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2021 CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL PAGE 1 Blue Ridge Border Battle – vs. ETSU

CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL | 2021 GAME NOTES

• CATAMOUNT QUICK FACTS • Location: ................................................. Cullowhee, N.C., 28723 ...................................................................................................Pronounced “KULL - uh - whee”

Founded: ...............................................................................1889 Enrollment: .......................................................................... 11,877 Nickname: ................................................................. Catamounts Colors: ..................................................................... Purple & Gold Stadium: ....................................... E.J. Whitmire Stadium (13,790) Field: .................................... Bob Waters Field (Artificial: Ironturf) Affiliation: ........... NCAA Div. I – Championship Subdivision (FCS) Conference: ....................................................................Southern Chancellor: ................................ Dr. Kelli R. Brown (Toledo, 1982) Athletics Director: .....................................Alex Gary (VCU, 2005)

FOOTBALL HISTORY: First Year of Football: ............................................................1931 Seasons of Football: ..............................................................87th All-Time / SoCon Record: ......... 350-521-23 (.403) / 119-193-3 (.379) NCAA Postseason Appearances (Div. I): ............................. 2 (1) Postseason Record (Div. I): ............................................3-2 (3-1) Best Finish: ...........1983 National Finalist (lost 43-7 to So. Illinois) Last Appearance: .................................................................. 1983 2020-21 Record: .................................1-8 (Home: 1-1 | Away: 0-7) 2020-21 SoCon Record (Finish): .... 1-5 (9th) (Home: 1-1 | Away: 0-4)

WCU FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF: Head Coach: ........................................Kerwin Bell (Florida, 1987) • Head Coaching Record at WCU: ................................. 3-6 (1st yr) • Overall Record: ......................................................96-48 (13 yrs) A S S I S T A N T C O A C H E S / S U P P O R T S T A F F Kade Bell ..................................................... Offensive Coord. / OL Justin Hinds .................................................Defensive Coord. / LB Kerry Webb ....................................................... SpTms Coord. / CB Chazmon Scales ..................................co-Defensive Coord. / OLB Rylan Wells ................... Assistant Coach / Recruiting Coord. / TEs Jon Cooper ....................................................Assistant Coach / OL J.J. Laster ....................................................Assistant Coach / WRs Larry Murphy ...............................................Assistant Coach / CBs Rudi Small ....................................................Assistant Coach / RBs Dennis Thomas ..............................................Assistant Coach / DL Jeff Burger ............................................... Volunteer Assistant / OL Cody Edwards ...........................Quality Control Coach – Defense Greg McGruder .......................... Quality Control Coach – Offense Todd Shealy ............................................. Director of Football Ops Trent Turknett ................................... Director of Player Personnel Ben Jacobs ...................................Director of Sports Performance Steven Honbarger ............................. Director of Sports Medicine Rob Reyburn ................................ Associate Head Athletic Trainer Mike Taylor ..................................... Athletics Equipment Manager Sandy Neuenschwander ...........Football Administrative Assistant

WESTERN CAROLINA MEDIA RELATIONS INFORMATION:Asst. AD/Media Relations (FB Contact): .................Daniel Hooker • Email Address: [email protected] • Office / Cell Phone: ................ (828) 227-2339 / (828) 508-2494Director of Media Relations (Secondary FB): ........ Steven Grandy • Email Address: ..................................... [email protected] of Media Relations: ...................................Denise Gideon • Email Address: .....................................dgideon@email.wcu.eduFootball Press Box Phone: ...................................... (828) 227-2116Athletics Mailing & Overnight Address: ..................WCU Athletics 92 Catamount Road – Ramsey Center Cullowhee, N.C. 28723

A WESTERN CAROLINA WIN WOULD:

• Represent a fourth-straight seasonal victories for the Cat-amounts, which would be the longest consecutive game win streak since claiming four-straight in 2017;

• Return the traveling trophy to Cullowhee for just the sec-ond time since its inception in 2018 (W, 23-20 OT in 2019);

• End WCU's current five-game losing skid against nation-ally-ranked NCAA FCS competition dating back to 2017;

• Give the Catamounts four seasonal victories, matching the 2019 season ... and push WCU above .500 (4-3) in league play, the most SoCon victories in a season for WCU since winning five back in 2017;

• Represent the third victory at Western Carolina – and ca-reer win No. 97 – for Catamount first-year head coach KERWIN BELL.

A WESTERN CAROLINA LOSS WOULD:• Represent the second-straight defeat in the head-to-head

series with the Buccaneers – and end WCU's current two-game home series winning streak;

• Halt WCU's three-game seasonal winning streak.

CATAMOUNT QUICK SLANTS:• Western Carolina’s 2021 roster includes a combined

43 players from the state of North Carolina ... South Carolina is second with 24, followed by Georgia (18), Florida (9), Alabama (6), Tennessee and Pennsylvania with three, Virginia (2), and one each from Maryland, Mississippi, Missouri and Ohio;

2021 CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE / RESULTSDATE OPPONENT SITE TIME/RESULT TV NOTESSept. 4 EASTERN KENTUCKY CULLOWHEE L, 31-28 Nexstar/E+ TJ Jones had 146 yds offense, 2 TDs; missed 56-yd FG @horn

Sept. 11 at #4/4 Oklahoma Norman, Okla. L, 76-0 PPV S. Rattler threw 5 first-half TD passes; OK had 624 off. yds

Sept. 18 SAMFORD * (FW) CULLOWHEE L, 42-37 Nexstar/E+ WCU forced 5 turnovers, Raphael Williams with 2 TD catches

Sept. 25 at Gardner-Webb Boiling Springs, N.C. L, 52-34 ESPN+ GAWB scored games final 28 points; 1,202 yds of offense total

Oct. 2 at #19 Chattanooga * Chattanooga, Tenn. L, 45-17 ESPN3 UTC jumped out to 21-3 lead, limited WCU to 277 yds of offense

OCT. 9 MERCER * (HC) CULLOWHEE L, 34-24 ESPN3 WCU rallied from 2 TD deficit; pair of 4th qtr INTs led to 10-straight MER pts

Oct. 23 at The Citadel * Charleston, S.C. W, 45-31 ESPN+ Carlos Davis threw for 401 yards, 3 TDs; TJ Jones scored 3 times

Oct. 30 at Wofford * Spartanburg, S.C. W, 41-21 ESPN+ R. Wells threw four TD passes, ran for a fifth; 1st WCU win since 2015

NOV. 6 FURMAN * CULLOWHEE 2:00 PM ESPN3 WCU rallies from two, 11-pt deficits; halts 5-gm series slide

NOV. 13 ETSU * (BRBB) CULLOWHEE 2:00 PM ESPN3 Blue Ridge Border Battle; 5 of last 6 mtgs decided by 1 possession

Nov. 20 at VMI * Lexington, Va. 12:30 pm ESPN+ WCU leads the all-time series, 23-4 including a 10-3 road mark

* denotes Southern Conference game /// All times listed are Eastern

GAME #10: ETSU BUCCANEERS (8-1, 5-1 SoCon) at WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS (3-6, 3-3 SoCon)Saturday, Nov. 13, 2021 • 2:05 pm • ESPN3 • Cullowhee, N.C. • E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field (13,790)

GAME COVERAGE:TV BROADCAST: TALENT: Kyle Rush and Phil CoxRADIO: Catamount Sports NetworkTALENT: Gary Ayers, Greg McLamb & Jeff BrysonONLINE AUDIO: CatamountSports.comTWITTER: @Catamounts, @CatamountsFBSERIES HISTORY: WCU leads, 25-24-1 (L–1) In Cullowhee: ..............................WCU leads, 13-10 (W–2); MR: WCU, 23-20 OT (2019) In Johnson City: ............................ WCU trails, 11-14-1 (L–2); MR: ETSU, 24-17 (20-21)

WESTERN CAROLINAHead Coach: Kerwin BellRecord at WCU: 3-6, 1st yrCareer Record: 96-48, 13th yr

ETSU ( 11/12)Head Coach: Randy SandersRecord at ETSU: 23-16, 4th yrCareer Record: same

• Entering 2021, 17 Catamounts have indicated that they are making this season their final on the gridiron:

OL Matt Bair, RB Kenny Benjamin, LB Trevor Childers, TE Owen Cosenke, DB Jaylen Floyd,

OL Michael Harper, LB Ty Harris, LB Ivan Hogans,TE Luke Hoggard, DB Nick Oelrich, DL Ricky Palao,

WR Daquan Patten, DB LA Rogers-Anderson,NIC Curtis Roach, LB Kareem Taylor,

WR Mydreon Vines, and QB Rogan Wells;

• In a year full of transition, WCU enters 2021 with a new look on the field in uniform as well ... Beginning on July 1, 2021, Catamount Athletics entered a five-year part-nership with Nike and BSN SPORTS;

• WCU returns 18 out of a possible 25 starters between its offense, defense, and special teams ... That includ-ed NINE starters on defense, SIX on offense, and all THREE back on special teams in specialist starters ... Combined, WCU has 53 total returning letter winners from 2020-21 with 42 newcomer including 21 transfers and 21 true freshmen;

• A combined 17 WCU football players SHARE a com-bined seven LAST names – none of which are related:

DAVIS ............................................. Carlos (QB), Peyton (OL)HARRIS .........Christian (DL), Ethan (DB), Jacob (CB), Ty (LB)JONES ..................................Calvin (WR), Gabe (OL), TJ (RB)NELSON ............................................ Micah (DE), Tyree (RB)SCOTT ............................................. Caleb (TE), Meziah (QB)SMITH ......................................Demorian (RUSH), Tyler (OL)WILLIAMS .........................................CJ (WR), Raphael (WR)

WESTERN CAROLINA ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS /// RAMSEY CENTER – 92 CATAMOUNT ROAD /// @CATAMOUNTS /// CATAMOUNTSPORTS.COM

CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL | 2021 GAME NOTESFOOTBALL CONTACT: Daniel Hooker /// OFFICE: 828.227.2339 /// CELL: 828.508.2494 /// EMAIL: [email protected]



THIS WEEK IN CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL /// NOVEMBER 7–13:

8Monday

9Tuesday

10Wednesday

11Thursday

12Friday

13Saturday

7Sunday

WCU INTERVIEW POLICYThe Western Carolina Office of Athletics Media Rela-

tions will assist media personnel with interview requests of Western Carolina student-athletes, coaches and administrators. To arrange interviews, please contact DANIEL HOOKER, the Assistant Athletic Director for Media Relations at least 24 hours in advance.

Head Coach Kerwin Bell will be available for interviews following each practice and following games. Other inter-views with Coach Bell must be set-up in advance and it is requested that the nature of the interview be submitted to WCU Media Relations in writing at least 24 hours prior.

Student-athletes will be available for interviews after practices through Wednesday. Unless special permission is granted well in advance, the cut-off time for student-athletes during game weeks will be Noon on Thursday.

WCU FOOTBALL PRACTICE POLICYWCU football practices in 2020 are CLOSED to the

public. Media members are asked to refrain from contact-ing student-athletes at their home or residence – and student-athletes’ phone numbers will not be released by the Media Relations Office. Out-of-town media may set up phone interviews to be conducted in the Department of Athletics. Coach Bell may be reached weekday morn-ings, however, it is asked that a specific interview time be scheduled through the Media Relations office.

POSTGAME INTERVIEWS The WCU locker room is CLOSED at the end of all games played. However, following a 10-minute “cooling off” period, Coach Kerwin Bell and requested players will be brought to the media room on the first floor of the Ramsey Center. The availability of the visiting locker room will be announced in the press box after conferring with the visiting SID. The visiting locker room is located in the back portion of the Jordan-Phillips Field House. A space for interviews will be available outside the locker room or up on the Field House patio, if available.

WORKING CREDENTIALSNewsprint and electronic media representatives plan-

ning to cover football games at Western Carolina University are asked to request in written form working credentials from WCU’s Media Relations Office. Season passes will be issued to those who cover the Catamounts on a permanent basis. Our limited working space in the press box will be assigned by priority to WCU beat writers, beat writers of the opponents, metropolitan media filing for deadline and specialty publications.

If time permits, credentials will be mailed. If not, cre-dentials can be picked up on game day (two hours prior to kickoff) at the media will call on the upper plaza of the Ramsey Center at the south end of the stadium (nearest the press box side of Whitmire Stadium OR the Media

Parking Lot with an attendant. Credentials will be issued only to those attending the game in a working capacity. Spouses, dates, children and other nonworkers will not be permitted in the press box.

PHOTOGRAPHERSCredentials for sideline photographers will be issued on

a first-come, first-serve basis with agencies covering the participating schools on a regular basis receiving priority. Free-lance photographers may request credentials on a game-by-game basis. All free-lance photographers must submit proofs featuring game or sideline action to the Media Relations Office no later than four days following the game. Each photographer must pick up a photo pass from the press box or media will call prior to the game.

NO PHOTOGRAPHERS OR MEDIA PERSONNEL AREPERMITTED WITHIN THE TEAM AREA AT ANY TIME

MEDIA PARKINGMedia parking for Western Carolina home football

games – BY PERMIT ONLY – is located in the St. David's Episcopal Church parking lot directly across the street and behind the press box of E.J. Whitmire Stadium on Forest Hills Road. The lot is identified and a media parking plac-ard must be displayed to gain admittance. The lot will be staffed by a member of the WCU Athletics Media Relations staff who will have a checklist of those authorized to park in the media lot.

PRESS RELEASES/STATISTICSThe WCU Media Relations Department produces a

weekly football release prior to each game during the season. Cumulative statistics will be updated as soon as possible after each contest. Media members may receive the releases and statistics by accessing the Athletics Department web site at www.CatamountSports.com.

Email service is available upon request. To be placed on Western Carolina’s E-mail list, media members are asked to contact the Office of Athletic Media Relations.

CATAMOUNTS ON THE WEBThe WCU football home page at CatamountSports.com

provides the latest information regarding the Catamounts, including updated statistics, a roster, game notes and press releases. Also on the department’s main site is information on all of WCU athletics programs, lodging, directions to campus and the latest local weather forecast.

For those unable to attend contests, the Catamount Sports Network will broadcast each game over the Internet utilizing Stretch Internet.

All the current data you need on the Catamounts is as close as your computer at CatamountSports.com.

Southern Conference football games will be streamed ESPN+ and the WatchESPN app.

Follow Catamount Athletics on Twitter: @CatamountsFollow Catamount Football on Twitter: @CatamountsFB

Catamount Sports Network2021 Football Affiliates:

105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC ........ Sylva 104.9 FM / 1050 AM WFSC ........ Franklin 102.9 FM / 1310 AM WISE ........ Asheville 970 AM WYSE ....... Canton 95.3 FM WWCU ........ Cullowhee * on-the-air in fall 2021

Online at CatamountSports.com

A combined eight stations across North Carolina are set to carry football broadcasts of the

Catamount Sports Network (CSN) during the 2021 season ... CSN has also again partnered

with PrestoSports to provide unlimited streaming audio through the athletics web site,

CatamountSports.com.

2021 BROADCAST CREW (HOME)Play-by-Play: .......................................... Gary AyersColor Analyst: ................................... Greg McLambHost / Producer: ................................... Jeff Bryson

2021 BROADCAST CREW (ROAD)Play-by-Play: .......................................... Gary AyersColor Analyst: .................................. Daniel HookerHost / Producer: ................................... Jeff BrysonSideline Reporter: ............................. Greg McLamb

MEETINGS:9:00 – 10:00 amPRACTICE:10:00 am – Noon

CSN PREGAME INTERVIEW:8:00 am MEETINGS:9:00 – 10:00 amPRACTICE:10:00 am – Noon

MEETINGS:3:00 – 4:00 pmWALK THRU:4:00 – 5:00 pmDINNER:6:00 pmNo Media Availability

MEETINGS:5:00 pm - 6:45 pmPRACTICE:7:00 pm - 8:00 pm

GAME DAYWestern Carolinavs. ETSU2:00 pm (ESPN3)Cullowhee, N.C.Bell & select players available after the game

OFF DAY WCU PRESSER:11:00 amMEETINGS:9:00 – 10:00 amPRACTICE:10:00 am – Noon



STORY LINES IN SATURDAY’S HEROES DAY MATCH-UP VS. ETSU:• BLUE RIDGE BORDER BATTLE: The mountain-rivalry between Western Carolina and

ETSU got a new name in 2018 – the “Blue Ridge Border Battle” ... the two teams rep-resenting mountain campuses that are just 112 miles apart again play for a trophy that features a two-tiered wooden pedestal adorned on opposite sides by the two-school’s respective logos and the moniker of the football rivalry series ... Atop the trophy is a rock that was taken (with permission) from the Appalachian Trail on the North Caro-lina–Tennessee border in the Blue Ridge mountains ... Each of the last three series meetings have been decided in one-possession games.

• KEY MATCH-UPS TO WATCH: One of the key match-ups on Saturday will be WCU's passing attack against ETSU's pass defense ... the Catamounts LEAD the SoCon in passing average at 314.7 yards per game – 10th in the NCAA FCS – with a SoCon-best 15 passing touchdowns ... the Bucs have allowed just over 210 yards per game, but have only surrendered NINE passing scores against all season ... Another key will be the turnover battle – ETSU ranks second in the SoCon with a +8 turnover margin – 17 takeaways with just nine turnovers lost ... WCU is a –10 in the turnover margin with 17 turnovers gained against 27 giveaways;

• HOME–SWEET–HOME: Western Carolina's battle with ETSU on the gridiron Saturday represents more than a chance to win a football game – the Catamounts are also bat-tling for the top spot in leading the SoCon in home attendance for the fall 2021... WCU enters the weekend ranked 25th nationally in the NCAA FCS: SoCon SCHOOL AVG. HOME ATTENDANCE HOME GAMES Furman . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10,331 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 gms Western Carolina . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,693 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 gms The Citadel . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,591 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 gms ETSU . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9,501 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 gms Mercer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8,579 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 gms Chattanooga . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,730 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 gms VMI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,272 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 gms Wofford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,686 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 gms Samford . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4,268 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4 gms

Omitting the COVID-season due to various seating capacity restrictions, WCU has fin-ished in the top FIVE in the SoCon in home attendance each year since 2014 including LEADING the league in both 2017 (10,547) and 2018 (10,580).

• NOW TRENDING – STREAK SNAPPING: Over the past three weeks, Western Carolina football has been trending upwards, winning three consecutive games – its longest win streak since 2018 and the first time its won three-straight SoCon games in the same season since 2015 ... WCU has moved back to .500 in Southern Conference play as it hosts ETSU this Saturday ... Here are other ways WCU is currently trending:• The win at The Citadel halted a six-game seasonal slide to start the fall 2021 season

and ended an EIGHT-game winless drought that had been the fourth-longest active streak in the NCAA FCS ... the win in Charleston also represented the first under head coach KERWIN BELL;

• WCU also put the clamps on a five-game slide against Southern Conference op-ponents and ended an 11 game road losing skid that extended back to 2019;

• WCU won back-to-back road games both at The Citadel and at Wofford representing the first time since 2017 when the squad won four of its seven away games;

• The Catamount offense has scored 41-or-more points in each of its last three wins, outscoring the opposition 129-to-94 or an average of 43.0-to-31.3 ... the Catamount offense is averaging 525 yards per game with 577 coming at The Citadel and 539 vs. Furman ... WCU has passed for an average of 371.7 yards and rushed for an aver-age of 153 yards per game during the three-game win streak.

WESTERN CAROLINA VS. ETSU – SERIES HISTORY:• Western Carolina and ETSU meet for the 51st time on the football gridiron with the

Catamounts holding a slim 25-24-1 edge in the all-time series that was dormant from 2003 until 2016 after ETSU dropped its football program ... From 1990-97, both teams enjoyed four-game win streaks – first by WCU followed by four-consecutive series wins by the Bucs ... the last EIGHT series meetings have been split evenly;

• With the traveling trophy on the line the past three seasons, TWO of the games have gone to OVERTIME – a thrilling triple-OT 45-43 game won by 25th-ranked ETSU in Johnson City and a 23-20 overtime win for the Catamounts in Cullowhee in the most recent meeting at Whitmire Stadium;

• The WCU–ETSU series was rekindled in the biggest of ways back in 2016 with a meet-ing held at the “Last Great Colosseum,” the World’s Fastest Half Mile, Bristol Motor Speedway ... the game marked ETSU’s official return to the Southern Conference, its first league game since 2003.

WESTERN CAROLINA VS. NATIONALLY-RANKED FCS TEAMS:• Since 1983, WCU is just 12-83-3 all-time against nationally-ranked NCAA FCS teams ...

the Catamounts have dropped FIVE-straight against ranked competition since its last win in 2017 including a road loss at No. 19 Chattanooga earlier this season;

• Nine of Western Carolina’s 12 wins against nationally-ranked competition have come at home as WCU is just 3-45-2 all-time on the road against nationally-ranked FCS teams ... Two of those three road wins came in 1983 ... WCU has lost 45 straight road games against nationally-ranked opponents, last winning away from home against a ranked FCS team at No. 12 Furman in 1984;

• The Catamounts snapped a 27-game winless drought vs. nationally-ranked teams with the dramatic 38-34 home win over then No. 17 Samford in 2017, WCU’s first over a ranked team since 2006 – it's the most recent victory over a FCS ranked team;

• Two of Western Carolina’s last five games against nationally-ranked FCS competition have gone into overtime, both losses – the 2017 35-28 road loss at then No. 5 Wof-ford and at No. 25 ETSU, a thrilling triple-overtime defeat in the inaugural “Blue Ridge Border Battle” trophy game in Johnson City in 2018.

BUCCANEER RUNNING BACK SUCCESS IN LAST THREE MEETINGS:• In each of the last three meetings with Western Carolina, ETSU had a running back

eclipse the 100-yard mark and score a pair of rushing touchdowns ... RB QUAY HOLMES has five career rushing TDs against WCU, running for a combined 442 yards in the previous three meetings ... RB JACOB SAYLORS has rushed for 259 yards and two scores including two 100-yard games (123 in 2018, 136 in the spring).

