The Wolfpack opened the season with a decisive 48-7 victory over the Western Carolina Catamounts. The game proved to be a display of the aerial attack of the offense, with redshirt junior quarterback Russell Wilson and receivers T.J. Graham and Owen Spencer putting up big numbers for the Pack. Wilson went 21 for 31 on the day for 306 yards and four touchdowns. “Russell threw a pretty nice ball and I’m just doing what I’m supposed to do and catching the ball,” Graham said. Graham caught six passes for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Spencer added four catches for 92 yards. “He [TJ] played great tonight,” Wilson said. He’s a hard-working receiver. He brought them in and made some plays tonight. And so did the rest of the guys as well.” According to coach Tom O’Brien, the maturation of Graham occurred in spring practice. “We’ve been saying all along that T.J. has been much improved as a receiver,” O’Brien said.” “It started in the spring and carried over into preseason camp. He would catch it and go to the ground until he got to spring practice, then all of the sudden, he made a move, caught the ball, and when the light went on or whatever, it was a good thing.” Before kickoff Saturday, Graham had one career touchdown reception, and by the conclusion of the first quarter, had pushed his career total to three. Graham said he was pleased to see his efforts to become a more complete football player pay off on the best receiving afternoon of his career. ”I’ve been hounded by the coaches, saying that I haven’t been doing enough with my athletic talents, that I’ve just been getting by, ” Graham said. “In the offseason, I took it to heart to do what I’m supposed to do, so I made some strides to be more versatile and make plays. ” Despite putting up big numbers, O’Brien said he still sees plenty of room for improvement in his offense. “Offensively I think we [have to] get Russell back in the swing of things,” O’Brien said. “We played him all the way into the third quarter because he hasn’t played quarterback since last November. One time we had 12 guys in the huddle, and he didn’t know it. ” The win over Western also marked the debut of the freshman running back tandem of Mustafa Greene and Dean Haynes. Haynes led the team in rushing yards, with 69 on 13 carries and one touchdown. Greene had 35 yards on 10 carries and also contributed a touchdown. “It was exciting and I had fun,” Greene said. “I was nervous at first, but when I got that first snap and that first block, I was fine.” The next game for the Pack will be in Orlando, Fla., when it takes on the UCF Knights on September 11th.