortable with this offense and and more comfortable playing on Saturdays and you know Thursday nights as well I think this offense can only get better it's just a matter of putting it all together now and getting all those guys comfortable with this system final thing um Tony Gibson's defense is a constant it was a little slow at times they had trouble uh dealing with the quarterback and uh was was it Columbo the wide he really should play in a trench coat no you won't understand that joke other people might uh but the you do you're you're an old soul Cory Smith uh the um but I think that defense looks like it also it has the the pieces to be uh maybe not what they were with pton Wilson but I think they can be a pretty good defense yeah I think the I think the one issue that you ran into last night and you know we're not going to try to you know sugarcoat it here but you know losing a guy like uh losing a guy like uh Kaden forom on the fifth play of the game to that Target penalty a guy that you know they they have so much trust in him at the middle linebacker spot he's only started two games in his career prior to this season uh and he's the one actually wearing the earpiece inside the helmet uh so he's the one communicating to the rest of the defense that's how much trust they have in him and he gets knocked out in the fifth play of the game uh and you know dropped an interception early on so there's a little bit of a you know some shaky Confidence from these guys too you're in position you don't make the play uh that changes things a little bit from a confidence standpoint it's like all right now we we just don't screw up it's you know we got to make the play as well um and I think that you know yes there was some shakiness there was really only two drives where they they struggled um you know it was another B but don't break style you know with a 50 plus um you know drive that that Western had but you know this is a western offense that was the number one FCS offense last year in the country so uh they they do they they can scheme up some some pretty good offensive uh plays and drives and things along those lines but um yeah I think this defense was humbled a little bit last night and I think Tony Gibson was frustrated after giving up that third touchdown that was you know one where you you give up a 50 yard play to the quarterback and then they come down the field and finish it so uh you know those are not you want to see from your defense uh but the good thing is you come away with a win Tony Gibson gets to be fired up over the weekend and show his you know show his players like hey you're not as good as you thought you were here's where we need to improve and we got to improve fast because you're facing Tennessee next week and then in three weeks you're facing Clemson so you got to be ready and not make these boneheaded plays and and give up gashing yards because that's how they set up easy scoring drives and uh and that's that's just again that's something that uh you know he harped on a lot last year especially after the Duke game after Jordan waters you know what he did to them uh last year uh I think that's going to be something they're going to go back to the film room be like hey don't don't do this anymore R Corey Smith on Twitter Corey Smith pack Pride appreciate your time man uh thanks so much talk to you soon yes sir appreciate you as always you got it