FAMILIAR FACES IN THE WCU–ETSU SERIES:• A familiar face in the Western Carolina–ETSU series is Buccaneer Assistant Director of

Athletic Media Relations, DAVID FOX – who is 2014 graduate of WCU where he earned a B.S. in Sport Management ... While at WCU, Fox worked as a student assistant in the Catamount Athletics Media Relations office ... Fox is married to a former WCU Track & Field standout, Anne Greer;

• Western Carolina has two administrators with ties to ETSU – Associate Athletics Direc-tor for External Affairs CHAD GERRETY spent time on the athletics staff at ETSU as a graduate assistant, earning his Masters degree in 1995 ... Director of Ticket Operations BEN PAGE is a graduate of ETSU with a bachelor's in Sport and Leisure Management.

LAST TIME WE MET – ETSU 24, WESTERN CAROLINA 17 (SPRING 2021):• Using a strong opening drive and converting a special team's takeaway into points,

Western Carolina jumped out to a 10-point, 17-7 first half lead in the spring ... However, the Buccaneers used a smothering defensive effort in the second half and an efficient, physical run attack to ground out a 24-17 victory over the Catamounts;

• ETSU scored the game's final 17 points after falling behind to the Catamounts ... the Bucs surrendered 230 yards of offense to WCU in the first half – but capitalized on a driving rainstorm after intermission to limit the Catamounts to just 48 total yards over the final two frames;

• ETSU's tandem of QUAY HOLMES and JACOB SAYLORS both eclipsed the 100-yard mark as Holmes recorded 197 yards on 30 attempts with two touchdowns while Say-lors rushed 15 times for 136 yards ... ETSU threw for just 55 yards on eight completions;

• The Catamounts were limited to 109 yards of total offense for the game – 67 yards rushing and 42 yards passing with just five first downs.

/// QUICK FACT COMPARISON ///SCHOOLS: WESTERN CAROLINA ETSULOCATION: Cullowhee, N.C. Johnson City, Tenn.FOUNDED: 1889 1911ENROLLMENT: 11,877 14,400NICKNAME: Catamounts BuccaneersCONFERENCE: Southern (SoCon) Southern (SoCon)COLORS: Purple & Gold Blue & GoldHOME FIELD: E.J. Whitmire Stadium Greene StadiumCAPACITY: 13,790 6,212HEAD COACH: Kerwin Bell Randy SandersOVERALL RECORD: 96-48 (13th yr) 23-16 (4th yr)RECORD AT SCHOOL: 3-6 (1st yr) SameWEBSITE: CatamountSports.com ETSUBuccaneers.com



2 Aaron GETHERS DB GETH-thurs

4 KASON LINCKE QB KAY-suhn LINK-kuh

4 Cam McCUTCHEON DB mick - CUTCH uhn

6 Nick OELRICH DB OHUL - rich

7 Charles GADIE DB GADD - ee

9 MYDREON Vines WR MY - dree - on

9 KAREEM Taylor LB kuh - REEM

10 JaKobe QUILLEN WR QUILL - len

11 ROGAN Wells QB ROW - guhn

12 MEZIAH Scott QB mez - ZYE - uh

14 TOLER KEIGLEY WR TOLL - lurr KEY - glee

16 Brody PALHEGYI QB pal - HEE - gie

17 RAEKWON Heath TE RAY - quan

20 DRAMARIAN McNulty DB dre - MARR - e - uhn

21 ANDREAS Keaton DB on - DRE- us

22 MIKAI Stanley RB muh - KYE

25 JAIDEN Bond WR JAY - dunn

27 Trevor CHILDERS LB CHILL - durrs

30 MICAH Nelson DE MY - kuh

31 JERIUS Edwards NIC JAIR - e - us

32 MALIK Richardson RB muh - LEEK

42 JONTAVIOUS Shotwell DB john - TAY - vee - us

47 Neil ILENREY DB ILL - ren - ee

49 DEMORIAN Smith DE Goes by “Mo Smith”

51 Matthew BAIR OL like BEAR

58 Giovanni RICCIARDI LB rich - CHAR - dee

60 JOAQUIN LAYNO DL wa - KEEN LAY - no

68 TORRION Stephenson DL TORE - e - on

71 Austin GRUNDEN OL grr - RUN - den

79 AIDAN Alston OL AY - den

82 Miller DeARMOND WR dee - ARE - mond

84 Owen COSENKE TE co - SEEN - key

86 DAQUAN Patten WR DAY - kwan

89 Richard McCOLLUM K mick - CALL - um

91 JAQUARIUS Guinn DL jah - QUARE - e - us

95 LAQUAVION Haynes DL la - QUAY - vee - on

99 Ricky PALAO DL puh - LAY - oh

KERRY Webb AC like "Curry"

2021 PRONUNCIATION GUIDE:

CLOSE CALLS FOR THE CATAMOUNTS IN THE 2021 SEASON:• Western Carolina has held leads in SEVEN of its EIGHT seasonal games against NCAA FCS competition including two-

possession, second-half advantages FOUR times – led by 10 points at Gardner-Webb and against Samford, and led 31-10 at halftime at The Citadel before taking a season-best 41-7 lead at Wofford early in the third quarter;

• WCU also rallied from down 21-7 to tie Mercer, 24-24, in the fourth quarter before back-to-back interceptions led to 10-straight points for the Bears in WCU's 34-24 loss.

AY, POPPI...! GAMES NOTES ON WCU'S DIMINUTIVE WR RAPHAEL WILLIAMS:• RAPHAEL WILLIAMS broke the school's single-season receptions record at Wofford with 16 catches, tallying 177 yards

and two touchdowns ... Williams broke the three-way, single-game tie between Terryon Robinson, who caught 15 passes twice (2014, 2016) and Eric Rasheed (1984) ... His 16 catches are tied for the most by a player in a single-game in the NCAA FCS this season (Tyson Thompson of Houston Baptist – 16 vs. UIW);

• Williams was listed as an honorable mention on the Stats Perform FCS National Offensive Player of the Week (Nov. 1);• Enters the ETSU game LEADING the SoCon with both an average of 7.2 receptions per game (t-4th in the NCAA FCS)

and with an average of 86.2 receiving yards per game (19th nationally) ... He is 16th nationally in total receiving yards;• Best known for his route-running ability, Williams has posted double-digit receptions THREE TIMES – 16 at Wofford, 12

catches at The Citadel and 11 at Gardner-Webb ... He has FOUR, 100-yard receiving games including a season-high 177 at Wofford, 147 at The Citadel, 132 at Gardner-Webb, and 122 in the season-opener against Eastern Kentucky.

ANDREAS KEATON NAMED TO JERRY RICE AWARD WATCH LIST:• Western Carolina freshman DB ANDREAS KEATON was listed on the initial watch list for the 2021 Stats Perform Jerry

Rice Award, which is presented to the national freshman of the year in college football’s championship subdivision (FCS) ... Keaton is one of 22 first-year players on this year’s watch list and one of two from the Southern Conference, joined by Dominick Poole from The Citadel;

• Keaton is the fifth Catamount since 2014 to grace the watch list for the nation’s top freshman, joining LB Daniel Riddle (2014), P Ian Berryman (2015), QB Tyrie Adams (2016), and DB RONALD KENT JR. (2018). Adams finished fourth in the national voting back in 2016, the highest finish for a Catamount nominated for the national award;

• A true freshman from Powder Springs, Ga., Keaton has started every game to date in the Catamount defensive sec-ondary. Through nine games, he ranks fifth on the squad with 36 total tackles including 22 solo stops. He has success-fully defended eight total passes that includes five pass break-ups and a team-best three interceptions.

ADDITIONAL NOTES ON WESTERN CAROLINA ENTERING GAME 10 – VS. ETSU:• SEVEN different receivers have caught touchdown passes this season led by RAPHAEL WILLIAMS with seven, CAL-

VIN JONES and KENNY BENJAMIN with three as WCU has 18 scores through the air ... True freshman TE BRAYDEN BLACKMON made his first career reception on a three-yard TD strike at Wofford ... TJ JONES (8), ROGAN WELLS (4) and KENNY BENJAMIN (2) – have recorded rushing scores giving WCU 14, double-digits for an 11th straight year;

• WCU placekicker RICHARD McCOLLUM ranks SEVENTH in the SoCon with an average of 7.9 points per game – 63 points scored in eight games played as he did not see action at Oklahoma ... McCollum LEADS THE NCAA in field-goal percentage, perfect in all 11 attempts to date this year;

• Transfer LB KAREEM TAYLOR ranks TIED FOR THIRD in the SoCon with an average of 9.1 tackles per game, having recorded SIX double-digit tackle games this season ... DB JACOB HARRIS ranks 11th at 6.8 tackles per game ... LB IVAN HOGANS is THIRD in the SoCon with 10.0 tackles for loss.

MISC. STATS / NOTESWESTERN CAROLINA 2021 OPENING DRIVES: OPP RESULT DETAILS

EKU FG .................... R. McCollum, 26-yd FG; 12 plays, 66 yds, 3:17

@OK PUNT ............... B. Dickerson, 21-yd punt; 6 plays, 24 yds, 2:15

SAM FUMBLE ....................T. Horne, 17 yd rec.; 6 plays, 33 yds, 2:11

@G-W PUNT ................ B. Dickerson, 34-yd punt; 3 plays, 4 yds, 0:45

@UTC FG .......................R. McCollum, 22-yd FG; 3 plays, 2 yds, 0:46

MER FUMBLE ..............K. Benjamin, 3-yd rec.; 6 plays, 27 yds, 2:44

@CIT TD ............................. C. Jones, 7-yd rec; 6 plays, 64 yds, 2:37

@WOF TD ...........................R. Wells, 32-yd rush; 6 plays, 76 yds, 2:13

FUR FG .....................R. McCollum, 32-yd FG; 9 plays, 54 yds, 2:09

ETSU ..................................................................................................

@VMI

WCU 2021 2ND HALF OPENING DRIVES: OPP RESULT DETAILS

EKU PUNT ................B. Dickerson, 38-yd punt; 3 plays, -4 yds, 1:39

@OK PUNT .............. B. Dickerson, 28-yd punt; 3 plays, -15 yds, 1:22

SAM PUNT ...............B. Dickerson, 39-yd punt; 5 plays, 14 yds, 2:34

@G-W TD .................... Rogan Wells, 82-yd rush; 3 plays, 98 yds, 1:12

@UTC PUNT ................ B. Dickerson, 36-yd punt; 3 plays, -5 yds, 1:21

MER TD ............................ T. Jones, 4-yd rush; 6 plays, 80 yds, 2:12

@CIT DOWNS ..........Dickerson, fumbled punt snap; 6 plays, -7 yds, 2:23

@WOF TD ..................... B. Blackmon, 3-yd rec; 10 plays, 75 yds, 3:44

FUR TD ...........................R. Wells, 33-yd rush; 4 plays, 64 yds, 1:32

ETSU ..................................................................................................

@VMI

WCU OFFENSE – 2021 BALL CONTROL STATS: OPP DRIVES 3&OUT 1ST DWNS TOP EKU .....................13 ...................... 2 .....................31 ................29:14 @OK .....................14 ...................... 7 ......................11 ................27:01 SAM .....................19 ...................... 4 .................... 24 ...............32:42 @G-W ..................... 17 ...................... 3 .................... 34 ...............34:58 @UTC .....................16 ...................... 3 .....................13 ................24:15 MER .....................14 ...................... 3 .....................19 ...............29:00 @CIT .....................13 ......................0 ....................26 ...............28:20 @WOF .....................13 ...................... 5 .....................21 ...............26:23 FUR .....................12 .......................1 .....................21 ...............25:34 ETSU ........................ @VMI ........................

TOTAL DRIVES: .............1313 & OUT DRIVES: .......... 28

WCU DEFENSE – 2021 BALL CONTROL STATS: OPP DRIVES 3&OUT 1ST DWNS TOP EKU .....................12 ...................... 4 .................... 23 ...............30:46 @OK .....................14 .......................1 .....................31 ...............32:59 SAM ....................20 ...................... 4 ....................26 ................ 27:17 @G-W ..................... 17 ...................... 2 .....................21 ...............24:52 @UTC .....................15 ...................... 3 .....................21 ...............35:40 MER .....................14 ...................... 6 .....................16 ............... 31:00 @CIT .....................12 ...................... 2 .....................18 ................31:40 @WOF .....................14 .......................1 ....................20 ............... 33:37 FUR .....................13 .......................1 .................... 24 ................24:17 ETSU ........................ @VMI ........................

TOTAL DRIVES: ............1313 & OUT DRIVES: ......... 24



DROPPING 'EM FOR A LOSS – CATAMOUNT TFLS IN 2021:• Western Carolina's defense recorded 4.0 tackles for loss last Saturday against Furman … the Catamounts have re-

corded four-or-more TFLs in EVERY game this season;• WCU posted a season-high 10.0 TFLs vs. Mercer and 9.0 TFLs vs. Samford this season; • WCU has recorded a sack in all but ONE game this season – and enters the ETSU game with a sack in EIGHT-straight

games including a season-high THREE against Mercer.

CATAMOUNT QBS GO BACK–TO–BACK IN SoCon OFFENSIVE AWARDS:• Western Carolina quarterbacks CARLOS DAVIS and ROGAN WELLS went back-to-back as the SoCon Offensive Player

of the Week – a rarity to have two different players at the same QB position garner the award in consecutive weeks;• CARLOS DAVIS accounted for 423 yards of total offense in guiding the Catamounts to 577 total yards – the second-

most by the team this season – in the 45-31 road victory over The Citadel ... His 423 yards represented the 12th-most by a Catamount in a single-game all-time ... He completed a career-best 31-of-40 pass attempts (77.5%) for a career-high 401 passing yards and three touchdowns, each coming before halftime;

• His 401 yards passing output is the second, 400-yard performance by a Catamount this season – Rogan Wells threw for 427 earlier this season at Gardner-Webb – and is just the 9th 400+ yard passing performance in program history;

• Returning to the Catamount lineup after missing the two previous games, ROGAN WELLS claimed the weekly award after playing just two-plus quarters in WCU's dominant performance at Wofford ... the Fort Mill, S.C., native accounted for 357 yards of total offense and five touchdowns in guiding the Catamounts to a 41-7 third-quarter lead before exit-ing the game, playing just one offensive series after halftime ... Wells completed 70-percent of his passes for a QB efficiency rating of 200.52 on the day.

RICHARD McCOLLUM COLLECTS SoCon SPECIAL TEAMS PLAUDITS:• PK RICHARD McCOLLUM accounted for 11 points in the road victory at Wofford, hitting all five PAT attempts and

splitting the uprights from 37 and 23 yards, respectively ... He also handled all the kickoff duties for the Catamounts at Wofford ... the special teams weekly award is the first of his WCU career – it's also the fifth-straight season that a Catamount specialist has earned a weekly award dating back to 2017;

• McCollum has hit all 30 of his PATs this season, stretching his active streak to 44-consecutive, and is 11-for-11 on field goals this year with a long of 40 coming at Gardner-Webb ... He leads WCU with 63 points scored this year – and cur-rently leads the NCAA FCS in field goal percentage and is tied for 15th nationally with 1.38 field goals per game.

ADDITIONAL TEAM NOTES FOLLOWING THE FIRST SEASONAL WIN – AT THE CITADEL:• Western Carolina amassed 577 yards of total offense against The Citadel, the fourth time this season in seven games

that WCU has eclipsed the 500-yard mark … the 577 yards were the second-most by WCU this season (650 yds at Gardner-Webb) … WCU's 401 passing yards also represented its second-most this year (427 at Gardner-Webb) with the 31 completions ranking second on the year;

• WCU scored a season-best three touchdowns on the ground against the Bulldogs;• WCU scored a touchdown on its opening possession for the first time this season when Carlos Davis found a cutting

Calvin Jones for a seven-yard strike … WCU has scored points on its first possession in three of the seven games to date including field goals against Eastern Kentucky and at Chattanooga;

• The 177 rushing yards by the Bulldogs were the fewest allowed by a WCU defense since 2009 when it held The Citadel to 91 yards – (142 yards gained, 51 yards lost).

NOTING CATAMOUNT GRADUATE TRANSFER QB ROGAN WELLS:• Fifth-year graduate transfer QB ROGAN WELLS threw for 427 yards at Gardner-Webb, tying for the FOURTH-MOST pass-

ing yards in a single game in program history ... Wells matched Tyrie Adams who threw for 427 yards ironically against Gardner-Webb back in the 2016 season ... His 427 yards marked one of just NINE, 400+ yard passing games at WCU;

• Wells accounted for 540 yards of total offense (427 passing, 113 rushing) in the road loss at Gardner-Webb – the second-most in school history just behind Tyrie Adams record performance of 545 at Mercer (10/20/18) ... His 540 yards of total offense are the second-most in the SoCon this year (Liam Welch, Samford – 655 yds vs. ETSU) and the 7th-most by a player in the NCAA FCS this season;

• Wells became the first WCU QB to record consecutive 100-yard rushing performances since Tyrie Adams in the 2018 season (167 vs. Wofford, 104 at UNC) ... Wells ran for 113 yard at Gardner-Webb and 120 yards against Samford;

• Wells eclipsed the 10,000-yard passing mark this season, entering the week with 10,091 career passing yards on 762-of-1,255 (60.7%) passing with 90 touchdowns ... Wells has thrown for over 1,100 yards at WCU;

• Wells romped 82 yards for a TD in the third quarter at Gardner-Webb ... His rush is the second-longest by a player in the SoCon this season (Dominic Roberto, FUR – 90 yds) – and the year's second-longest rush from scrimmage in the NCAA FCS ... the 82-yard run TD rush was the longest by a Catamount QUARTERBACK in program history and ranks as WCU's ninth-longest run from scrimmage – the longest since 2016 (Detrez Newsome, 95 yard run vs. Chattanooga).

ADDITIONAL CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL GAME NOTES:• Western Carolina ranks 122nd (out of 123) in the country in turnovers lost (27) including 11 fumbles lost and 16 intercep-

tions ... WCU has gained 18 turnovers (10 fumbles, 8 interceptions), tied for 16th nationally ... the Catamounts rank tied for 114th nationally with a -9 turnover margin and a -1.0 average per game;

• Entering the ETSU weekend, WCU ranks 15th in the country in total offensive average per game – 447.4 yds/gm;• KAREEM TAYLOR's scoop-and-score fumble recovery return for a touchdown was the THIRD by a Catamount defend-

er over the past two seasons – RICKY PALAO returned a fumble for a score at EKU last fall and also NIGEL MANNS returned a fumble for a TD at North Carolina in the fall of 2020;

WESTERN CAROLINA BIG PLAY TRACKER (30 YARDS OR MORE):87 yd kickoff return by Calvin Jones, at Chattanooga85 yd pass TD Rogan Wells to Kenny Benjamin, vs. Furman82 yd rush TD by Rogan Wells, at Gardner-Webb72 yd pass TD Rogan Wells to Calvin Jones, at Wofford58 yd pass Rogan Wells to Mydreon Vines, at Gardner-Webb57 yd pass Carlos Davis to Calvin Jones, vs. Mercer54 yd pass Rogan Wells to Terrence Horne, vs. Furman52 yd pass TD Rogan Wells to Calvin Jones, vs. Samford47 yd kickoff return by Calvin Jones, at Chattanooga46 yd rush by TJ Jones, vs. EKU42 yd pass TD Carlos Davis to Terrence Horne, at Chattanooga41 yd int. return TD by Jacob Harris, vs. Furman40 yd pass Rogan Wells to Raphael Williams, vs. Samford40 yd rush by Rogan Wells, vs. Samford39 yd pass Carlos Davis to Keenan Hambrick, at Chattanooga38 yd rush by Rogan Wells, vs. EKU36 yd pass TD Carlos Davis to Kenny Benjamin, vs. Mercer35 yd pass Carlos Davis to Kenny Benjamin, Mercer33 yd rush TD by Rogan Wells, vs. Furman33 yd pass Rogan Wells to TJ Jones, vs. Samford32 yd pass Rogan Wells to Daquan Patten, v. Furman32 yd run TD Rogan Wells at Wofford30 yd kickoff return by Terrence Horne, vs. Samford30 yd kickoff return by Calvin Jones, at Oklahoma

WESTERN CAROLINA – 2021 BIG PLAYS:– 69 plays of 20-or-more yards, 14 have gone for TDs –

20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80-89 90-100 100+ TOTAL 38 (2) 14 (4) 8 (3) 5 (2) – 1 (1) 3 (2) – –

OPPONENT BIG PLAY TRACKER (30 YARDS OR MORE):79 yd rush TD by Donovan Jones (Gardner-Webb)78 yd int. return by Roy Baker (EKU)70 yd kickoff ret. by TJ Luther (Gardner-Webb)59 yd rush by Caleb Williams (Oklahoma)57 yd rush TD by Tyrell Price (Chattanooga)57 yd pass Caleb Williams to Jaden Knowles (Oklahoma)56 yd int. return Lance Wise (Mercer)54 yd rush TD by Ailym Ford (Chattanooga)54 yd kickoff ret. by Montrell Washington (Samford)53 yd pass Bailey Fisher to Justin Franklin (Gardner-Webb)37 yd int. return by Bryson Washington (Oklahoma)48 yd run by Brandon Marshall (Mercer)47 yd run by Irvin Mulligan (Wofford)47 yd pass by Fred Payton to Devron Harper (Mercer)46 yd pass Bailey Fisher to TJ Luther (Gardner-Webb)45 yd rush by Dominic Roberto (Furman)44 yd rush TD by DeMarcus Ware (Samford)43 yd pass Liam Welch to Ty King (Samford)43 yd pass Liam Welch to Jai'Rus Creamer (Samford)40 yd rush by Narii Gaither (Gardner-Webb)39 yd pass TD Cole Copeland to Kendall Toney (Chattanooga)36 yd int. return by Jamari Brown (Gardner-Webb)36 yd pass Liam Welch to Kendall Watson (Samford)35 yd rush TD by Dominic Roberto (Furman)35 yd rush TD by Gino Appleberry (Chattanooga)34 yd rush by Hamp Sisson (Furman)34 yd pass Cole Copeland to Jamoi Mayes (Chattanooga)33 yd pass TD Liam Welch to Montrell Washington (Samford)32 yd kickoff ret. Devron Harper (Mercer)32 yd rush by Kennedy Brooks (Oklahoma)31 yd pass Parker McKinney to Mo Edwards Jr. (EKU)30 yd int. return by Malachi Buckner (Gardner-Webb)

WCU OPPONENTS – 2021 BIG PLAYS:– 76 plays of 20-or-more yards, 11 have gone for TDs –

20-29 30-39 40-49 50-59 60-69 70-79 80-89 90-100 100+ TOTAL 39 (2) 15 (5) 11 (1) 7 (2) 1 3 (1) – – –

2021 BIG PLAY TRACKER



• True freshman DB ANDREAS KEATON's three interceptions through six games match the season-high of both Michael Murphy (2017) and John Brannon III (2019);

• Keaton's two interceptions against Samford marked the first multiple INT game for a Catamount since JerMichael White recorded a pair of interceptions at Gardner-Webb on Sept. 14, 2018 ... Former Catamount Torez Jones set a school-record with FOUR interceptions in a single game, also at Gardner-Webb (Sept. 18, 2010);

• WCU's defense has posted four-or-more tackles for loss in each game this season ... the team recorded a season-high 10.0 tackles for loss against Mercer, the most for the squad since posting nine against ETSU on Nov. 9, 2019.

CATAMOUNT CAREER CHART CHASERS:• Returning for his fifth-year due to the COVID-19 exemption, Western Carolina senior linebacker TY HARRIS has shot

at etching his name in the Catamount football record books for career tackles ... With 347 career tackles, Harris now ranks SECOND in program history, by-passing Ace Clark (340, 2011-14) – (1st – Tom Bodine, 453 – 1991-94);

• Harris ranked fourth in the SoCon in 2020-21 with an average of 9.9 tackles per game (19th in the NCAA) ... He ranked second in the league credited with 49 solo stops (5.4 per game, 38th in NCAA);

• Harris entered his fifth season also eyeing Western Carolina’s career Top 10 list for tackles for loss – he has 26.5, 4.5 tackles for loss shy of 10th place ... Harris is coming off a career-best 8.5 tackles for loss in the 2020-21 season, tied for fourth in the SoCon.

• Junior CB RONALD KENT JR. has recorded 27 pass break-ups over his first three seasons in Cullowhee TIED FOR SECOND in the program record books … Kent is just 15 PBU's shy of all-time leader, Willie Williams (41, 1990-92).

CATAMOUNT LEGACIES ON 2021-22 FOOTBALL SQUAD:Western Carolina has two Catamount legacies – fathers and sons who played for the Purple & Gold – associated with Catamount football and the 2021 team:• DAQUAN PATTEN: a fifth-year redshirt senior WR who is the son of former All-SoCon Catamount receiver – and three-

time Super Bowl champion – David who had a 12-year professional career before returning to WCU as an assistant coach ... Daquan, who received a grant-in-aid scholarship during the first official team meeting in fall camp before the 2019 season, has 1,145 career receiving yards ... His father finished with 1,563 career receiving yards at WCU.

* Our deepest and heartfelt condolences on the untimely passing of David Patten on Sept. 2, 2021* DAQUAN PATTEN changed his number to No. 86 after the opening weekend of the season to

honor the memory of his father, who wore No. 86 in the NFL with both the New England Patriotsand New Orleans Saints ... Daquan wore No. 6 his first four seasons in Cullowhee.

• CURTIS ROACH: the senior LB is the son of WCU Hall of Fame placekicker Kirk Roach, who was a four-time All-SoCon and three-time All-America selection ... A walk-on, Curtis was awarded a scholarship during fall preseason in early August 2020 ... the elder Roach has twice been listed on the Divisional Player / Coach ballot for the College Football Hall of Fame ... Kirk is WCU’s all-time leading scorer with 302 career points (89-90 PATs, 71-of-101 FGs).

CATAMOUNT HEAD COACHES IN DEBUT OUTINGS:• Western Carolina first-year head football coaches have combined to go 6-6-2 in their first games dating back to 1931 ...

SIX of WCU’s 14 head coaches all-time have started out their career at WCU with a victory ... WCU had three-straight head coaches – Kent Briggs (2002), Dennis Wagner (2008) and Mark Speir (2012) each win their opener dating back to 2002;

• WCU’s first-year head coaches are now 4-2 in first career games that occur at home;• Two WCU first-year head coaches matched-up with Eastern Kentucky – Dale Strahm’s 1989 squad opened up in Rich-

mond, Ky., against EKU and Kerwin Bell's squad played host to EKU in 2021;• Bob Waters – WCU’s all-time winningest head coach – posted the best-ever first season by going 9-1 in 1969, opening

the year with a victory:

YEAR COACH RESULT OPPONENT SEASON1931 C.C. Poindexter W, 12-7 SYLVA INSTITUTE 4-41935 Ralph James L, 26-6 at Apprentice School 1-101939 James Whatley T, 0-0 at Guilford 1-6-11945 Marion McDonald L, 35-7 at High Point 1-31946 Tom Young T, 6-6 at High Point 6-3-11956 Dan Robinson W, 19-13 at Carson-Newman 1-91969 Bob Waters W, 20-17 CARSON-NEWMAN 9-11989 Dale Strahm L, 31-13 at Eastern Kentucky 3-7-11990 Steve Hodgin L, 67-0 at N.C. State 3-81997 Bill Bleil L, 17-10 LIBERTY 3-82002 Kent Briggs W, 23-3 at Liberty 5-62008 Dennis Wagner W, 35-0 SHORTER 3-92012 Mark Speir W, 42-14 MARS HILL 1-102021 Kerwin Bell L, 31-28 EASTERN KENTUCKY

CATAMOUNT SEASONSTAT TRACKER

SINGLE-SEASON RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS: 1. Darrell Lipford ................ 1977 ................... 16 +8 11. Tyrie Adams ...................2018 .................. 10 +2 Detrez Newsome ...........2016 .................. 10 +2 David Mayfield ............... 1986 .................. 10 +2 –– TJ JONES ......................2021 ...................8

SINGLE-SEASON RECEPTIONS: 1. Eric Rasheed .................. 1983 ................. 89 +24 2. Lamont Seward ..............2003 ..................74 +9 3. Wayne Tolleson .............. 1977 ...................73 +8 4. Terryon Robinson ...........2016 ...................71 +6 5. Eddie Cohen ..................2007 ..................67 +2 6. RAPHAEL WILLIAMS ....2021 ................65 7. Eric Rasheed .................. 1984 ..................64 +22 8. Terryon Robinson ........... 2017 ................. 62 +20 Michael Banks ............... 2000 ................. 62 +20 Kristy Kiser ..................... 1983 ................. 62 +20 Gerald Harp.................... 1978 ................. 62 +20 12. Michael Hines ............... 2006 ................. 60 +18 Jeff Dean ........................ 1981 .................. 60 +18 –– KENNY BENJAMIN ........2021 .................42

SINGLE-SEASON RECEIVING YARDS: 1. Eddie Cohen ..................2007 .............1,208 +432 7. Gerald Harp.................... 1979 .............1,009 +233 8. Michael Banks ............... 2000 ..............1,001 +225 9. Lamont Seward ............. 2000 .............1,000 +224 10. Craig Aiken..................... 1992 ............... 942 +166 –– RAPHAEL WILLIAMS .....2021 ............... 776

SINGLE-SEASON TOUCHDOWN RECEPTIONS: 1. Karnorris Benson ...........2013 .................. 12 +5 Eric Rasheed .................. 1983 .................. 12 +5 5. Terryon Robinson ........... 2017 .................. 10 +3 Gerald Harp.................... 1978 .................. 10 +3 7. Eddie Cohen ..................2007 ....................9 +2 8. Owen Cosenke...............2018 ....................8 +1 Michael Banks ............... 2000 ....................8 +1 Kerry Hayes .................... 1992 ....................8 +1 11. EIGHT PLAYERS TIED ..................................7 MR: RAPHAEL WILLIAMS ....2021 ................... 7

SINGLE-SEASON PASSING YARDS: 1. Jeff Gilbert ..................... 1983 ............ 2,993 +1,182 13. Lonnie Galloway ............ 1992 .............. 2,181 +370 14. Shawn Snyder ................ 1999 ............. 2,180 +369 15. Mike Pusey ..................... 1979 ..............2,175 +364 16. Lonnie Galloway ............ 1993 ............ 2,067 +256 17. Mike Pusey ..................... 1978 ............ 2,046 +235 –– ROGAN WELLS ..............2021 ............. 1,811

SINGLE-SEASON PASSING TOUCHDOWNS: 1. Tyrie Adams ................... 2017 ................. 22 +12 11. Troy Mitchell ...................2015 .................. 14 +2 Brian Gaither ..................2003 .................. 14 +2 Mike Pusey ..................... 1978 .................. 14 +2 Don Dalton ..................... 1968 .................. 14 +2 15. Shawn Snyder ................ 1999 .................. 13 +1 Mike Pusey ..................... 1977 ................... 13 +1 17. ROGAN WELLS.............2021 ................ 12 Troy Mitchell ...................2013 .................. 12 Adam Hearns .................2007 .................. 12 Jeff Gilbert ..................... 1984 .................. 12

SINGLE-SEASON TOTAL OFFENSE: 1. Tyrie Adams ...................2018 ............ 3,423 +1,672 10. Don Dalton ..................... 1969 ............ 2,480 +251 11. Lonnie Galloway ............ 1992 ............ 2,468 +239 12. Jeff Gilbert ..................... 1984 ............ 2,385 +156 13. Jimmy Williams .............. 1966 .............2,231 +2 14. ROGAN WELLS.............2021 .......... 2,229

#86



YEAR RESULT OT OPPONENT (DATE)

1991 L, 27-24 2OT at Marshall (11/2)

1998 W, 331-24 2OT ETSU (9/26)

1999 L, 35-32 OT Samford (11/5)

2004 L, 26-20 OT at Gardner-Webb (9/25)

2006 L, 17-14 OT Chattanooga (11/14)

2006 L, 30-27 OT at The Citadel (11/21)

2008 L, 38-31 OT Georgia Southern (11/25)

2013 W, 27-24 OT Elon (10/26)

2017 L, 35-38 OT at #5 Wofford (10/7)

2018 L, 45-43 3OT at ETSU (10/27)

2019 W, 23-20 OT ETSU (11/9)

11 GAMES – 3-8 OVERALL (3-3 Home, 0-5 Road)

WESTERN CAROLINA'S OVERTIMERECORD SINCE 1977 (DIV. I)

CURRENT CATAMOUNTS CHASINGWCU CAREER RECORDS

CAREER PASS BREAK-UPS: 1. Willie Williams ............. 1990-92................ 41 +13 2. RONALD KENT JR. ..........2017– ................28 3. Trey Morgan .................2013-16 ................27 4. DeNorris Burton .......... 1996-98 ............... 26 5. Fred Davis ................... 1985-86 ............... 25 Ahmad Green ..............2000-02 ...............24 Eric Johnson ............... 1996-98 ................24 Lee McCall .................. 1978-80 ................24

CAREER TACKLES:

1. Tom Bodine ..................1991-94 ..............453 +106 2. TY HARRIS ...................2017– ..............347 3. Ace Clark ......................2011-14 ............. 340 4. Daniel Riddle ................2013-17 ..............333 5. Kenny Banks ............... 1990-94 .............. 331 6. Eric Johnson ............... 1996-98 ............. 326 Julius Grant ................. 1990-93 ............. 326 8. Bernard Jones..............1981-84 ............. 320 Ricky Smith ................. 1977-80 ............. 320 10. Rock Williams .............. 2009-12.............. 319 11. Everett Spellman ......... 1984-87 .............. 314 12. Louis Cooper ................1981-84 .............. 312 13. Clyde Simmons ........... 1982-85 ..............307 14. Steve Yates .................. 1971-74 ............. 306

CAREER TACKLE FOR LOSS: 1. Michale Spicer ............2000-03 ........... 56.5 +300

8. Anthony Jenkins ......... 1997-99 ................37 +10.5 9. Derek Summerour ...... 1992-95 ................32 +5.5 10. John Scott ................... 1995-98 ................ 31 +4.5

–– TY HARRIS ...................2017– .............26.5

2021 CATAMOUNT PRESEASON ACCOLADES:• Redshirt sophomore OL TYLER SMITH represented Western Carolina on the 2021 Preseason All-Southern Conference

team announced as the league converged on the Biltmore Estate in Asheville for the 2021 Football Kickoff and Media Day;• Smith's first-team selection is the first for a WCU offensive lineman since Zach Weeks collected first-team preseason

All-SoCon accolades prior to the 2018 season ... Smith is among five returning starters on the Catamount offense, leading three starters back up front ... WCU's lone selection on the preseason all-conference team marked its fewest since 2012 when LB Rock Williams garnered the squad's only preseason nod;

• WCU was picked NINTH in both the preseason polls from the league's head coaches and voting members of the media;• Five Catamounts landed on Phil Steele's Preseason All-Southern Conference teams as selected and announced by

the publication. Western Carolina put two players – QB ROGAN WELLS and DB RONALD KENT JR. – on the second team and three – OL TYLER SMITH, LB TY HARRIS, and LB CAMERON McCUTCHEON – on the third team.

QUICK RECAP OF THE 2020-21 FOOTBALL SEASON• Western Carolina finished the 2020-21 season with a 1-8 overall record including a 1-5 mark in Southern Conference

play ... WCU started the season 0-6 before upending The Citadel in Cullowhee on March 13 which ended an eight-game winless drought that dated back to the 2019 season ... the Catamounts were unable to sustain that momentum, dropping its final two games of the season at Mercer and at ETSU before the last two games were canceled;

• The Southern Conference – and most of the NCAA FCS – moved the 2020 league season and playoffs to the spring 2021 semester due to COVID-19 ... WCU was one of 17 NCAA FCS teams to play games in the 2020 fall ... WCU played three games and was one of FOUR teams from the SoCon to compete in the 2020 fall semester: The Citadel (4), Mercer (3), and Chattanooga (1);

• WCU played THREE nonconference road games in the fall semester – two against NCAA FBS opponents that were ranked inside the Top 25 with the third coming against EKU which opted to play its full, nine-game season in 2020.

CATAMOUNTS PLAYING PROFESSIONAL FOOTBALL:• WCU currently has one former football player active in the NFL in 2021 – KEION CROSSEN;• Crossen is now with the New York Giants ... Entering his fourth professional season, Crossen recorded 42 tackles with

five passes defended in 2020 giving him 69 career stops and six break-ups;• Crossen has played in 43 regular-season games with four starts and played in five postseason games for the Patriots

and Texans, including Super Bowl LIII ... Crossen played six snaps on defense and 18 on special teams in the Patriots' victory against the Rams in the Super Bowl back in 2018 ... Crossen was a seventh-round pick of the New England Patriots in the 2018 NFL draft;

WCU FOOTBALL MOURNS THE LOSS OF ASSISTANT COACH PEACOCK:• Western Carolina and Catamount Nation were saddened to learn of the passing of offensive line coach John Peacock

on Wednesday, Aug. 18 ... Known by his colleagues and student-athletes as a selfless, hard worker who was always upbeat and constantly humming or singing, Coach Peacock will be sorely missed. Catamount Athletics held a moment of silence in memory of Coach Peacock prior to its season-opener against Eastern Kentucky (Sept. 4);

• This season, the Catamount football team will wear a special memorial decal on the back of their helmets ... the black circle includes Coach Peacock's initials, "JP" and the word "GRIND" – a lasting reminder of Coach Peacock's approach to football and life ... the home sidelines at Whitmire Stadium also are adorned with the initials "JP."



WHO TO WATCH FOR – CATAMOUNT OFFENSE

WHO TO WATCH FOR – CATAMOUNT DEFENSE#37 // TY HARRIS // 6-1 // SR // LB // DACULA, GA. // DACULA HS

#0 // T.J. JONES // 5-11 // JR. // RB // LAKELAND, FLA. // TUSCULUM

#2 // RAPHAEL WILLIAMS // 5-10 // R-FR. // WR // FT. LAUDERDALE, FLA. // TUSCULUM

• AWARDS: Named to the Sophomore All-America team by HERO Sports ... Collected SoCon Defensive Player of the Week (2019) ... Second team All-Southern Conference by voting media ... 2021 Presesaon All-SoCon;• Led the Catamounts in tackles in both 2020-21 (90 tackles) and in 2019, (career-best 109 total hits) ... Ranked fourth in the Southern Conference in tackles in both 2019 and 2020-21;• Has 347 career tackles (2ND in school history) with 184 solo stops and 26.5 tackles for loss including 7.0 sacks ... Recorded a pair of INTs in 2018 ... Has 15 career double-digit tackle games.

• Transferred to WCU from Tusculum after opening his collegiate career at Georgia Military College;• Has 1,247 career rushing yards including 337 yards last year at Tuscu-lum and 458 rushing yards at Georgia Military ... Has rushed for 21 career TDs ... Adds 528 career receiving yards and five scores ... Has TWO 100-yard rushing games this season;• Accounted for 146 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns in his WCU debut against Eastern Kentucky ... Rattled off a 46-yard rush on his first touch for the Purple & Gold ... Had a career-best 205 yards of offense in the road win at The Citadel (132 rushing, 2 TDs; 73 receiving, TD).

• Transferred to WCU from Tusculum College where he played in the spring season, helping the Pioneers to the South Atlantic Conference championship ... Caught 13 passes for 194 yards and a score at Tusculum in the spring season;

• Has recorded THREE, 100-yard receiving games at WCU – just missing a fourth with 99 yards at Gardner-Webb ... Caught a career-high – and WCU program record – 16 passes at Wofford;

• Enters the ETSU game with 78 career catches for 970 yards and eight career receiving touchdowns.

#21 // ANDREAS KEATON // 6-2 // FR // S // POWDER SPRINGS, GA // HILLGROVE HS

#1 // IVAN HOGANS // 6-2 // 5TH YR // LB // STOCKBRIDGE, GA // TUSCULUM

• ON THE STATS PERFORM FCS JERRY RICE AWARD WATCH LIST •• Three-year varsity letterman at Hillgrove High ... All-region selection as a prep ... Finished with eight interceptions – three returned for touch-downs – as a prep;• Recorded eight tackles against Eastern Kentucky ... Recorded WCU's first takeaway of the season with a leaping interception against the Colo-nels, adding a pass break-up;• FIFTH on the team with 31 tackles (20 solo stops) ... Leads the team with THREE interceptions, two vs. Samford.

• Transferred to WCU in the summer of 2021 from Tusculum where he played in 36 career games for the Pioneers, amassing 256 career tackles including 115 solo stops and 29 tackles for loss with 8.5 sacks ... Named first-team All-South Atlantic Conference as a junior in 2019 and D2CCA All-Region second-team;• Posted nine stops with a pair of TFLs against Eastern Kentucky and eight tackles with two TFLs at No. 4 Oklahoma;• Fourth on the team with 45 tackles through eight games ... Leads the squad with 10.0 tackles for loss including three sacks.

#11 // ROGAN WELLS // 6-4 // GRAD. // QB // FORT MILL, S.C. // TUSCULUM

• Two-time Harlon Hill Trophy finalist, awarded to the top offensive player in the NCAA Division II ... Guided Valdosta State to the 2018 NCAA Division II National Championship, earning MVP honors of the title game ... Dubbed Gulf South Conference Player of the Decade;• Has thrown for 1,029 yards on 88-of-170 (52%) passing with six TDs against NCAA FCS competition this year (vs. EKU, vs. Samford, at Gard-ner-Webb) ... Injured at UTC, missed the MER, CIT games;• Has passed for 10,792 career yards and 96 touchdowns while rushing for 2,450 yards including two 100 yard games and 31 touchdowns, four scores on the ground for the Catamounts this season.

WESTERN CAROLINA – TOP RUSHING GAMES:Individual Single Game (All-Time):288 yards Detrez Newsome vs. Davidson 9/9/17277 yards Detrez Newsome vs. Chattanooga 10/28/16251 yards Brad Hoover vs. VMI 10/31/98243 yards Anthony James vs. Marshall 11/14/81243 yards Darrell Lipford vs. Presbyterian 10/4/75

Individual Single Game (This Season): 132 yards TJ Jones at The Citadel 10/23/21120 yards Rogan Wells vs. Samford 9/18/21115 yards TJ Jones vs. Eastern Kentucky 9/4/21113 yards Rogan Wells at Gardner-Webb 9/25/21

Team Single Game (All-Time):483 yards vs. Davidson 9/9/17464 yards vs. Newberry 10/30/93383 yards vs. Carson-Newman 1969

Team Single Game (This Season):226 yards vs. Eastern Kentucky 9/4/21182 yards vs. Samford 9/18/21

WESTERN CAROLINA – TOP PASSING GAMES:Individual Single Game (All-Time):474 yards David Rivers vs. Wofford 10/14/00433 yards Don Dalton vs. Emory and Henry 1969428 yards David Rivers vs. Tennessee Tech 11/18/00427 YARDS ROGAN WELLS AT GARDNER-WEBB 9/25/21427 yards Tyrie Adams vs. Gardner-Webb 9/10/16424 yards Tyrie Adams at Furman 9/29/18413 yards Jimmy Williams vs. Appalachian State 9/24/66410 yards David Rivers vs. Chattanooga 10/21/00401 YARDS CARLOS DAVIS AT THE CITADEL 10/23/21

Individual Single Game (This Season):427 yards Rogan Wells at Gardner-Webb 9/25/21401 yards Carlos Davis at The Citadel 10/23/21321 yards Rogan Wells vs. Samford 9/18/21

Team Single Game (All-Time):474 yards vs. Emory & Henry 1969474 yards vs. Wofford 10/14/00

Team Single Game (This Season):427 yards at Gardner-Webb 9/25/21401 yards at The Citadel 10/23/21

WESTERN CAROLINA – TOP RECEIVING GAMES:Individual Single Game (All-Time):235 yards Jon Reed vs. Appalachian State 11/18/89232 yards Craig Aiken vs. The Citadel 10/24/92212 yards Karnorris Benson vs. Mars Hill 9/21/13212 yards Eddie Cohen vs. Georgia Southern 9/29/07209 yards Jerry Gaines vs. Florida A&M 11/3/73

Individual Single Game (This Season):177 yards Raphael Williams at Wofford 10/30/21147 yards Raphael Williams at The Citadel 10/23/21132 yards Raphael Williams vs. Samford 9/18/21126 yards Kenny Benjamin vs. Furman 11/3/21122 yards Raphael Williams vs. Eastern Kentucky 9/4/21

CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL – TOP PERFORMANCES



EASTERN KENTUCKYSaturday, Sept. 4

CULLOWHEEL, 31-28

at #4/4 OklahomaSaturday, Sept. 11

Norman, Okla.L, 76-0

at Gardner-WebbSaturday, Sept. 25

Boiling Springs, N.C.L, 52-34

at Chattanooga *Saturday, Oct. 2

Chattanooga, Tenn.L, 45-17

MERCER *Saturday, Oct. 9

CULLOWHEEL, 34-24

at The Citadel *Saturday, Oct. 23Charleston, S.C.

W, 45-31

at Wofford *Saturday, Oct. 30Spartanburg, S.C.

W, 41-21

FURMAN *Saturday, Nov. 6

CULLOWHEEW, 43-42

ETSU *Saturday, Nov. 13

CULLOWHEE2:00 pm | ESPN3

at VMI *Saturday, Nov. 20

Lexington, Va.12:30 pm | ESPN+

2021 NCAAFCS PLAYOFFS

Saturday, Nov. 27TBA

SAMFORD *Saturday, Sept. 18

CULLOWHEEL, 42-37

CULLOWHEE – EKU's Da’Joun Hewitt scored three rushing touchdowns, Patrick Nations kicked a fourth-quarter field goal, and Eastern Kentucky edged Western Carolina 31-28, spoiling the debut of Catamounts coach Kerwin Bell. The Catamounts pulled to within three points on a Rogan Wells keeper from the 1-yard line a two-point conversion pass to C.J. Williams with just over three minutes left. WCU missed a 56-yard field goal attempt to force overtime on its final possession. RB T.J. Jones rushed for 115 yards and a TD, adding 31 receiving yards and a score for WCU.

CULLOWHEE – DeMarcus Ware ran for 118 yards and three touchdowns, including the deciding score with 6:28 left in the game as Samford held off a second-half comeback by Western Carolina to earn a 42-37 victory in the Southern Conference opener for both teams. The Catamounts scored four straight touchdowns, two on touchdown passes from Rogan Wells and a third on a scoop-and-score early in the third quarter. Wells found Calvin Jones with a 52-yard score with 4:23 left to get within a touchdown of the lead.

BOILING SPRINGS, NC – Bailey Fisher led two third-quarter scoring drives and Gardner-Webb added an interception returned for another score, posting 21 unanswered points to gain the upper hand on Western Carolina 52-34. Fisher passed for 261 yards with two touchdowns. Gardner-Webb gained 291 yards on the ground with Narii Gaither rushing 22 times for 151 and two TDs and Donovan Jones gaining 102 with a touchdown. The teams erupted for a combined 42 points in the third quarter with Western Carolina taking a pair of 10 point leads in the frame.

CULLOWHEE — Devin Folser kicked a program-record 51-yard field goal, Fred Davis added a 1-yard touchdown run — both in the fourth quarter — and Mercer broke open a tied game to defeat Western Carolina 34-24. Davis rushed for 129 yards and two scores for Mercer as the Bears ran for 231 yards. Fred Payton completed 10 of 20 passes for 114 yards. Carlos Davis was 18-for-32 passing for 221 yards with a TD for WCU and kept the Catamounts close. His 36-yard scoring pass to Kenny Benjamin, followed by Richard McCollum’s 24-yard field goal, knotted the score at 24-24.

NORMAN, Okla. — Spencer Rattler threw five touchdown passes, and No. 4 Oklahoma defeated Western Carolina 76-0. Oklahoma tied for its fifth-highest point total in school history. The Sooners led 62-0 after three quarters, and the fourth quarter was shortened to 12 minutes. Rattler completed 20 of 26 passes for 243 yards before resting in the second half of Oklahoma’s 10th straight victory. Jadon Haselwood caught two touchdown passes for the Soon-ers, who looked sharper after holding off Tulane 40-35 in their season opener a week earlier.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. — Rogan Wells threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns, ran for a fifth and Western Caro-lina shot past Wofford 41-21 on Saturday. The Catamounts (2-6, 2-3 SoCon) built a 41-7 lead while keeping Wofford winless in conference play. The Terriers (1-7, 0-6) gained 299 yards on the ground but passed for just 35, dropping its 11th-straight in SoCon play. Raphael Williams caught a school-record 16 passes for 177 yards and two TDs for Western Carolina. Calvin Jones hauled in a 72-yard TD pass. Wofford scored twice in the last 7:35 of the fourth.

CHARLESTON, S.C. – Carlos Davis passed for a career-high 401 yards and three touchdowns, TJ Jones ran for 132 and two scores and Western Carolina beat The Citadel 45-31. The Catamounts (1-6, 1-3 SoCon) led 31-10 at halftime as Davis found Calvin Jones for seven yards, TJ Jones for 40 and Raphael Williams for 10. The Bulldogs (2-5, 1-3) answered with a pair of touchdowns, the first coming after Western Carolina turned it over on its own 3, to close within a touchdown. Then TJ Jones scored on runs of 30 and 43 yards as the Catamounts regained control.

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. — Cole Copeland passed for two touchdowns and ran for one of Chattanooga’s four rush-ing scores as the Mocs beat Western Carolina 45-17 at Finley Stadium. Running backs Tyrell Price, Gino Appleberry and Ailym Ford each rushed for 70-plus yards and a score for Chattanooga. Price’s TD went for 57 yards and Ford had a 54-yarder as six rushers combined for 271 yards while WCU was held to 277 total yards. Backup QB Carlos Davis threw for 225 yards and two touchdowns to Terrence Horne and Raphael Williams in the loss.

CULLOWHEE — Kenny Benjamin scored the go-ahead 85-yard touchdown with 6:53 remaining and Western Caro-lina held off Furman 43-42 for its third straight win. The Catamounts held Furman scoreless in the fourth quarter, in-cluding the Paladins missing a 62-yard field goal as time expired. Rogan Wells was 22-of-33 passing for 386 yards with two TDs, adding a team-high 91 rushing yards. TJ Jones scored two rushing touchdowns for the Catamounts. Dominic Roberto scored four touchdowns on the ground, while rushing for 196 yards for Furman.

The mountain-rivalry is rekindled in WCU’s final home game of 2021 as the Catamounts host ETSU in the “Blue Ridge Border Battle” with the traveling trophy on the line for the fourth time. ETSU reclaimed “the Rock” with a 24-17 win at Greene Stadium in the spring of 2021. WCU won the most recent rivalry meeting in Cullowhee, outlasting the Bucs for a thrilling 23-20 overtime victory. The all-time series between WCU and ETSU now stands at 25-24-1 in favor of the Catamounts and each of the last three series meetings have been decided in one-possession games.

Western Carolina concludes the regular season portion of its schedule with a road trip to Lexington, Va., to face the defending Southern Conference champion VMI Keydets. Last season, VMI halted Western Carolina’s 17-game series winning streak which had dated back to 1991 with a 30-7 win over the Catamounts in Cullowhee – the first by the Keydets all-time, ending a 13-game road slide in the series. WCU leads the series, 23-4, all-time. Kickoff time adjusted to 12:30 pm due to daylight savings time and VMI's stadium not having lights.

Western Carolina looks to halt a 38-year drought of advancing to the NCAA postseason. The NCAA FCS Playoffs returns to 24 teams in the fall of 2021 after being reduced back down to 16 teams in 2020-21. WCU looks to make a return to the NCAA Division I FCS playoffs for the first time since making a run to the national title game in 1983. The Southern Confer-ence regular season champion will garner the league’s automatic bid into the postseason field.

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2021 CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL – SEASON GAME-BY-GAME RECAP



WESTERN CAROLINAvs. etsu buccaneers

WCU Offense ETSU 269 .............................Scoring ...........................296 29.9 .................... Points Per Game ...................32.9 200 ......................... First Downs ........................200 4,021 ..................Total Yards Gained ...............3,884 446.8 ...................Yards Per Game ...................431.6 1,308...................Rushing Yardage ..................2,017 145.3 ...........Rushing Average per Game .........224.1 2,713 ................... Passing Yardage ..................1,867 301.4 ...........Passing Average per Game ......... 207.4 WCU Team Stats ETSU 64–497 (55.2) ........... Penalties–Yards ...........57–522 (58.0) 56/136, 41% ............3rd Down Conversion .........54/118, 46.0% 8/16, 50% ..............4th Down Conversion .............. 4/9, 44% WCU Defense ETSU 374 .......................Points Allowed ...................... 167 41.6 .............. Points Allowed Per Game .............18.6 4,057 ................Total Yards Allowed ...............3,063 450.9 ............Yards Allowed Per Game ........... 340.3 2,162 .............. Rushing Yards Allowed ..............1,162 240.2 ...........Rushing Average Allowed ............129.1 1,895 ...............Passing Yards Allowed ............. 1,901 210.6 ............ Passing Average Allowed ........... 211.2

HEAD–TO–HEAD TEAM COMPARISONS:2021 WESTERN CAROLINA DEFENSIVE LEADERS: 2021 ETSU DEFENSIVE LEADERS:Tackles Leaders: GP–GS UA–AA = Total Avg. Kareem Taylor ............... 9–9 ................ 48–34 = 82 ..................9.1 Jacob Harris .................. 9–9 ................. 34–27 = 61 ................ 6.8 Ivan Hogans .................. 9–8 .................39–16 = 55 ..................6.1 Ty Harris ........................ 8–6 ..................31–15 = 46 ................ 5.8 Cameron McCutcheon ....8–7 .................22–18 = 40 ................ 5.0 Andreas Keaton ............ 9–9 ................. 22–14 = 36 ................ 4.0 KJ Milner ....................... 9–9 .................. 10–21 = 31 .................3.4 Micah Nelson ................ 9–9 ..................14–15 = 29 ................ 3.2 Trevor Childers ...............9–1...................15–14 = 29 ................ 3.2 Ronald Kent Jr. .............. 9–9 ..................15–14 = 29 ................ 3.2 Ricky Palao.................... 9–3 ..................13–15 = 28 ..................3.1

TFL Leaders: Total Yds Ivan Hogans .........................................10.0................................33 Kareem Taylor .......................................6.0 ................................ 17

Sacks Leaders: Total Yds Ivan Hogans ..........................................3.0 ............................... 22 Kareem Taylor / Chris Morgan ..............2.0 ....................................

Interceptions Leaders: Total – Return Yds Andreas Keaton .............................................................3 – 27 yds

Fumbles Forced Leader: Total Kareem Taylor ..............................................................................2

Fumbles Recovered Leader: Total – Return Yds Eight players tied .......................................................................... 1

Tackles Leaders: GP UA–AA = Total Avg. Donovan Manuel ..............9 .................. 42–40 = 82 ..................9.1 Jared Folks ......................7................... 24–30 = 54 ..................7.7 Alijah Huzzie ....................9 ................... 43–10 = 53 ................ 5.9 Mike Price ........................9 ................... 32–17 = 49 .................5.4 Karon Delince ..................9 ................... 23–12 = 35 ................ 3.9 Tyree Robinson ................9 ....................24–11 = 35 ................ 3.9 Jalen Porter .....................9 .....................20–7 = 27 ................ 3.0 Zach West ........................9 .................... 15–12 = 27 ................ 3.0 Max Evans ........................9 ..................... 8–16 = 24 .................2.7 Di'Andre Davis ..................9 .....................12–11 = 23 ................ 2.6 Stephen Scott ..................8 ..................... 15–7 = 22 ................ 2.8

TFL Leaders: Total Yds Jalen Porter .........................................10.0............................... 59 Donovan Manuel ...................................5.0 ............................... 29

Sacks Leaders: Total Yds Jalen Porter ..........................................6.0 ............................... 52 Donnovan Manuel .................................2.5 ................................ 21

Interceptions Leaders: Total – Return Yds Tyree Robinson ............................................................ 3 – 122 yds

Fumbles Forced Leader: Total Stephen Scott ...............................................................................2

Fumbles Recovered Leader: Total Tyree Robinson .............................................................................2

RUSHING GP Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/GQuay Holmes 9 183 1,100 13 1,087 5.9 12 64 120.8Jacob Saylors 9 101 685 19 666 6.6 7 54 74.0Bryson Irby 9 15 81 3 78 5.2 1 22 8.7

PASSING GP Effic Cmp-Att-Int Pct Yds TD Lng Avg/GTyler Riddle 9 143.9 141-226-3 62.4 1,794 12 77 199.3Brock Landis 2 127.0 4-9-1 44.4 73 1 25 36.5

RECEIVING GP No. Yds Avg TD Long Avg/G Will Huzzie 9 43 673 15.7 3 48 74.8Malik Murray 9 24 223 9.3 3 43 24.8Nate Adkins 9 22 227 10.3 1 22 25.2Quay Holmes 9 15 190 12.7 1 77 21.1

PUNT RETURNS No. Yds Avg TD LongAlijah Huzzie 6 43 7.2 0 15

PUNTING No. Yds Avg Long TB FC I20 50+ BlkdNate Brackett 16 631 39.4 49 2 4 4 0 0Garrett Taylor 14 585 41.8 76 1 8 5 3 0

KICK RETURNS No. Yds Avg TD LongJacob Saylors 14 400 28.6 0 71Trey Foster 4 99 24.8 0 30

|------------- PATs -------------|SCORING TD FGs Kick Rush Rcv Pass DXP Saf PointsTyler Keltner 0 15-19 35-35 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 80Quay Holmes 13 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 78Jacob Saylors 8 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 48

TOTAL OFFENSE G Plays Rush Pass Total Avg/GTyler Riddell 9 265 -23 1,794 1,771 196.8Quay Holmes 9 183 1,087 0 1,087 120.8Jacob Saylors 9 101 666 0 666 74.0

ALL PURPOSE G Rush Rec PR KOR IR Tot Avg/GQuay Holmes 9 1,087 190 0 0 0 1,277 141.9Jacob Saylors 9 666 128 0 400 0 1,194 132.7Will Huzzie 9 49 673 0 0 0 722 80.2Malik Murray 9 32 223 0 0 0 255 28.3

RUSHING GP–GS Att Gain Loss Net Avg TD Long Avg/GTJ Jones 9–4 104 463 11 452 4.3 8 53 50.2Rogan Wells 7–7 63 506 88 418 6.6 4 82 59.7Kenny Benjamin 9–5 86 301 19 282 3.3 2 17 31.3

PASSING GP–GS Effic Cmp-Att-Int Pct Yds TD Lng Avg/GRogan Wells 7–7 120.9 147-262-11 56.1 1,811 12 85 258.7Carlos Davis 5–2 139.6 75-115-5 65.2 902 6 57 180.4

RECEIVING GP–GS No. Yds Avg TD Long Avg/G Raphael Williams 9–9 65 776 11.9 7 40 86.2Kenny Benjamin 9–5 42 425 10.1 3 85 47.2TJ Jones 9–4 24 254 10.6 2 40 28.2Calvin Jones 9–8 21 364 17.3 3 72 40.4Jakobe Quillen 9–2 13 194 14.9 0 43 21.6

PUNT RETURNS No. Yds Avg TD LongDaquan Patten 8 72 9.2 0 28

PUNTING No. Yds Avg Long TB FC I20 50+ BlkdBrandon Dickerson 38 1,461 38.4 56 0 17 9 2 0

KICK RETURNS No. Yds Avg TD LongTerrence Horne 15 291 19.4 0 34Calvin Jones 12 339 28.2 0 87

|------------- PATs -------------|SCORING TD FGs Kick Rush Rcv Pass DXP Saf PointsRichard McCollum 0 11-11 30-30 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 63TJ Jones 10 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 60Raphael Williams 7 0-0 0-0 0-0 0 0-0 0 0 42

TOTAL OFFENSE G Plays Rush Pass Total Avg/GRogan Wells 7 325 418 1,811 2,229 318.4Carlos Davis 5 143 85 902 987 197.4TJ Jones 9 104 452 0 452 50.2

ALL PURPOSE G Rush Rec PR KOR IR Tot Avg/GRaphael Williams 9 0 776 0 0 0 776 86.2Calvin Jones 9 13 364 0 339 0 716 79.6Kenny Benjamin 9 282 425 0 0 0 707 78.6TJ Jones 9 452 254 0 0 0 706 78.4

2021 WESTERN CAROLINA INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL LEADERS 2021 ETSU INDIVIDUAL STATISTICAL LEADERS



2021 CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL – HEAD COACH KERWIN BELL

PERSONAL INFORMATION:BORN: June 15, 1965HOMETOWN: Mayo, Fla.ALMA MATER: Florida, 1987FAMILY: Bell and his wife Cosette Odom, have three children; Kade, Kolton, and Kenzley

PLAYING EXPERIENCE:UNIVERSITY OF FLORIDA, former walk-on, three-year starter at QB (1984-88); SEC Player of the Year (1984); First-Team All-SEC (1985) and Honorable mention All-America (1985, 1986)

uFlorida–Georgia Hall of Fame, 1996 inducteeuUniv. of Florida Athletic Hall of Fame, 1997 inductee

MIAMI DOLPHINS (NFL), 7th-round draft pick (180), 1988ATLANTA FALCONS (NFL), 1988TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (NFL), 1989ORLANDO THUNDER (WLAF), 1991-92SACRAMENTO GOLD MINERS (CFL), 1993-94EDMONTON ESKIMOS (CFL), 1995INDIANAPOLIS COLTS (NFL), 1996-97TORONTO ARGONAUTS (CFL), 1998

uCFL East All-Star (1998)

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (CFL), 1999-2000TORONTO ARGONAUTS (CFL), 2000-01

COACHING EXPERIENCE:UNIV. OF FLORIDA, graduate assistant (1990)TORONTO ARGONAUTS, offensive coordinator (2000-01)TRINITY CATHOLIC HIGH, head coach (2002-06)JACKSONVILLE UNIV., head coach (2007-15)

uPioneer Football League Coach of the Year (2008)

VALDOSTA STATE UNIV., head coach (2016-18)uGulf South Conference Co-Coach of the Year (2018)uDon Hansen NCAA Division II Co-Coach of the Year (2018)uNCAA Division II National Champion (2018)

UNIV. OF SOUTH FLORIDA, offensive coordinator (2019)WESTERN CAROLINA UNIV., head coach (2021–)

An accomplished player who worked his way from walk-on to All-American to the National Football League, and a 12-year veteran head coach who won a combined four conference championships and the 2018 NCAA Division II National Championship, KERWIN BELL was named the 14th head football coach at Western Carolina University by Director of Athletics Alex Gary on April 27, 2021.

Bell comes to Cullowhee having served as the offensive coordinator at the University of South Florida under head coach Charlie Strong in 2019. He most recently walked off the field as a head coach following the 2018 NCAA Division II national championship, leading the Valdosta State Blazers where he coached for three seasons, twice making playoff appearances.

uOver a 12-year head coaching career, Bell led the football programs at Valdosta State (2016-18) and Jackson-ville University (2007-15). He did this coming on the heels of a 13-year playing career in professional football that included several stops in the NFL and the Canadian Football League;

uBell served three seasons as the head coach at Valdosta State where he also guided the offense. He led the Blazers to a 27-7 record during his tenure including a school-record 15 straight victories, two Division II playoff appearances, and won both a conference and a national championship in 2018. He was named the 2018 Don Hansen NCAA Division II Co-Coach of the Year and the Gulf South Conference Co-Coach of the Year after leading VSU to a 14-0 record – the first unbeaten season in program history that included a thrilling 49-47 vic-tory over Ferris State in the D-II National Championship game. Picked fifth in their conference in the preseason and the No. 3 seed entering the playoffs, the Blazers finished No. 1 nationally in the final AFCA Division II poll;

uBell’s 2018 offense led the nation in scoring (52.0 ppg), ranked second in first downs (341), and was fourth in total offense (523.9 ypg), red-zone offense (.901), and pass efficiency (167.37). The Blazers scored 728 points on the year, the most in NCAA Division II history, as they posted 7,334 yards (3,676 rushing/3,658 passing) and 7.9 yards per play on the year;

uWithin Bell’s system, VSU QB ROGAN WELLS finished as the runner-up for the Harlon Hill Trophy, presented to the Division II Player of the Year, and was named both the Region Two and Gulf South Conference Offensive Player of the Year. Wells accounted for 50 touchdowns on the year (including one receiving), led the nation in points responsible for (300), was second in passing touchdowns (38) and points responsible for per game (21.4 ppg), 10th in passing yards (3,075), 12th in passing efficiency (160.6) and 25th in total offense (271.9 ypg). He finished second on the team with 732 yards rushing and led the team with 11 rushing touchdowns;

uBell led Valdosta State to runner-up conference finishes in his first two years guiding the program and went 8-3 with a playoff appearance in his first season at the helm in 2016 as the Blazers led the nation with 27 intercep-tions on defense;

uPrior to Valdosta, Bell led Jacksonville University for nine seasons, guiding the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) program to a 66-35 record and three Pioneer Football League (PFL) championships. Serving as offensive coordinator and quarterbacks coach as well as head coach, Bell was named the 2008 PFL Coach of the Year and was a finalist for the Eddie Robinson Award after leading the Dolphins to a 9-4 seasonal record and conference title;

uBell also led Jacksonville University to a school-best 10-1 record and conference championship in 2010 as the Dolphins led the nation in total (486 ypg) and scoring (42.2 ppg) offense. JU also posted a 9-2 overall mark and won a conference title in 2014;

uOriginally from Mayo, Fla., Bell was a quarterback at the University of Florida from 1983-87 where he com-pleted over 57 percent of his 953 pass attempts for 7,585 yards and 56 touchdowns. A former walk-on, Bell concluded his collegiate career as the SEC Player of the Year in 1984 after leading Florida to a 9-1-1 record and a conference championship, and both a first-team All-SEC selection and All-America honorable mention in 1985, a season that saw the Gators earn the programs first-ever No. 1 national ranking in the Associated Press poll. Garnering a second honorable mention All-America honor in 1986, Bell was a 1987 team captain and earned the program’s Fergie Ferguson Award;

uBell was ranked the No. 26 Greatest Gator of all-time from the first 100 years of football at Florida in 2006 by The Gainesville Sun. Bell later served as a graduate assistant for the 1990 season under Steve Spurrier at Florida after earning a degree in psychology in 1987;

uBell was selected in the seventh round (pick No. 180) of the 1988 NFL Draft by the Miami Dolphins, beginning his 13-year professional career that saw stops with NFL teams in Miami, Atlanta, Tampa Bay, and Indianapolis as well as stops in the Canadian Football League ... Passed for 19,538 yards and 101 touchdowns in nine sea-sons in the CFL ... Also played in the World League of American Football (WLAF).

“Western Carolina is getting a good one in Kerwin Bell. If you look at his track record, he wins. He won the national championship at Valdosta State and will bring championships to Western Carolina.”

– Steve Spurrier, former Univ. of Florida and Univ. of South Carolina head coach



NO. NAME POS. HT. WT. YR. HOMETOWN (PREVIOUS COLLEGE / HIGH SCHOOL)

0 T.J. Jones RB 5-11 200 Jr. Lakeland, Fla. (Tusculum / GMC / Lake Gibson HS)

0 Jaylen Floyd DB 5-9 180 Sr. Miramar, Fla. (Lehigh / Miramar HS)

1 C.J. Williams WR 5-10 165 So. Gallion, Ala. (Alabama / Demopolis HS)

1 Ivan Hogans LB 6-2 220 5th Stockbridge, Ga. (Tusculum / Stockbridge HS)

2 Raphael Williams WR 5-10 160 R-Fr. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Tusculum / Dillard HS)

2 Aaron Gethers CB 5-10 190 R-So. Blythewood, S.C. (Boston College / Bishop McDevitt HS)

3 Calvin Jones WR 5-10 175 Fr. Forest City, N.C. (East Rutherford HS)

3 Jacob Harris CB 6-1 190 Jr. Greer, S.C. (Independence CC / Greer HS)

4 Kason Lincke QB 6-1 195 Fr. Mobile, Ala. (Mobile Christian HS)

4 Cameron McCutcheon DB 6-3 195 Sr. Seneca, S.C. (Gardner-Webb / Seneca HS)

5 Carlos Davis QB 6-3 225 R-So. Baltimore, Md. (East Mississippi CC / Mergenthaler Vo-Tech HS)

5 Jayden Pauling DE 6-3 245 Jr. Raleigh, N.C. (Louisburg College / Millbrook HS)

6 Nick Oelrich DB 6-1 205 Gr. Newberry Fla. (Florida / Newberry HS)

7 Terrence Horne WR 5-7 180 So. Miami, Fla. (USF / Miramar HS)

7 Charles Gadie S 5-9 175 R-So. Douglasville, Ga. (Douglas County HS)

8 Kenny Benjamin RB 5-7 180 Gr. Lehigh Acres, Fla. (Valdosta State / Dunbar HS)

8 LA Rogers-Anderson NIC 6-0 215 Jr. Sumter, S.C. (Western Kentucky / Ridgeview HS)

9 Mydreon Vines WR 6-2 190 Sr. Greenville, N.C. (ECU / Tusculum / J.H. Rose HS)

9 Kareem Taylor LB 6-0 215 Gr. Rincon, Ga. (Kennesaw State / South Effingham HS)

10 JaKobe Quillen WR 6-3 200 Fr. Florence, S.C. (Wilson HS)

10 Willie Hampton DE 6-1 220 R-Jr. Ft. Lauderdale, Fla. (Garden City CC / American Heritage HS)

11 Rogan Wells QB 6-4 220 Gr. Fort Mill, S.C. (Tusculum / Fort Mill HS)

12 Meziah Scott QB 6-0 200 Fr. Petersburg, Va. (Petersburg HS)

12 Rod Gattison CB 5-11 185 So. Hartsell, S.C. (Georgia Military / Hartsell HS)

13 Keenan Hambrick WR 6-3 205 Fr. Athens, Ala. (Athens HS)

13 Ronald Kent Jr. CB 5-10 175 Jr. Harrisburg, Pa. (Harrisburg HS)

14 Toler Keigley WR 6-1 190 Fr. Pensacola, Fla. (Mobile Christian HS)

15 Solomon Butler WR 6-0 195 Fr. Moncks Corner, S.C. (Berkeley HS)

16 Brody Palhegyi QB 5-9 180 Fr. Fort Lauderdale, Fla. (Cardinal Gibbons HS)

17 Raekwon Heath TE 6-2 205 R-Jr. Columbia, S.C. (Independence CC / Irmo HS)

18 Clayton Bardall TE 6-3 230 R-So. Cumming, Ga. (North Forsyth HS)

19 Branson Adams RB 5-9 180 Fr. Greensboro, N.C. (Dudley HS)

20 Dramarian McNulty CB 5-11 185 Fr. Brookhaven, Miss. (Niceville (Fla.) HS)

21 Andreas Keaton S 6-2 190 Fr. Powder Springs, Ga. (Hillgrove HS)

22 Mikai Stanley RB 6-2 235 Fr. Wilmington, N.C. (New Hanover HS)

24 Quintin Talley S 6-0 190 Fr. Spartanburg, S.C. (Byrnes HS)

25 Jaiden Bond RB 5-9 180 Fr. Boone, N.C. (Watagua HS)

26 Tyree Nelson RB 5-10 200 Fr. Atlanta, Ga. (Mays HS)

27 Trevor Childers LB 6-1 215 5th Lincolnton, N.C. (East Lincoln HS)

28 Braxton Richburg DB 6-0 190 Gr. Hoschton, Ga. (ETSU / Tusculum / Mill Creek HS)

29 Willie Rice CB 6-0 185 Fr. St. Louis, Mo. (East Coweta (Ga.) HS)

30 Micah Nelson DE 6-3 235 R-Fr. Murphy, N.C. (Murphy HS)

31 Jerius Edwards NIC 6-0 180 Fr. Carrollton, Ga. (Carrollton HS)

32 Malik Richardson NIC 6-4 210 R-Fr. Sumter, S.C. (Lakewood HS)

33 Curtis Roach NIC 6-1 200 R-Sr. Cumming, Ga. (South Forsyth HS)

34 Quenten Zanders RB 5-8 175 Jr. Shelby, N.C. (Cleveland CC / Crest HS)

35 Glenn Young RB 5-9 200 Fr. Fayetteville, N.C. (Trinity Christian HS)

36 Skylin Thomas NIC 5-10 195 So. Lenoir, N.C. (Hibriten HS)

37 Ty Harris LB 6-1 235 5th Dacula, Ga. (Dacula HS)

38 Brandon Dickerson P 5-11 195 So. Fort Mill, S.C. (Indian Land HS)

39 Brayden Blackmon TE 6-3 215 Fr. Duncan, S.C. (Byrnes HS)

40 Cory Hennings S 6-1 195 Fr. Matthews, N.C. (Weddington HS)

41 Caleb Scott TE 6-2 225 Fr. Black Mountain, N.C. (Owen HS)

42 Jontavious Shotwell S 5-11 185 R-So. Hoschton, Ga. (Mill Creek HS)

43 Luke Hoggard TE 6-0 230 R-Jr. Edenton, N.C. (North Carolina / Edenton HS)

44 Nigel Manns LB 6-1 225 Fr. Byron, Ga. (Peach County HS)

45 Ethan Harris DB 5-8 165 Fr. Duncan, S.C. (Byrnes HS)

46 Paxton Robertson K 6-0 200 Fr. Knoxville, Tenn. (Knoxville Catholic HS)

NO. NAME POS. HT. WT. YR. HOMETOWN (PREVIOUS COLLEGE / HIGH SCHOOL)

47 Neil Ilenrey S 6-0 185 R-Fr. Alpharetta, Ga. (Johns Creek HS)

48 Brady Elms P 6-4 170 Fr. Raleigh, N.C. (Wakefield HS)

49 Demorian Smith LB 6-0 220 Fr. Robersonville, N.C. (South Creek HS)

50 Alex McConnell OL 6-4 280 R-So. Boone, N.C. (Watagua HS)

51 Matthew Bair OL 6-3 285 5th Anderson, S.C. (T.L. Hanna HS)

52 Antwann Fann DL 6-3 310 R-Fr. Perry, Ga. (Kennesaw State / Perry HS)

53 Caleb Fisher DL 6-3 230 Fr. Decatur, Ga. (Columbia HS)

55 Kevin Thompson LS 5-10 185 So. Rock Hill, S.C. (Northwestern HS)

56 Griffin Sestili OL 6-3 295 R-Jr. Sewickley, Pa. (Temple / North Allegheny HS)

57 Tyler Anderson LB 6-0 225 Fr. Greensboro, N.C. (Northern Guilford HS)

58 Giovanni Ricciardi LB 6-0 225 Fr. Clemmons, N.C. (West Forsyth HS)

60 Joaquin Layno DL 5-10 280 R-Fr. Cherokee, N.C. (Cherokee HS)

61 Anthony Giansante OL 6-4 300 Fr. North Huntingdon, Pa. (Norwin HS)

62 Michael Harper OL 6-4 280 R-Jr. Wilkesboro, N.C. (Fork Union Military)

64 Colby Cross LS 5-11 190 Fr. Mooresville, N.C. (Lake Norman HS)

66 Gabe Jones OL 6-2 250 Fr. Southern Pines, N.C. (Pinecrest HS)

67 Nick Hapeshis OL 6-1 250 Fr. Central, S.C. (Daniel HS)

68 Torrion Stevenson DL 6-1 330 R-So. Branchville, S.C. (Branchville HS)

69 Dillon Luther OL 6-3 300 So. Asheville, N.C. (Erwin HS)

70 Christian Coulter OL 6-5 335 So. Thomson, Ga. (Tusculum / Thomson HS)

71 Austin Grunden OL 6-2 250 Fr. Kannapolis, N.C. (A.L. Brown HS)

72 Blake Whitmore OL 6-2 285 R-Fr. Raleigh, N.C. (Millbrook HS)

73 Samari Saddler OL 6-2 295 So. Cincinnati, Ohio (Eastern Michigan / Moeller HS)

74 Tyler Smith OL 6-8 300 R-So. Laurinburg, N.C. (Scotland County HS)

75 Caleb Carter OL 6-3 285 Fr. Jacksonville, N.C. (Southwest Onslow HS)

76 Nate Linkous OL 6-5 295 Fr. Cramerton, N.C. (Stuart W. Cramer HS)

77 Peyton Davis OL 6-2 290 Fr. Mooresville, N.C. (Lake Norman HS)

78 Garrett Bowman OL 6-4 280 R-So. Arab, Ala. (Arab HS)

79 Aidan Alston OL 6-2 270 R-Fr. Southern Pines, N.C. (Pinecrest HS)

80 Shammond Hicks WR 5-10 180 Gr. Raleigh, N.C. (UNC Pembroke / Middle Creek HS)

81 Kendall Alford WR 5-10 185 R-Fr. Marietta, Ga. (Walton HS)

82 Miller DeArmond WR 6-1 175 Fr. Greer, S.C. (Greer HS)

83 Trae Churn TE 6-5 240 Gr. Columbia, S.C. (SC State / Blythewood HS)

84 Owen Cosenke TE 6-3 240 5th Aldie, Va. (Fork Union Military / John Champe HS)

85 Talon James TE 6-4 235 R-Jr. Fairview, N.C. (Univ. of Richmond / A.C. Reynolds HS)

86 Daquan Patten WR 5-6 180 R-5th Columbia, S.C. (Blythewood HS)

87 Dylan Abernethy WR 6-0 175 Fr. Maiden, N.C. (Maiden HS)

88 Luke Sutton WR 5-8 170 Fr. Concord, N.C. (Cox Mill HS)

89 Richard McCollum K 5-9 180 R-So. Sanford, N.C. (Southern Lee HS)

90 Marlon Alexander DL 6-0 320 So. Smyrna, Tenn. (Gardner-Webb / Smyrna HS)

91 Jaquarius Guinn DL 6-2 280 Fr. Clover, S.C. (Clover HS)

92 Darrius Bell DE 6-2 240 R-Fr. Gilbert, S.C. (Gilbert HS)

93 Chris Morgan DL 6-0 265 Fr. Maiden, N.C. (Maiden HS)

94 Timothy Jamison DL 6-4 255 Jr. West Columbia, S.C. (Hutchinson CC / White Knoll HS)

95 Laquavion Haynes DE 6-4 220 Fr. Moultrie, Ga. (Colquitt County HS)

96 K.J. Milner DL 6-4 265 Jr. Hinesville, Ga. (Bradwell Institute)

97 Ronald Wilson DL 6-2 355 So. Mocksville, N.C. (Gardner-Webb / Davie County HS)

98 Christian Harris DL 6-3 285 R-Fr. Raleigh, N.C. (Baylor School)

99 Ricky Palao DL 6-2 285 5th Hoover, Ala. (Hoover HS)

Anthony Badgett CB 5-9 185 R-So. Greensboro, N.C. (Southeast Guilford HS)

Ajay Belanger WR 6-3 190 Fr. Green Cove Springs, Fla. (Tusculum / Clay HS)

Caleb Bradford OL 6-1 265 Fr. Canton, N.C. (Pisgah HS)

Bryson Boyette OL 6-1 285 Fr. Wilmington, N.C. (New Hanover HS)

Trevor Fournet LB 5-11 215 Fr. Cornelius, N.C. (Hough HS)

Bryson Grabowski QB 6-1 180 Fr. Copperhill, Tenn. (Copper Basin HS)

Elic Haddock LB 6-0 210 Fr. Greenville, N.C. (J.H. Rose HS)

Parish Metzger QB 6-0 190 Fr. Matthews, N.C. (David W. Butler HS)

WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS – 2021 NUMERICAL ROSTER


CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL | 2021 GAME NOTESWESTERN CAROLINA TWO-DEEP – VS. ETSU

CATAMOUNTS OFFENSE (PRO SPREAD) QB 11 ROGAN WELLS 6-4 220 GR. 5 Carlos Davis 6-3 225 R-So. - or - 4 Kason Lincke 6-1 195 Fr. RB 8 KENNY BENJAMIN 5-7 180 GR. - OR - 0 TJ JONES 5-11 205 JR. WR 2 RAPHAEL WILLIAMS 5-10 160 R-FR. 7 Terrence Horne 5-7 180 So. WR 10 JAKOBE QUILLEN 6-3 200 FR. 1 CJ Williams 5-10 160 So. - or - 86 Daquan Patten 5-6 180 R-Sr. WR 3 CALVIN JONES 5-10 175 FR. 13 Keenan Hambrick 6-3 205 Fr. TE 84 OWEN COSENKE 6-3 235 SR. 85 Talon James 6-4 235 R-Jr. LT 74 TYLER SMITH 6-8 300 R-SO. 50 Alex McConnell 6-4 275 R-So. LG 79 AIDAN ALSTON 6-2 270 R-FR. 61 Anthony Giansante 6-4 300 Fr. C 73 SAMARI SADDLER 6-2 295 SO. 75 Caleb Carter 6-3 285 Fr. RG 62 MICHAEL HARPER 6-4 280 R-JR. 52 Antwann Fann 6-3 310 R-Fr. RT 70 CHRISTIAN COULTER 6-5 335 SO. 75 Caleb Carter 6-3 285 Fr.

CATAMOUNTS DEFENSE (4–2–5) DE 96 KJ MILNER 6-4 265 JR. 53 Caleb Fisher 6-3 230 Fr. NOSE 99 RICKY PALAO 6-2 270 SR. 90 Marlon Alexander 6-0 320 So. DT 91 JAQUARIUS GUINN 6-2 295 FR. 93 Chris Morgan 6-0 265 Fr. BNDT 30 MICAH NELSON 6-3 200 R-FR. 94 Timothy Jamison 6-4 255 Jr. LB 37 TY HARRIS 6-1 245 SR. 58 Giovanni Ricciardi 6-0 225 Fr. LB 9 KAREEM TAYLOR 6-0 215 GR. 27 Trevor Childers 6-1 215 Sr. LB 1 IVAN HOGANS 6-2 220 SR. 8 L.A. Rogers-Anderson 6-0 200 Jr. CB 13 RONALD KENT JR. 5-10 165 JR. 29 Willie Rice 6-0 185 Jr. S 21 ANDREAS KEATON 6-2 190 FR. 7 Charles Gadie 5-9 175 R-So. S 3 JACOB HARRIS 6-1 195 SO. 6 Nick Oelrich 6-1 205 Gr. CB 4 CAM McCUTCHEON 6-3 195 SR. - OR - 12 ROD GATTISON 5-11 180 SO.

CATAMOUNTS SPECIAL TEAMS KO 89 RICHARD MCCOLLUM 5-9 170 R-SO. - OR - 46 PAXTON ROBERTSON 6-0 200 FR.

PK 89 RICHARD MCCOLLUM 5-9 170 R-SO. 46 Paxton Robertson 6-0 200 Fr. P 38 BRANDON DICKERSON 5-11 195 SO. 46 Paxton Robertson 6-0 200 Fr. - or 48 Brady Elms 6-4 170 Fr. H 38 BRANDON DICKERSON 5-11 195 SO. 48 Brady Elms 6-4 170 Fr. LS 55 KEVIN THOMPSON 5-10 210 SO. 64 Colby Cross 6-0 215 Fr. KOR 3 CALVIN JONES 5-10 170 FR. - AND - 7 TERRENCE HORNE 5-7 180 SO. PR 6 DAQUAN PATTEN 5-6 185 R-SR. 3 Calvin Jones 5-10 170 Fr.

RETURNED A PUNT FOR A TD: WCU: .................................................. Angelo Brown at Chattanooga – Oct. 13, 2007 (27 yards) Opp: .................................................Montrell Washinton of Samford – Nov. 16, 2019 (59 yards)

RETURNED A KICKOFF FOR A TD: WCU: .......................................... Detrez Newsome at South Carolina – Nov. 19, 2016 (93 yards) Opp: .............................................Davion Ross of Eastern Kentucky – Nov. 21, 2020 (94 yards)

RETURNED AN INTERCEPTION FOR A TD: WCU: ..............................................................Jacob Harris vs. Furman – Nov. 6, 2021 (41 yards) Opp: ..............................................Jamari Brown of Gardner-Webb – Sept. 25, 2021 (36 yards)

SCORED ON A FUMBLE RECOVERY: WCU: .......................................................Kareem Taylor vs. Samford (16 yards) – Sept. 18, 2021 Opp: ......................................................Ugonna Akoh of Presbyterian (73 yards) – Oct. 3, 2015

RECORDED A SAFETY: WCU: ...................................................................................... TEAM vs. Samford – Oct. 24, 2015 Opp: ..............................................Jerrell Lawson of Chattanooga (sack/safety) – Oct. 13, 2018

BLOCKED A PUNT: WCU: ................................................................................Jacob Harris vs. Mercer – Oct. 9, 2021 Opp: ..................................................................................Eli Purcell of Wofford – Oct. 30, 2021

BLOCKED A F IELD GOAL ATTEMPT: WCU: .............................................................................Jayden Pauling, vs. ETSU – Nov. 9, 2019 Opp: ............................................................. Chauncy Haney, North Greenville – Sept. 14, 2019

HAD A 100-YARD RUSHER: WCU: ......................................................... TJ Jones (15–132 yds) at The Citadel – Oct. 23, 2021 Opp: ..........................................................Dominic Roberto (196 yds) of Furman – Nov. 6, 2021

HAD A 100-YARD RECEIVER: WCU: ..........................................................Kenny Benjamin (5-for-126) vs. Furman – Nov. 6, 2021 Opp: .......................................................Raleigh Webb of The Citadel (144 yds) – Oct. 23, 2021

TEAMMATES RUSHED FOR 100 YARDS IN THE SAME GAME: WCU: ........................................... Tyrie Adams (12-for-106 yds) & Connell Young (14-for-105 yds) .......................................................................................at Gardner-Webb – Sept. 14, 2018 Opp: ...................................... Narii Gaither (22-for-151 yds) and Donovan Jones (6-for-102 yds) ......................................................................................of Gardner-Webb – Sept. 25, 2021

TEAMMATES HAD 100 RECEIVING YARDS IN THE SAME GAME: WCU: .................................................Daquan Patten (5-for-103) and Donnavan Spencer (2-for-110) .......................................................................................................... at VMI – Nov. 2, 2019 Opp: ................................... Jackson Beerman (5 for 102 yds) and Jacquez Jones (5 for 10 yds) ...................................................................................of Eastern Kentucky – Nov. 21, 2020

TEAMMATES HAD 100 YDS RUSHING AND RECEIVING IN THE SAME GAME: WCU: .......................................................................................... TJ Jones (15–132 rushing yds) & ............................................. Raphael Williams (12-for-147) – at The Citadel – Oct. 23, 2021 Opp: .............. Narii Gaither (22 rushes for 151 yds) & Donovan Jones (6 rushs for 102 yds) and ........................................ TJ Luther (6 rec. for 119 yds) of Gardner-Webb – Sept. 25, 2021

THREW AT LEAST FOUR TOUCHDOWN PASSES: WCU: .................................................................. Tyrie Adams (4) at No. 25 ETSU – Oct. 27, 2018 Opp: ........................................Spencer Rattler of No. 4 Oklahoma (5, 1st half) – Sept. 21, 2021

PLAYER SCORED AT LEAST FOUR TOUCHDOWNS: WCU: ..............................................Donnavan Spencer vs. ETSU – Oct. 14, 2017 (4 rushing TDs) Opp: ............................................... Dominic Roberto of Furman – Nov. 6, 2021 (4 rushing TDs)

PLAYER KICKED AT LEAST FOUR FIELD GOALS: WCU: .............................................................Joshua Gibson at VMI – Oct. 21, 2017 (4-for-4 FGs) Opp: ....................................................................... Ray Early of Furman – Nov. 16, 2013 (6 FGs)

TEAM SCORED AT LEAST 50 POINTS: WCU: .................................................................................................52 vs. VMI – Sept. 22, 2018 Opp: ................................................................................ 52 by Gardner-Webb – Sept. 25, 2021

TEAM SCORED AT LEAST 30 POINTS IN A HALF: WCU: .......................................................................................34 at Wofford (1st) – Oct. 30, 2021 Opp: .......................................................................35 by Gardner-Webb (2nd) – Sept. 25, 2021

TEAM SCORED AT LEAST 25 POINTS IN A QUARTER: WCU: ................................................................................... 28 vs. Davidson (1st) – Sept. 9, 2017 Opp: ........................................................................28 by Gardner-Webb (3rd) – Sept. 25, 2021

TEAM WAS SHUTOUT: WCU: ..........................................................................by No. 4 Oklahoma (76-0) – Sept. 11, 2021 Opp: ........................................................................................... Shorter (35-0) – Aug. 28, 2008 SoCon Opp: .............................................................................................Wofford (24-0) – Nov. 5, 2005

WESTERN CAROLINA – THE LAST TIME IT HAPPENED



CATAMOUNT OFFENSE (PRO SPREAD) 2021: RUSH: 9th, 145.3 yds/gm PASS: 1ST, 301.4 yds/gm TOTAL: 2nd, 446.8 yds/gm SCORING: 5th, 29.9 ppg 3RD DWN: 5th, 41.8% QB 11 ROGAN WELLS 6-4 220 GR. Grad transfer (Tusculum / Valdosta St) ... 2x Harlon Hill Trophy finalist ... MVP of 2018 NCAA D-II Nat'l Chmp Gm ... 10,792 pass, 96 TDs; 2,450 rush, 31 TDs 5 Carlos Davis 6-3 215 R-S0. 2021: 75-115-5, 946 yds, 6 TDs ... SoCon OFF POTW (10/25) ... 1st TD pass @ETSU, 20-21 ... @Fort Scott CC: 833 yds & 7 TDs, 256 rush yds, 3 TDs ... 2-star - or - 4 Kason Lincke 6-1 195 Fr. 1 career GP, @UNC in 2020 ... 3-for-3 passing, 21 yds; 17 rushing yds ... Dual-threat QB ... 3 yrs @PaceHS in Fla., finished at Mobile (Ala.) Christian

RB 8 KENNY BENJAMIN 5-7 180 GR. 30 career GP @Valdosta St; CAR: 120 rush, 546 yds, 3 TD ... 117 rec.,1,190 yds, 12 TDs ... 48 kick returns, 1,056 yds ... On VSU 2018 Nat'l Champ tm - OR - 0 T.J. JONES 5-11 205 JR. CAR: 223–1,247 yds, 21 TDs; 47–528, 5 TDs ... 2x transfer; Rushed 118 – 795 yards and 13 TDs, 23 rec. for 274 yds, 3 TDs between Tusculum and GMC

WR 2 RAPHAEL WILLIAMS 5-10 160 R-FR. 5 GP in the spring 2021 season @Tusculum, 13 rec., 194 yards and a TD ... CAR: 78 rec., 970 yds, 8 TDs ... 3 dbl-digit rec gms ... 100 yd rec. gms: 4 7 Terrence Horne 5-7 180 So. 20 GP @USF; CAR: 27 rec., 269 yds, 4 TDs ... 14 kick returns, 418 yds, 2 TDs – both coming in 2018 – AAC Sp Tms POTW, 2 KO rets for TDs @GaTech

WR 10 JAKOBE QUILLEN 6-3 200 FR. 18 GP, 5 GS ... CAR: 17 rec., 247 yds ... 1st career rec. @UNC. 2020 ... 4-yr prep starter – 104 rec., 1,662 yds, 21 TDs in high school 1 CJ Williams 5-10 160 So. Transfer from Alabama (DNP), tremendous speed ... Originally committed to Army West Point ... CAR: 4 rec., 80 yds ... 2-star recruit out of HS - or - 86 Daquan Patten 5-6 180 R-Sr. 40 GP, 25 GS ... 99 rec., 1,212 yds, 7 TDs ... 1,738 car. all-purpose yds ... WCU Legacy – son of David Patten, wearing #86 to honor memory

WR 3 CALVIN JONES 5-10 175 FR. 17GP, 11GS at WR – 45 rec., 562, 4 TDs ... Led WCU, 24 rec., 198 yds, 1 TD in 20-21 // 4-yr varsity LW as prep – 2,437 rush yds, 30 TDs, 71 rec., 1,428 yds 13 Keenan Hambrick 6-3 205 Fr. 15 GP, 1 GS at WR ... CAR: 12 rec., 122 yds ... 1st rec. came @EKU ... Career-best 4 catches, 42 yds @SAM in spring ... 3-star recruit as prep

TE 84 OWEN COSENKE 6-3 235 SR. CAR: 46 GP, 35 GS ... 70 rec, 752 yds, 12 TDs (8 TD 2018) ... Named 3rd Tm AP All-America in '18, 2nd Tm Phil Steele FR All-America in '17 85 Talon James 6-4 235 R-Jr. WNC product, transferred to WCU from Richmond ... 1st WCU receptions @CIT – 3 catches, 17 yds, Lng - 10 yds

LT 74 TYLER SMITH 6-8 300 R-SO. CAREER: 35 GP, 31 GS – started all 12 in 2019 ... 4 GP before redshirt in 2018 ... Played both RT & LT in 20-21 ... PRE All-SoCon in 2021 50 Alex McConnell 6-4 275 R-So. OL & spent time as TE in spring ... 10 GP ... 2x All-Conf as prep – once on OL, once on DL

LG 79 AIDAN ALSTON 6-2 270 R-FR. Came to WCU as a defensive lineman, converted to OL in spring 2021 ... 3 career GP in 2020, 2 in 2021 -- 6 career GP, 3 starts 61 Anthony Giansante 6-4 300 Fr. True freshman ... 3-year varsity starter ... 1st team all-conference in Pennsylvania, 2nd team All-State

C 73 SAMARI SADDLER 6-2 295 SO. Transfer from Eastern Michigan during fall camp ... Played DL at EMU but prefers OL ... Redshirt in 2018, DNP in 2019 ... 6 GS this season 75 Caleb Carter 6-3 275 Fr. DNP in 2020-21 ... Mid-semester enrollee at WCU prior to the 2020 season ... Made debut @OKLA ... 6GP ... 2-yr prep varsity LW on both OL and DL

RG 62 MICHAEL HARPER 6-4 280 R-JR. Returned from injury suffered in preseason camp ... 27 GP, 13 GS ... Adds experience to a young and depleted offensive line, played multiple positions 52 Antwann Fann 6-3 310 R-Fr. Transferred to WCU from Kennesaw St ... Played in one game at Kennesaw, taking a redshirt ... 3-star recruit as prep ... Missed SAM, MER, CIT, WOF gms

RT 70 CHRISTIAN COULTER 6-5 335 SO. Transfer from Tusculum ... 14 GP over 2 yrs at TU, 11 GS at right tackle ... 8 GP, 8 GS @WCU – came out with injury in Mercer game 75 Caleb Carter 6-3 275 Fr. DNP in 2020-21 ... Mid-semester enrollee at WCU prior to the 2020 season ... Made debut @OKLA ... 6GP ... 2-yr prep varsity LW on both OL and DL

CATAMOUNT DEFENSE (4–2–5) 2021: RUSH: 9th, 240.2 yds/gm PASS: 5th, 210.6 yds/gm TOTAL: 8th, 450.8 yds/gm SCORING: 9th, 41.6 ppg 3RD DWN: 5th, 42.6% DE 96 K.J. MILNER 6-4 265 JR. 35 GP, 30 GS on DL ... 102 career tckls, 14.0 TFL, 3.5 sacks, 1 PBU ... 2 FR in 2019 ... Career-best 2.5 TFLs @GAWB 53 Caleb Fisher 6-3 230 Fr. True freshman, was impressive during fall camp ... 8 GP, 9 tckls, 2.0 TFL ... Two-way as prep – DE and TE ... Honorable mention All-Region

NOSE 99 RICKY PALAO 6-2 270 SR. CAREER: 39 GP, 13 GS ... 91 tckls, 9.0 TFL, 2.5 sacks, 1 PBU ... FR for TD @EKU ... Was on Alabama 7-A champ tm at Hoover HS, tallied a sack in title gm 90 Marlon Alexander 6-0 320 So. @WCU: 9 GP, 20 tckls, 3.5 TFLs, sack ... Transfer from Gardner-Webb – 4 GP in 2021, 14 tckls, 2.0 TFLs ... 2-star prospect as prep ... 2-time All-Region

DT 91 JAQUARIUS GUINN 6-2 295 FR. 16 GP, 7 GS ... 31 tckls (16 solo) ... 2020-21 SoCon All-FR Tm // Named S.Carolina (SCFCA) 5-A All-State as SR ... 3-star (247Sports) and 2-star (Rivals) 93 Chris Morgan 6-0 265 Fr. 15 GP ... 27 tckls (11 solo) ... 3.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks – 0.5 @OKLA, 0.5 @GAWB, 1.0 vsFUR ... Career-best FIVE tackles @UTC (2021)

BNDT 30 MICAH NELSON 6-3 200 R-FR. 18 GP, 13 GS ... 56 tckls, 4.5 TFL ... CH: 9 tckls vsCIT, spring 2021 ... Walk-on ... 2x All-WNC ... WR (57 rec., 907 yds), DB, QB (1,130 pass yds) as prep 94 Timothy Jamison 6-4 260 Jr. 15 GP, 26 tckls (11 solo) ... Transfer from Hutchinson CC – 6 GP, 6 tckls, TFL ... OLB as prep

LB 37 TY HARRIS 6-1 245 SR. CAREER: 51 GP, 37 GS – 347 tckls, 184 solo, 26.5 TFL, 7.0 sacks ... 2 INTS in 2018 ... Soph. AA TM by HERO Sprts in 2018 ... Dbl-digit tckls 15x 58 Giovanni Ricciardi 6-0 225 Fr. 13 GP as reserve on defense, SpTms ... Credited with 8 tckls (7 solo) ... Made debut @UNC in 2020.

LB 9 KAREEM TAYLOR 6-0 215 GR. @WCU: 9GP, 82 tckls ... Dbl-digit tckls 6x ... Transfer (KennSt & Shorter Coll.) ... 2x All-Big South 2nd-tm, JR & SR ... 92 tckls in 17GP in 2 yrs @KennSt 27 Trevor Childers 6-1 215 Sr. CAR: 52 GP, 16 GS ... 200 tckls, 92 solo, 12.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, INT @EKU ... 7th in SoCon in 2019 (8.2 tackles/gm) ... CH: 16 vs. SAM ... Dbl-digit tckls 7x

LB 1 IVAN HOGANS 6-2 220 SR. @WCU: 9GP, 55 tckls, 10.0 TFL, 3.0 sacks ... Transfer (Tusculum) – 36 GP @TU, 256 tckls (115 solo), 29 TFL, 8.5 sacks ... 2x 1st-tm All-SAC in 2018 & 2019 8 L.A. Rogers-Anderson 6-0 200 Jr. @WCU: 14 GP, 8 GS ... 36 tckls (26 solo), 4.0 TFL, PBU ... Transfer from Western Kentucky where he played 2 seasons (2016, 2017)

CB 13 RONALD KENT JR. 5-10 165 JR. CAREER: 40 GP, 35 GS ... 152 tckls ... 28 PBU (12 as FR in 2018, 2nd in WCU records) ... STATS FCS Jerry Rice Award Semifinalist, SoCon All-FR in 2018 29 Willie Rice 6-0 195 Jr. Most action on special teams, defensive sub ... 8 GP, 6 tackles, five solo S 21 ANDREAS KEATON 6-2 190 FR. 9 GP, 9 GS ... 36 tckls, 3 INTs ... Jerry Rice Award Watch List /// 3-yr prep LW ... 8 INTs, 3 rtrnd for TDs as prep ... 37 PBUs, 248 tckls as prep, 3 sacks 7 Charles Gadie 5-9 170 R-So. DNP @GAWB; 27 GP, 4 GS; 38 tckls, 24 solo, FF ... 2-time All-Region, first-team as prep senior ... Listed as 2-star recruit by both Rivals & 247Sports

S 3 JACOB HARRIS 6-1 195 JR. 16 GP, 95 tckls (47 solo), 2 INTs ... Transfer from Independence CC in Kansas ... 2-star (247Sports) as a prep @Greer HS, North-South All-Star and All-Region 6 Nick Oelrich 6-1 205 Gr. Grad transfer from Florida ... Graduated from the M.E. Rinker Sr. School of Construction Management ... 23 GP @UF, 9 tckls ... 2x SEC Fall Academic

CB 4 CAM McCUTCHEON 6-3 195 SR. @WCU: 8GP, 40 tckls (22 solo), 2.0 TFL, 2 PBU, INT ... Transfer (Gardner-Webb) ... 25 GP @GAWB, 87 tckls (63 solo) ... Phil Steele PRE All-SoCon (3rd tm) - OR - 12 ROD GATTISON 5-11 180 SO. 15 GP, 46 tckls (36 solo), 3 INTS ... Transfer (Georgia Military) ... Prior to WCU: 11GP @GMC, 14 tckls (10 solo), 3 PBU, INT, FR ... PREP: 5 INTs as SR

CATAMOUNT SPECIAL TEAMS 2021: FGS: 1ST, 11-12, 91.7% PUNT: 8th, 35.2 net PUNT RET: 3rd, 10.3 yds KO: 6th, 39.0 net KO RET: 3rd, 20.2 avg.

PK 89 RICHARD McCOLLUM 5-9 170 R-SO. 28 GP; 53-of-54 on PATs, 15-for-19 FGs (101 pts) ... 45 yd FG @SAM... 46 CAR KO, 53.0 yds per KO ... 2018-19 SoCon Acad. Honor Roll ... Hit 51-yd FG as prep - OR - 46 Paxton Robertson 6-0 200 Fr. FGs: 2-of-2, 52-yd FG @EKU (20-21) ... 37 punts, 39.1 avg; 4, 50+, 12–I20, Lng 58 yds ... SoCon All-FR in 20-21 ... 45-of-47 PATS, five FGs in 2019 as prep

P 38 BRANDON DICKERSON 5-11 195 SO. 20 GP ... Missed spring due to injury ... 100 career punts, 37.6 avg ... 26 punts downed I-20, 4 punts 50+ ... Long punt, 59 yds (2019) 46 Paxton Robertson 6-0 200 Fr. FGs: 2-of-2, 52-yd FG @EKU (20-21) ... 37 punts, 39.1 avg; 4, 50+, 12–I20, Lng 58 yds ... SoCon All-FR in 20-21 ... 45-of-47 PATS, five FGs in 2019 as prep



#4 KASON LINCKE .......................................QB2021 Cmp Att Int Pct Yards TD Long Sack - Yds...................................................................SEASON ................................................

2020-21 Cmp Att Int Pct Yards TD Long Sack - Ydsat North Carolina ..................................... 3 3 0 100.0 21 0 12 0 - 0SEASON ..............................................3 3 0 100.0 21 0 12 0 - 0

CAREER ...................................... 3 3 0 100.0 21 0 12 0 - 0

#5 CARLOS DAVIS ........................................QB2021 Cmp Att Int Pct Yards TD Long Sack - Ydsat #4 Oklahoma ....................................... 5 7 1 71.4 37 0 18 0 - 0at #19 Chattanooga ................................16 27 1 59.3 225 2 42 2 - 15Mercer ....................................................18 32 2 56.3 221 1 57 4 - 12at The Citadel .........................................31 40 1 77.5 401 3 43 0 - 0at Wofford ................................................ 5 9 0 55.6 18 0 8 0 - 0 SEASON ............................................75 115 5 65.2 902 6 57 6 - 27

2020-21 Cmp Att Int Pct Yards TD Long Sack - Ydsat Samford ...............................................0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 - 0at ETSU .....................................................1 1 0 100.0 44 1 44 0 - 0SEASON .............................................. 1 1 0 100.0 44 1 44 0 - 0

CAREER .................................... 76 116 5 65.5 946 7 57 6 - 27

WESTERN CAROLINA – INDIVIDUAL CAREER PASSING STATS

#11 ROGAN WELLS .......................................QB2021 Cmp Att Int Pct Yards TD Long Sack - YdsEastern Kentucky................................... 24 44 2 54.5 275 1 24 1 - 3at #4 Oklahoma ......................................16 29 0 55.2 86 0 21 4 - 19Samford .................................................25 57 3 43.9 321 3 52 3 - 18at Gardner-Webb ................................... 37 58 2 63.8 427 2 58 3 - 14at #19 Chattanooga ................................. 2 11 2 18.2 6 0 5 0 - 0at Wofford ...............................................21 30 0 70.0 309 4 72 0 - 0Furman ..................................................22 33 2 66.7 386 2 85 0 - 0SEASON .......................................... 147 262 11 56.1 1,810 12 85 11 - 68

2020-21 (@TUSCULUM) Cmp Att Int Pct Yards TD Long Sack - Yds

SEASON ...........................................117 189 3 61.9 1,852 15 78

2019 (@VALDOSTA STATE) Cmp Att Int Pct Yards TD Long Sack - Yds

SEASON .......................................... 213 297 4 71.7 2,650 19 69


SEASON ......................................... 209 364 4 57.4 3,075 38 88


SEASON ...........................................121 217 3 55.8 1,405 12 47

CAREER .................................. 807 1,329 25 60.7 10,792 96 88

#12 MEZIAH SCOTT ......................................QB2021 Cmp Att Int Pct Yards TD Long Sack - Yds...................................................................SEASON ................................................

#16 BRODY PALHEGYI ..................................QB2021 Cmp Att Int Pct Yards TD Long Sack - Yds...................................................................SEASON ................................................



#0 T.J. JONES .................... RB2021Game No Gain Loss Net TD Lg AvgEastern Kentucky............. 17 115 0 115 1 46 6.8at #4 Oklahoma .................4 12 2 10 0 6 2.5Samford ........................... 16 55 0 55 1 8 3.4at Gardner-Webb ............. 15 55 0 55 1 13 3.9at #19 Chattanooga ...........6 18 0 18 0 8 3.0Mercer ...............................9 15 2 13 1 5 1.4at The Citadel .................. 15 132 0 132 2 53 8.8at Wofford ........................ 10 40 0 40 0 12 4.0Furman ............................ 13 21 7 14 2 4 1.1SEASON ......................105 463 11 452 8 53 4.3

2020-21 (@Tusculum)SEASON ....................... 62 344 7 337 5 45 5.4

2019 (@Georgia Military)SEASON ....................... 56 – – 458 8 93 8.2

2018 (@Georgia Military)DID NOT SEE GAME ACTIONSEASON ...........................

CAREER ................ 223 1,247 21 93 5.6

#1 C.J. WILLIAMS .............. WR2021Game No Gain Loss Net TD Lg AvgEastern Kentucky............... 1 4 0 4 0 4 4.0SEASON ..........................1 4 0 4 0 4 4.0

#3 CALVIN JONES ............. WR2020-21Game No Gain Loss Net TD Lg Avgat Liberty ................................1 0 0 0 0 0 0.0at Furman ...............................1 6 0 6 0 6 6.0at Samford ..............................1 13 0 13 0 13 13.0at Mercer ................................1 14 0 14 0 14 14.0at Wofford ...............................1 3 0 3 0 3 3.0Furman ...................................1 10 0 10 0 10 10.0SEASON ............................. 6 46 0 46 0 14 7.7

#4 KASON LINCKE .............QB2020-21Game No Gain Loss Net TD Lg Avgat North Carolina ...................8 24 7 17 0 9 2.1SEASON ............................. 8 24 7 17 0 9 2.1

#5 CARLOS DAVIS ..............QB2020-21Game No Gain Loss Net TD Lg Avgat Samford ..............................1 3 0 3 0 3 3.0at #4 Oklahoma .....................5 17 0 17 0 7 3.4at #19 Chattanooga ...............8 18 16 2 0 9 0.3Mercer .................................. 11 38 12 26 0 15 2.4at The Citadel ........................5 28 6 22 0 12 4.4at Wofford ...............................1 8 0 8 0 8 8.0SEASON ............................31 112 34 78 0 15 2.5

#7 TERRENCE HORNE ....... WR2021Game No Gain Loss Net TD Lg AvgFurman .............................. 1 18 0 18 0 18 18.0SEASON ..........................1 18 0 18 0 18 18.0

#8 KENNY BENJAMIN ........ RB2021Game No Gain Loss Net TD Lg AvgEastern Kentucky..............11 38 2 36 0 13 3.3at #4 Oklahoma .................6 11 1 10 0 4 1.7Samford .............................8 9 2 7 0 2 0.9at Gardner-Webb ...............9 43 3 40 0 12 4.4at #19 Chattanooga ...........8 29 2 27 0 13 3.4Mercer ............................. 15 75 5 70 1 16 4.7at The Citadel .................. 14 49 0 49 1 9 3.5at Wofford ..........................8 28 4 24 0 17 3.0Furman ..............................7 19 0 19 0 5 2.7SEASON ....................... 86 301 19 282 2 17 3.4

2019 (@Valdosta State)SEASON ......................... 2 7 3 4 0 7 0.6

2018 (@Valdosta State)SEASON ........................15 103 1 26 7.4

2017 (@Valdosta State)SEASON ........................ 17 158 0 21 17.6

CAREER .................120 546 3 26 4.6

#11 ROGAN WELLS .............QB2021Game No Gain Loss Net TD Lg AvgEastern Kentucky...............8 72 5 67 1 38 8.4at #4 Oklahoma .................5 1 24 -23 0 1 -4.6Samford ........................... 16 140 20 120 0 40 7.5at Gardner-Webb ............. 14 139 26 113 1 82 8.1at #19 Chattanooga ........... 1 2 0 2 0 2 2.0at Wofford ..........................6 61 13 48 1 32 8.0Furman ............................ 13 91 0 91 1 33 7.0SEASON ....................... 63 506 88 418 4 82 6.6

2020-21 (@Tusculum)SEASON ....................... 32 100 2 25 20.0

2019 (@Valdosta State)SEASON ....................... 85 702 6 70 63.8

2018 (@Valdosta State)Game No Gain Loss Net TD Lg AvgSEASON ......................136 732 11 81 52.3

2017 (@Valdosta State)Game No Gain Loss Net TD Lg AvgSEASON ...................... 116 498 8 39 55.3

CAREER ....................432 2,450 31 82 5.7

#19 BRANSON ADAMS ....... RB2021Game No Gain Loss Net TD Lg Avgat #4 Oklahoma .................3 13 0 13 0 7 4.3at Gardner-Webb ...............3 13 0 13 0 7 4.3at #19 Chattanooga ........... 1 0 1 -1 0 0 -1.0Mercer ...............................3 7 0 7 0 6 2.3at Wofford ..........................3 9 0 9 0 4 3.0SEASON ........................13 42 1 41 0 7 3.2

WESTERN CAROLINA – INDIVIDUAL CAREER RUSHING STATS

#22 MIKAI STANLEY ........... RB2021Game No Gain Loss Net TD Lg AvgEastern Kentucky............... 1 4 0 4 0 4 4.0at #4 Oklahoma .................5 17 0 17 0 7 3.4SEASON ......................... 6 21 0 21 0 4 3.5

2020-21Game No Gain Loss Net TD Lg Avgat Liberty ...............................2 6 0 6 0 5 3.0at EKU .................................... 7 30 0 30 0 11 4.3at North Carolina .................. 11 51 5 46 0 16 4.2at Furman ..............................3 15 0 15 0 11 5.0at Samford .............................6 37 0 37 0 21 6.2VMI ........................................3 12 6 6 1 7 2.0The Citadel ............................8 65 0 65 1 18 8.1at Mercer ................................1 0 0 0 0 0 0.0at ETSU ..................................4 17 0 17 0 7 4.3SEASON ........................... 45 233 11 222 2 21 4.9

CAREER ...................51 254 11 243 2 21 4.8

#25 JAIDEN BOND ............. RB2021Game No Gain Loss Net TD Lg Avg

SEASON ...........................

2020-21DID NOT RECORD STATSSEASON ...............................

CAREER ......................

#26 TYREE NELSON ........... RB2021Game No Gain Loss Net TD Lg Avgat #4 Oklahoma ................. 1 1 0 1 0 1 1.0SEASON ..........................1 1 0 1 0 1 1.0

2020-21Game No Gain Loss Net TD Lg Avgat Samford .............................3 6 2 4 0 6 1.3SEASON ............................. 3 6 2 4 0 6 1.3

CAREER .................... 4 7 2 5 0 6 1.2

#88 LUKE SUTTON ............ WR2020-21Game No Gain Loss Net TD Lg Avgat EKU .....................................1 0 1 -1 0 0 -1.0SEASON ..............................1 0 1 -1 0 0 -1.0

CAREER .....................1 0 1 -1 0 0 -1.0



#0 T.J. JONES .................... RB2021Game No Yds TD LongEastern Kentucky..........................3 31 1 18at #4 Oklahoma ............................2 10 0 8Samford ........................................5 53 0 33at Gardner-Webb ..........................6 51 0 16at #19 Chattanooga ......................2 10 0 6Mercer ..........................................2 7 0 6at The Citadel ...............................3 73 1 40at Wofford ......................................1 19 0 19SEASON ................................. 24 254 2 40

2020-21 (@Tusculum)SEASON .................................. 18 243 3 56

2019 (@Georgia Military)SEASON ................................... 5 31 0 12

2018 (@Georgia Military)DID NOT SEE GAME ACTION

CAREER ........................... 47 528 5 56

#1 C.J. WILLIAMS .............. WR2021Game No Yds TD Longat #4 Oklahoma ............................2 28 0 21at Gardner-Webb ...........................1 13 0 13at The Citadel ................................1 39 0 39SEASON ....................................4 80 0 39

#2 RAPHAEL WILLIAMS ..... WR2021Game No Yds TD LongEastern Kentucky..........................8 122 0 24at #4 Oklahoma .............................1 5 0 5Samford ........................................8 132 2 40at Gardner-Webb ......................... 11 99 1 22at #19 Chattanooga ......................2 21 1 14Mercer ..........................................2 31 0 17at The Citadel ............................. 12 147 1 30at Wofford ................................... 16 177 2 27Furman .........................................5 42 0 18SEASON ................................. 65 776 7 40

2020 (@Tusculum)SEASON .................................. 13 194 1 51

CAREER ........................... 78 970 8 51

#3 CALVIN JONES ............. WR2021Game No Yds TD LongEastern Kentucky..........................2 19 0 11at #4 Oklahoma ............................2 2 0 5Samford .........................................1 52 1 52at Gardner-Webb ..........................3 56 0 26at #19 Chattanooga .......................1 5 0 5Mercer ..........................................4 67 0 57at The Citadel ...............................2 21 1 7at Wofford ......................................1 72 1 72Furman .........................................5 69 0 24SEASON .................................. 21 363 3 72

2020-21Game No Yds TD Longat Liberty .......................................1 0 0 0at EKU ...........................................4 28 0 10at North Carolina ...........................1 12 0 12at Furman ......................................1 7 0 7at Samford .................................... 7 62 1 28VMI ...............................................2 11 0 9The Citadel ....................................1 3 0 3at Mercer ......................................5 45 0 19at ETSU .........................................2 30 0 28SEASON ................................. 24 198 1 28CAREER ........................... 45 561 4 72

#7 TERRENCE HORNE ....... WR2021Game No Yds TD LongEastern Kentucky..........................2 15 0 9at #4 Oklahoma .............................1 0 0 0Samford .........................................1 17 0 17at Gardner-Webb ..........................3 22 0 13at #19 Chattanooga .......................1 42 1 42Mercer ...........................................1 7 0 7at The Citadel ................................1 5 0 5Furman .........................................2 71 0 54SEASON .................................. 12 189 1 54

2020 (@USF)SEASON ....................................4 -1 0 10

2019 (@USF)SEASON ....................................8 76 2 24

2018 (@USF)SEASON ....................................3 15 1 8

CAREER ........................... 27 279 3 24

#8 KENNY BENJAMIN ........ RB2021Game No Yds TD LongEastern Kentucky..........................6 56 0 15at #4 Oklahoma ............................6 34 0 12Samford ........................................3 22 0 11at Gardner-Webb ..........................4 26 1 13at #19 Chattanooga ......................5 29 0 11Mercer ..........................................5 74 1 36at The Citadel ...............................6 30 0 11at Wofford .....................................2 28 0 15Furman .........................................5 126 1 85SEASON ................................. 42 425 3 85

2019 (@Valdosta State)SEASON .................................. 14 121 2 27

2018 (@Valdosta State)SEASON ................................. 40 444 7 44

2017 (@Valdosta State)SEASON .................................. 21 200 0 43

CAREER .......................... 117 1,190 12 44

#9 MYDREON VINES ......... WR2021Game No Yds TD LongEastern Kentucky...........................1 4 0 4at #4 Oklahoma .............................1 5 0 5Samford ........................................3 27 0 13at Gardner-Webb ..........................2 86 0 58SEASON ....................................7 122 0 58

2019 (@ECU)SEASON ................................... 5 42 0 13

2018 (@ECU)SEASON .................................. 12 155 1 71

2017 (@ECU)SEASON ....................................2 39 0 34

CAREER ........................... 26 358 1 71

#10 JAKOBE QUILLEN ....... WR2021Game No Yds TD Longat #4 Oklahoma .............................1 8 0 8Samford ........................................2 17 0 14at #19 Chattanooga ......................2 21 0 21Mercer ..........................................2 13 0 7at The Citadel ...............................3 69 0 43at Wofford ......................................1 4 0 4Furman .........................................2 34 0 25SEASON .................................. 13 166 0 43

2020-21Game No Yds TD Longat North Carolina ...........................1 3 0 3at Samford .....................................1 6 0 6at Mercer .......................................1 21 0 21at ETSU ..........................................1 23 0 23SEASON ....................................4 53 0 23

CAREER ............................12 116 0 23

#13 KEENAN HAMBRICK ... WR2021Game No Yds TD Longat #19 Chattanooga .......................1 39 0 39Mercer ...........................................1 9 0 9SEASON ....................................2 48 0 39

2020-21Game No Yds TD Longat EKU ...........................................2 14 0 10at Furman ......................................1 6 0 6at Samford ....................................4 42 0 14The Citadel ...................................2 12 0 8SEASON ................................... 9 74 0 14

CAREER ............................ 11 122 0 39

#17 RAEKWON HEATH .........TE2021Game No Yds TD LongEastern Kentucky...........................1 13 0 13at #4 Oklahoma .............................1 2 0 2SEASON ....................................2 15 0 13

2020-21Game No Yds TD Longat Samford ....................................3 65 0 47VMI ...............................................2 14 0 10The Citadel ...................................4 18 0 6at ETSU .........................................3 55 1 30SEASON .................................. 12 152 1 47CAREER ............................14 167 1 47

#18 CLAYTON BARDALL ....... TE2021Game No Yds TD LongEastern Kentucky...........................1 15 0 15at #4 Oklahoma .............................1 2 0 2Samford .........................................1 9 0 9at #19 Chattanooga .......................1 1 0 1SEASON ....................................4 27 0 15

2020-21Game No Yds TD Longat Liberty .......................................1 9 1 9at EKU ............................................1 40 0 40at North Carolina ...........................1 13 0 13at Samford ....................................4 42 1 34VMI ...............................................2 8 0 4at ETSU ..........................................1 44 1 44SEASON .................................. 10 156 3 44

2019Game No Yds TD LongNorth Greenville ............................1 6 1 6Gardner-Webb ...............................1 9 0 9Furman ..........................................1 2 0 2Samford ........................................4 74 0 28at Alabama ....................................1 28 0 28SEASON ....................................8 119 1 28

CAREER ................................. 22 302 4 44

WESTERN CAROLINA – INDIVIDUAL CAREER RECEIVING STATS



WESTERN CAROLINA – INDIVIDUAL CAREER RECEIVING STATS

#19 BRANSON ADAMS ....... RB2021Game No Yds TD Longat #4 Oklahoma .............................1 3 0 3at Gardner-Webb ...........................1 4 0 4at #19 Chattanooga ......................2 10 0 6SEASON ....................................4 17 0 6

#22 MIKAI STANLEY ................ RB2020-21Game No Yds TD LongVMI ................................................1 8 0 8at Mercer .......................................1 -1 0 0at ETSU ..........................................1 9 0 9SEASON ....................................3 16 0 9CAREER ............................. 3 16 0 9

#26 TYREE NELSON ........... RB2021Game No Yds TD Longat #4 Oklahoma .............................1 18 0 18SEASON .................................... 1 18 0 18

2020-21Game No Yds TD LongDID NOT RECORD STATSSEASONCAREER ..............................1 18 0 18

#39 BRAYDEN BLACKMON ......TE2021Game No Yds TD Longat Wofford ......................................1 3 1 3SEASON .................................... 1 3 1 3

#41 CALEB SCOTT ..................TE2021Game No Yds TD Longat Wofford ......................................1 7 0 7SEASON .................................... 1 7 0 7

#80 SHAMMOND HICKS ... WR2021Game No Yds TD Long..........................................SEASON

2020 (@UNC Pembroke)SEASON .................................. 14 161 4 48




CAREER ........................... 69 898 8 79

#81 KENDALL ALFORD ...... WR2021Game No Yds TD Long

SEASON ......................................

#84 OWEN COSENKE .............TE2021Game No Yds TD Longat Gardner-Webb ..........................3 23 0 12Mercer ...........................................1 13 0 13at Wofford ......................................1 7 0 7Furman .........................................2 12 1 7SEASON ....................................7 55 1 13

2020-21Game No Yds TD Longat Liberty ......................................5 56 0 30at EKU ............................................1 4 0 4at North Carolina ..........................2 44 0 40at Furman ......................................1 4 0 4SEASON ................................... 9 108 0 40

2019Game No Yds TD LongMercer ..........................................6 63 1 16North Greenville ............................1 15 0 15at Chattanooga.............................3 30 1 17Gardner-Webb ...............................1 8 0 8at The Citadel ...............................2 13 0 9at Wofford ......................................1 19 0 19Furman ..........................................1 3 0 3at VMI ............................................1 21 0 21ETSU ..............................................1 18 0 18Samford .........................................1 10 0 10at Alabama ...................................4 46 0 17SEASON ................................. 22 246 2 21

2018Game No Yds TD LongNewberry .......................................1 7 0 7at Gardner-Webb ..........................2 24 1 15VMI ...............................................3 55 1 23at Furman .....................................2 22 2 13at Samford ....................................3 36 1 21at Mercer ......................................2 8 1 5at #25 ETSU..................................6 66 2 25#14 Wofford ..................................2 13 0 8at North Carolina ..........................2 30 0 25SEASON ................................. 23 261 8 25

2017Game No Yds TD Longat Hawai’i .....................................3 28 0 14#17 Samford..................................2 24 0 21at #5 Wofford ................................1 16 0 16ETSU ..............................................1 3 1 3at VMI ............................................1 5 0 5at North Carolina ...........................1 6 0 6SEASON ................................... 9 82 1 21

CAREER ..................................70 752 12 40

#85 TALON JAMES ................TE2021Game No Yds TD Longat The Citadel ...............................3 17 0 10SEASON ....................................3 17 0 10

#86 DAQUAN PATTEN ....... WR2021Game No Yds TD Longat #4 Oklahoma .............................1 6 0 6at Gardner-Webb ..........................3 47 0 25at #19 Chattanooga .......................1 25 0 25at Wofford .....................................2 10 0 7Furman ..........................................1 32 0 32SEASON ....................................8 120 0 32

2020-21Game No Yds TD Longat Liberty ......................................2 24 0 14at Furman ......................................1 5 0 5at Samford .....................................1 8 0 8VMI ...............................................2 55 0 44SEASON ................................... 6 92 0 44

2019Game No Yds TD LongMercer ..........................................6 74 1 33North Greenville ......................... 12 82 0 11at Chattanooga.............................2 5 0 5Gardner-Webb ..............................2 2 0 5at The Citadel ...............................9 98 0 36at Wofford .....................................2 9 0 6Furman .........................................3 35 0 18at VMI ...........................................5 103 1 42ETSU .............................................2 11 0 9Samford ........................................2 7 0 9at Alabama ...................................1 7 0 7SEASON ................................. 46 433 2 42

2018Game No Yds TD LongNewberry ......................................4 92 0 51at Gardner-Webb ..........................3 9 1 3VMI ............................................... 7 81 1 32at Furman .....................................6 159 2 50at Samford ....................................2 11 0 7at Mercer ......................................5 62 0 36at #25 ETSU..................................3 40 1 29The Citadel ...................................3 80 0 48#14 Wofford ..................................3 19 0 8at North Carolina ..........................3 14 0 10SEASON ................................. 39 567 5 51

CAREER ........................... 99 1,212 7 51

#87 DYLAN ABERNETHY ... WR2021Game No Yds TD Long........................................................SEASON ......................................

2020-21Game No Yds TD Longat Liberty .......................................1 10 0 10at EKU ............................................1 5 0 5at Mercer ......................................2 15 0 8at ETSU .........................................3 25 0 11SEASON ....................................7 55 0 11

CAREER ............................. 7 55 0 11

#88 LUKE SUTTON ............WR2021Game No Yds TD Long

SEASON ......................................

2020-21Game No Yds TD Longat Liberty ......................................2 7 0 6at Furman ......................................1 13 0 13at Samford ....................................2 5 0 4The Citadel ...................................2 8 0 6at Mercer ......................................2 -1 0 4SEASON ................................... 9 32 0 13

CAREER ............................. 9 32 0 13



DYLAN ABERNETHYReceptions ....................................3, at ETSU (20-21)Receiving Yards ...................25 yds, at ETSU (20-21)

BRANSON ADAMSRushes ..................................3, 3x – MERCER (2021)Rushing Yards ....... 13 yds, twice – at Gardner-Webb (2021)Receptions ..................2, at #19 Chattanooga (2021)Receiving Yards ...10yds, at #19 Chattanooga (2021)

CLAYTON BARDALLReceptions ...................... 4, 2x – at Samford (20-21)Receiving Yards ....................... 74, SAMFORD (2019)Receiving TDs .............2, 2x: MR – at Liberty (2020)Long Reception ................... 44 yds, at ETSU (20-21)

KENNY BENJAMINRushes ........................................ 15, MERCER (2021)Rushing Yards .............................70, MERCER (2021) Receptions ........... 6, 3X – MR: at The Citadel (2021)Receiving Yards .................126 yds, FURMAN (2021)Long Reception .................. 85 yds, FURMAN (2021)

BRAYDEN BLACKMONReceptions ................................. 1, at Wofford (2021)Receiving Yards .........................3, at Wofford (2021)Receiving TDs ............................ 1, at Wofford (2021)

OWEN COSENKEReceptions ............... 6, 2X: MR – MERCER (2019)Receiving Yards ................... 66, at #25 ETSU (2018)Long Reception .... 40 yds, at North Carolina (2020)Receiving TDs .... 2, twice: MR – at #25 ETSU (2018)

CARLOS DAVISCompletions .......................31, at The Citadel (2021)Passing Yards ................ 401 yds, at The Citadel (2021)Passing TDs ............................3, at The Citadel (2021)Rushes ...................................... 11, MERCER (2021)Rushing Yards ............... 27 yds, at Oklahoma (2021)

MILLER DeARMONDReceptions ................................................................Receiving Yards ........................................................

KEENAN HAMBRICKReceptions ...............................4, at Samford (20-21)Receiving Yards .................... 42, at Samford (20-21)Longest Reception...........14 yds, at Samford (20-21)

RAEKWON HEATHReceptions ........................... 4, THE CITADEL (20-21)Receiving Yards .................... 65, at Samford (20-21)Receiving TDs ............................... 1, at ETSU (20-21)Longest Reception.......... 47 yds, at Samford (20-21)

TERRENCE HORNEReceptions ......................3, at Gardner-Webb (2021)Receiving Yards ................... 71 yds, FURMAN (2021)Receiving TDs .................1, at #19 Chattanooga (2021)Kickoff Return Yards ...................81, FURMAN (2021)

BRANDON DICKERSONPunts .............................. 10, 2x – MR: at EKU (2020)Long Punt ....................... 59 yds, at NC State (2019)

PAXTON ROBERTSONKickoffs ....... 7, twice; MR – at Gardner-Webb (2021)Touchbacks ..........................................3, EKU (2021)Long FG Made .......................52 yds, at EKU (2020)Punts ..........................................8, at Furman (2021)Long Punt ......................... 55 yds, at Furman (2021)

CURTIS ROACHTwo-Point Conversion ....... 1, at Chattanooga (2019)Fake FG Rush ............ 11 yds, at Chatanooga (2019)

RICHARD MCCOLLUMKickoffs ................................................ 9, VMI (2018)Field Goals Made ............. 2, 5x – MR: at Wofford (2021)Long FG Made ................. 45 yds, at Samford (2021)Long FG Attempted ........... 51 yds, at Liberty (2020)PATS Made ...........................6, at The Citadel (2021)ACTIVE Consecutive PATs ..................................... 44

KEVIN THOMPSONTackles ............................. 1, GARDNER-WEBB (2019)

– WCU SPECIALISTS –TALON JAMES

Receptions ...........................3, at The Citadel (2021)Receiving Yards .................. 17, at The Citadel (2021)

CALVIN JONESRushes ..................................1, 4x; at Mercer (20-21)Rushing Yards .......................... 14, at Mercer (20-21)Receptions ............................... 7, at Samford (20-21)Receiving Yards .........................69, FURMAN (2021)Long Reception .............72 yards, at Wofford (2021)Kickoff Return Yards ...133, at #19 Chattanooga (2021)Punt Return Yards .................... 12, at Mercer (20-21)

T.J. JONESRushes ................................................17, EKU (2021)Rushing Yards ...................................115, EKU (2021)Receptions ......................6, at Gardner-Webb (2021)Receiving Yards .......................53, SAMFORD (2021)100-yd Rushing Games ........................................... 2

KASON LINCKECompletions ..................3, at North Carolina (2020)Passing Yards ...............21, at North Carolina (2020)Rushes ...........................8, at North Carolina (2020)Rushing Yards ............... 17, at North Carolina (2020)

TYREE NELSONRushes .................................... 3, at Samford (20-21)Rushing Yards ..........................4, at Samford (20-21)Receptions ............................. 1, at Oklahoma (2021)Receiving Yards .............18 yds, at Oklahoma (2021)Kickoff Return Yds ...................83, at Mercer (20-21)

DAQUAN PATTENReceptions ....................... 12, N. GREENVILLE (2019)Receiving Yards ..................... 159, at Furman (2018)100-yard Receiving Games ..................................... 2Long Reception ...............51 yds, NEWBERRY (2018)Receiving TDs ............................2, at Furman (2018)Punt Returns ........................................ 3, VMI (2018)Punt Return Yds ........37 yds, CHATTANOOGA (2018)All-Purpose Yards ....219 yds, N. GREENVILLE (2019)

JAKOBE QUILLENReceptions ..............................3, at The Citadel (2021)Receiving Yards .................69, at The Citadel (2021)

CALEB SCOTTReceptions ................................... 1, at Wofford (2021)Receiving Yards ......................... 7, at Wofford (2021)

MIKAI STANLEYRushes .......................... 11, at North Carolina (2020)Rushing Yards ....................65, THE CITADEL (20-21)Long Rush ........................21 yds, at Samford (20-21)Rushing TDs ........ 1, twice: MR: THE CITADEL (20-21)Receptions ..................... 1, 3x – MR: at ETSU (20-21)Receiving Yards .....................9 yds, at ETSU (20-21)

CATAMOUNT CAREER, SINGLE-GAME HIGHS – OFFENSE & SPECIAL TEAMS (AT WCU)

LUKE SUTTONReceptions ................. 2, 4x – MR: at Mercer (20-21)Receiving Yards ...................... 13, at Furman (20-21)

MYDREON VINESReceptions .................................3, SAMFORD (2021)Receiving Yards ............86, at Gardner-Webb (2021)

ROGAN WELLSCompletions ................. 37, at Gardner-Webb (2021)Pass Attempts ...............58, at Gardner-Webb (2021)Passing Yards ............. 427, at Gardner-Webb (2021)Passing TDs ...............................3, SAMFORD (2021)Rushes ..................................... 16, SAMFORD (2021)Rushing Yards ........................ 120, SAMFORD (2021)

CJ WILLIAMSReceptions .............................2, at Oklahoma (2021)Receiving Yards .......... 39 yds, at The Citadel (2021)

RAPHAEL WILLIAMSReceptions ............................... 16, at Wofford (2021)Receiving Yards ......................177, at Wofford (2021)Receiving TDs ............2, 2X: MR – at Wofford (2021)Double-digit Reception Games .............................. 3100-yd Receiving Games ........................................ 4



MARLON ALEXANDERTackles ...................................... 5, at Wofford (2021)Tackles for Loss ..................... 2.0, at Wofford (2021)Sacks ...................................... 1.0, at Wofford (2021)

DARRIUS BELLTackles ................................. 8, THE CITADEL (20-21)Tackles for Loss .................. 1.0, at Oklahoma (2021)

TREVOR CHILDERSTackles ..................................... 16, SAMFORD (2019)TFL ............................................ 2.0, MERCER (2019)Sacks ........................... 1.0, 2x – MR: at UNC (2020)Interceptions .................................. 1, at EKU (2020)Double-Digit Tackle Gms ........................................ 6

CALEB FISHERTackles .......................................5, SAMFORD (2021)Tackle for Loss ........................2.0, SAMFORD (2021)

JAYLEN FLOYDTackles .................................................3, EKU (2021)

CHARLES GADIETackles ...................................8, at Oklahoma (2021)TFL .......................................... 1.0, at Wofford (2021)Sacks ...................................... 1.0, at Wofford (2021)

ROD GATTISONTackles .................................................7, VMI (20-21)Tackles for Loss ........................... 2, MERCER (2021)Interceptions ................1, 3X – MR: at Wofford (2021)Sacks ............................................1, MERCER (2021)

AARON GETHERSTackles ..................4, 3x – MR: THE CITADEL (20-21)Interceptions .................................. 1, at EKU (2020)Pass Breakups .................................... 3, VMI (20-21)

JAQUARIUS GUINNTackles .......................................5, at Mercer (20-21)Tackle for Loss ..................................... 1, EKU (2021)Sacks ................................... 0.5, at Samford (20-21)

WILLIE HAMPTONTackles ......................................8, at Furman (20-21)Tackles for Loss .................... 1.0, at Samford (20-21)Sack ...................................... 1.0, at Samford (20-21)Pass Breakup .................. 1, 2x – MR: Mercer (20-21)Fumbles Forced .....1, 2x – MR: THE CITADEL (20-21)

JACOB HARRISTackles ........................................ 11, FURMAN (2021)Tackle for Loss .......1.0, 2x – MR: at Samford (20-21)Sack ....................................... 1.0, at Furman (20-21)Interceptions ........................1, 2x – FURMAN (2021)Blocked Kick ................................. 1, MERCER (2021)Double-Digit Tackle Gms ........................................ 2

TY HARRISTackles ...................................... 17, SAMFORD (2019)Tackle for Loss ................................4.0, ETSU (2019)Sacks ................................ 1.5, 2x – MR: VMI (20-21)Interceptions ........ 1, twice: MR – at Samford (2018)Fumble Recovery ............ 1, at Gardner-Webb (2021)Double-Digit Tackle Gms .......................................15

LAQUAVION HAYNESTackles ..................................... 7, at Samford (20-21)Tackle for Loss ..................................1.0, VMI (20-21)

IVAN HOGANSTackles ........................................10, FURMAN (2021)Tackle for Loss .......................3.0, MERCER (2021)Sacks .................1.0, 3X – MR: at The Citadel (2021)Double-Digit Tackle Gms ........................................ 6

TIMOTHY JAMISONTackles ......................................5, at Furman (20-21)Sack .............................................. 1, MERCER (2021)Blkd Kick (PAT) ......................1, THE CITADEL (20-21)

ANDREAS KEATONTackles .................................................8, EKU (2021)Interceptions .............................2, SAMFORD (2021)Pass Break-up ...................................... 1, EKU (2021)

RONALD KENT JR.Tackles ................................... 9, at #25 ETSU (2018)Tackle for Loss ................1.0, CHATTANOOGA (2018)Pass Breakups ................4, at Gardner-Webb (2018)Interceptions .................1, twice – SAMFORD (2021)Fumbles Forced ....................1, 2x – FURMAN (2021)Fumble Recovery ..............................1, at VMI (2019)

NIGEL MANNSTackles ....................................... 3, at Liberty (2020)Fumble Recovery ............1, at North Carolina (2020)Touchdowns ...................1, at North Carolina (2020)

CAMERON McCUTCHEONTackles .......................... 7, 2x – MR: FURMAN (2021)Interceptions ..............................1, SAMFORD (2021)Pass Break-Up ....................... 1, at Oklahoma (2021)

K.J. MILNERTackles .......................... 7, 3x; MR – FURMAN (2021)Sack ..................1.0, 2X: MR - N. GREENVILLE (2019)Tackle for Loss: ............2.5, at Gardner-Webb (2021)Pass Break-Up ....................1,CHATTANOOGA (2018)Fumble Recovery ... 1, twice; MR – at Gardner-Webb (2021)

CHRIS MORGANTackles ........................... 5, at #19 Chattanooga (2021)Tackles for Loss .........................1.0, FURMAN (2021)Sack ...........................................1.0, FURMAN (2021)

MICAH NELSONTackles ................................. 9, THE CITADEL (20-21)Tackles for Loss ........ 1, twice – MR: MERCER (2021)Fumble Recovery ..........................1, FURMAN (2021)

NICK OELRICHTackles ...................3, twice – MR: SAMFORD (2021)Fumbles Recovered ...................... 1, MERCER (2021)

RICKY PALAOTackles ..................................11, THE CITADEL (2018)Tackles for Loss ..............1.5, CHATTANOOGA (2018)Sacks .................1.0, 2X – MR: at The Citadel (2021)Fumble Recovery ...... 1, 2X – MR: at The Citadel (2021)Touchdowns ................................... 1, at EKU (2020)Double-Digit Tackle Gms .........................................1

JAYDEN PAULINGTackles ...................... 8, 2X: MR – SAMFORD (2019)TFL ................................................2.5, at VMI (2019)Sacks ......................................2.0, SAMFORD (2019)Fumbles Forced .........................3, SAMFORD (2019)Fumble Recovery ..............................1, at VMI (2019)Blocked FG .........................................1, ETSU (2019)

GIOVANNI RICCIARDITackles ........................... 3, at #19 Chattanooga (2021)

WILLIE RICETackles .......................................2, SAMFORD (2021)

MALIK RICHARDSONTackles ......................................................................Tackle for Loss ..........................................................

CURTIS ROACHTackles ...........................8, at North Carolina (2020)Tackles for Loss ......................1.0, DAVIDSON (2017)Interceptions ............................ 1, at Furman (20-21)Fumble Recovery ............... 1, at Chattanooga (2017)Rushing Yds ......................11, at Chattanooga (2019)Scoring ....................... 2 pts, at Chattanooga (2019)

LA ROGERS-ANDERSONTackles .......................................8, SAMFORD (2021)Tackle for Loss ............ 1.0, 3x – MR: at ETSU (20-21)

DEMORIAN SMITHTackles ......................................1, at Alabama (2019)

TORRION STEVENSONTackles .......................................6, SAMFORD (2019)Tackles for Loss ................0.5, at The Citadel (2019)

QUINTIN TALLEYTackles ............................8, 2x – MR: at UNC (2020)Blocked Kick .............................. 1, at Mercer (20-21)

KAREEM TAYLORTackles ....................................... 15, FURMAN (2021)TFL ....................................2.0, at The Citadel (2021)Sacks ......................... 1.0, 2x – MR: FURMAN (2021)FF / FR............................................SAMFORD (2021)Double-Digit Tackle Gms ........................................ 6

SKYLIN THOMASTackles ...................................... 2, at Wofford (2021)

CATAMOUNT CAREER, SINGLE-GAME HIGHS – DEFENSE (AT WCU)



CULLOWHEE – Trailing by three in the waning moments of the 2021 season-opener, Western Carolina moved into field goal range on a pair of Rogan Wells completions to Raphael Williams to set up second-year freshman placekicker Paxton Robertson for a game-tying field goal. However, his career-long attempt of 56 yards fell just short of the crossbar as Eastern Kentucky held on for the 31-28 victory at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.

Wells threw for 275 yards and a touchdown while adding 67 yards and a score on the ground in opening his fifth season on the gridiron, the first at WCU. Williams led eight WCU receivers with eight catches for a game-high 122 yards including 31 coming on the final drive. Running back TJ Jones rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown, adding 31 receiving yards and a second score while backfield counterpart Kenny Benjamin caught six passes for 56 yards and 36 yards on the ground.

EKU tailback Da'Joun Hewitt rushed for 76 yards and three scores to lead the way for the Colonels who earned their second-straight victory over WCU after ending the 2020 fall season with win in Richmond, Ky. Quarterback Parker McKinney completed 20-of-28 passes for 238 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the win as Mo Edwards Jr., caught six passes for 103 yards and a nine-yard touchdown.

In a game that saw 860 yards of total offense, it was special teams that ultimately was the deciding factor in the season-opener for both teams. EKU's Patrick Nations hit what proved to be a game-winning 21-yard field goal with 11:09 remaining in the fourth quarter to push the Colonels up 11, 31-20.

WCU also saw a pair of impressive first-quarter drives end in field goals as Richard McCollum split the uprights twice from 26 and 34 yards away as the Catamounts took an early 6-0 lead.

But the biggest of the turning points in the game occurred just before halftime.With the Catamounts leading 13-7 after a Wells-to-Jones touchdown hook-up, WCU was again driving

inside the final five minutes of the opening half and had moved inside the Colonel 20-yard line. Wells looked to fire a pass into the left flat, but his receiver turned to the inside leaving the defender – Roy Baker – in a perfect position for the interception. EKU cashed in the 78-yard interception return four plays later on Hewitt's second scoring plunge from a yard out to give the visitors a 14-13 lead at intermission.

EKU pulled ahead by eight, 21-13, midway through the third quarter before Jones capped a nine-play, 92-yard scoring drive for the Catamounts with a two-yard romp to pull WCU back within a point, 21-20, before Hewitt's third touchdown gave the Colonels a 28-20 lead headed to the final frame, setting up the finish.

NORMAN, OK – Spencer Rattler threw for 243 yards and five touchdowns in the first half as fourth-ranked Oklahoma rebounded from a sluggish season opener against Tulane, downing Western Carolina 76-0 on Saturday night at Gaylord Family – Oklahoma Memorial Stadium.

Rattler finished 20-for-26 and added four carries for 29 yards despite one sack. Jadon Haselwood caught four passes for 19 yards and two touchdowns while Mario Williams had four catches for 49 yards and a score. Jaden Knowles and Todd Hudson both rushed for two scores for the Sooners.

Catamount QB Rogan Wells finished 16-for-29 with 86 yards passing while back-up Carlos Davis went 5-for-7 with 37 yards and an interception. Kenny Benjamin led the team with six receptions for 34 yards as 13 different Catamounts recorded a reception. Defensively, Ivan Hogans and Charles Gadie both finished with a team-best eight tackles, Hogans posting a pair of TFLs including a sack.

After the Catamounts opening drive stalled following a 21-yard reception by C.J. Williams, Oklahoma got on the board on a seven-yard pass from Rattler to Haselwood. Gabe Brkic tied a career-high with a 56-yard field goal to give the Sooners a 10-0 lead at the 6:56 mark. Oklahoma added a 20-yard touchdown pass from Rattler to Eric Gray for a 17-0 lead after the opening quarter.

A Kennedy Brooks 1-yard touchdown run opened the second quarter and gave the Sooners a 24-0 lead. Oklahoma capitalized on a failed fourth down conversion for WCU with a four-yard touchdown pass from Rattler to Mike Woods to lead 31-0 with just over 12 minutes left in the half. The Sooners added a 10-yard touchdown pass from Rattler to Mario Williams and a Ratter pitch-and-catch to Jadon Haselwood from six yards out to cap a 28 point second quarter for a 45-0 lead at halftime.

Knowles capped off Oklahoma's first drive of the second half with a one-yard rush, but the key play in the drive was a 59-yard run scamper by backup quarterback Caleb Williams from the Sooner 25-yard line to the WCU 16. Zach Schmit added a 46-yard field goal at the 8:15 mark to give the hosts a 55-0 lead. Knowles added a 29-yard touchdown run with 3:43 remaining in the frame. Hudson Todd added two fourth quarter rushing touchdowns of six and two yards for the game's final score.

Oklahoma outgained WCU offensively 624-to-178 on the day as the Catamounts threw for 123 yards and rushed for 55. The Sooners threw for 347 yards, adding 277 on the ground.

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 ScoreEastern Kentucky 7 7 14 3 31 Record: (1-0)Western Carolina 6 7 7 8 28 Record (0-1)

Scoring Summary:1st 11:43 WCU Richard McCollum 26 yd field goal – 12-66 yds – 3:17 EKU 0 WCU 3 9:13 WCU RichardMcCollum 34 yd field goal – 5-50 yds – 1:10 EKU 0 WCU 6 4:56 EKU Da'Joun Hewitt,Da'Joun 3 yd run (Nations kick) – 10-75 yds – 4:17 EKU 7 WCU 62nd 6:42 WCU Jones,TJ 18 yd pass from Wells, Rogan (McCollum kick) – 8-52 yds – 3:29 EKU 7 WCU 13 0:19 EKU Hewitt,Da'Joun 1 yd run (Nations,Patrick kick), 4-7 yds – 1:28 EKU 14 WCU 133rd 7:20 EKU Edwards Jr., Mo 9 yd pass from McKinney,Parker (Nations kick) – 5-57 yds – 2:13 EKU 21 WCU 13 4:17 WCU Jones,TJ 2 yd run (McCollum,Richard kick), 9-92 yds – 2:57 EKU 21 WCU 20 2:20 EKU Da'Joun Hewitt, 18 yd run (Nations kick) – 5-72 yds – 1:50 EKU 28 WCU 204th 11:09 EKU Patrick Nations, 21 yd field goal – 10-46 yds – 4:01 EKU 31 WCU 20 3:18 WCU Rogan Wells, 1 yd run (Williams,CJ pass) – 13-79 yds – 4:27 EKU 31 WCU 28

EKU WCUFIRST DOWNS ................................................. 23 31RUSHES-YARDS (NET) ..................................... 37-123 38-226PASSING YDS (NET) ........................................ 238 275Passes Att-Comp-Int.............................................. 28-20-1 45-24-2TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS ....................... 65-361 83-501Fumble Returns-Yards ........................................... 1-19 0-0Punt Returns-Yards ................................................ 0-0 2-37Kickoff Returns-Yards ............................................ 2-43 2-32Interception Returns-Yards .................................... 2-78 1-0Punts (Number-Avg) .............................................. 6-39.7 3-37.3Fumbles-Lost ......................................................... 1-0 2-0Penalties-Yards ...................................................... 9-82 11-63Possession Time ................................................... 30:46 29:14Third-Down Conversions ...................................... 3 of 11 4 of 12Fourth-Down Conversions .................................... 0 of 0 1 of 2Red-Zone Scores-Chances .................................... 5-5 5-6Sacks By: Number-Yards ....................................... 1-3 0-0

RUSHING: EKU – Da'Joun Hewitt 22-78; Parker McKinney 11-35; Cord Sandberg 1-12; Kyeandre Magloire 2-7; TEAM 1-minus 9. WCU – TJ Jones 17-115; Rogan Wells 8-67; Kenny Benjamin 11-36; Mikai Stanley 1-4; CJ Williams.

PASSING: EKU – Parker McKinney 20-28-1-238. WCU – Rogan Wells 24-44-2-275; TEAM 0-1-0-0.

RECEIVING: EKU – Mo Edwards Jr. 5-89; Jaden Smith 5-56; Matt Wilcox Jr. 5-51; Da'Joun Hewitt 2-5; Ethan Bednarczyk 1-23; Dakota Allen; Bryant Johnson 1-5. WCU – Raphael Williams 8-122; Kenny Benjamin 6-56; TJ Jones 3-31; Calvin Jones 2-19; Terrence Horne 2-15; Clayton Bardall 1-15; Raekwon Heath 1-13; Mydreon Vines 1-4.

INTERCEPTIONS: EKU – Roy Baker 1-78; Jaden Woods 1-19; WCU – Andreas Keaton 1-0.FUMBLES: EKU – TEAM 1-0. WCU – TEAM 1-0; Wells,Rogan 1-0.SACKS (UA-A): EKU – Ubong Udom 1-0. WCU – None.TACKLES (UA-A): EKU – Matthew Jackson 8-3; Kyle Bailey 7-3; Eli Hairston 3-4; Kelton Dawson 4-0; Roland Walder 3-0; Joseph Sayles 2-1; Ubong Udom 2-1; Jaden Woods 2-1; Quinten Floyd 1-2; Kmare Carey 2-0; Kaleb Lundy 2-0; Madison Norris 2-0; Roy Baker 1-1; Davion Ross 1-1; Ryan Jackson 0-2; John Blunt, Jr. 1-0; Nic Cheeley 1-0; Bryant Johnson 1-0; Elijah Ford 1-0; Jadyn Bost 1-0; Josh Hayes. WCU – Kareem Taylor 6-4; Ivan Hogans 6-3; Andreas Keaton 7-1; Jacob Harris 2-4; Micah Nelson 2-3; Jaylen Floyd 3-0; LA Rogers-Anderson 1-2; Ronald Kent Jr. 1-2; Trevor Childers 0-3; Jayden Pauling 1-1; Jaquarius Guinn 0-2; Marlon Alexander 0-2; Mydreon Vines 1-0; Ricky Palao 1-0; Nick Oelrich 1-0; TJ Jones 1-0; Cameron McCutcheon 1-0; Aaron Gethers 1-0; Ty Harris 1-0; KJ Milner 1-0; Kenny Benjamin 1-0; Rod Gattison 1-0;Morgan,Chris 0-1.

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 ScoreWestern Carolina 0 0 0 0 0 Record: (0-2)No. 4/4 Oklahoma 17 28 17 14 76 Record: (2-0)

Scoring Summary:1st 10:28 OK Haselwood,Jadon 7 yd pass from (Brkic,Gabe kick) – 8-70 yds – 2:17 WCU 0 OK 7 6:56 OK Brkic,Gabe 56 yd field goal – 5-33 yds – 1:44 WCU 0 OK 10 5:04 OK Gray,Eric 20 yd pass from (Brkic,Gabe kick) – 3-58 yds – 0:57 WCU 0 OK 172nd 14:57 OK Brooks,Kennedy 1 yd run (Brkic,Gabe kick) – 10-65 yds – 3:19 WCU 0 OK 24 12:58 OK Woods,Mike 4 yd pass from (Brkic,Gabe kick) – 4-31 yds – 1:04 WCU 0 OK 31 8:11 OK Williams,Mario 10 yd pass from (Brkic,Gabe kick) – 10-78 yds – 3:28 WCU 0 OK 38 1:54 OK Haselwood,Jadon 6 yd pass from (Brkic,Gabe kick) – 7-60 yds – 2:56 WCU 0 OK 453rd 11:52 OK Knowles,Jaden 1 yd run (Schmit,Zach kick) – 8-75 yds – 3:08 WCU 0 OK 52 8:15 OK Schmit,Zach 46 yd field goal, 5-10 yds – 2:15 WCU 0 OK 55 3:43 OK Knowles,Jaden 29 yd run (Schmit,Zach kick), 2-50 yds – 0:56 WCU 0 OK 624th 10:42 OK Hudson,Todd 6 yd run (Schmit,Zach kick), 6-73 yds – 6:11 WCU 0 OK 69 1:36 OK Hudson,Todd 2 yd run (Schmit,Zach kick) – 6–25 yds – 3:14 WCU 0 OK 76

WCU OKLAFIRST DOWNS ................................................. 11 31RUSHES-YARDS (NET) ..................................... 27-55 38-277PASSING YDS (NET) ........................................ 123 347Passes Att-Comp-Int.............................................. 36-21-1 38-27-0TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS ....................... 63-178 76-624Fumble Returns-Yards ........................................... 0-0 0-0Punt Returns-Yards ................................................ 0-16 0-20Kickoff Returns-Yards ............................................ 3-79 0-0Interception Returns-Yards .................................... 0-0 1-37Punts (Number-Avg) .............................................. 8-35.2 1-57.0Fumbles-Lost ......................................................... 4-2 1-0Penalties-Yards ...................................................... 4-30 6-61Possession Time ................................................... 27:01 32:59Third-Down Conversions ...................................... 3 of 15 8 of 12Fourth-Down Conversions .................................... 1 of 3 1 of 1Red-Zone Scores-Chances .................................... 0-0 9-9Sacks By: Number-Yards ....................................... 2-7 4-19

RUSHING: WCU – Carlos Davis 3-27; Mikai Stanley 5-17; Branson Adams 3-13; Kenny Benjamin 6-10; Jones,TJ 4-10; Tyree Nelson 1-1; Rogan Wells 5-minus 23. OK – Eric Gray 9-74; Caleb Williams 4-60; Kennedy Brooks 6-48; Jaden Knowles 4-37; Spencer Rattler 4-29; Todd Hudson 9-25; Jeremiah Hall 1-6; TEAM 1-minus 2.PASSING: WCU – Rogan Wells 16-29-0-86; Carlos Davis 5-7-1-37; OK – Spencer Rattler 20-26-0-243; Caleb Williams 5-10-0-84; Ralph Rucker 2-2-0-20.RECEIVING: WCU – Kenny Benjamin 6-34; CJ Williams 2-28; TJ Jones 2-10; Calvin Jones 2-2; Tyree Nelson 1-18; Jakobe Quillen 1-8; Daquan Patten 1-6; Mydreon Vines 1-5; Raphael Williams 1-5; Branson Adams 1-3; Clayton Bardall 1-2; Raekwon Heath 1-2; Terrence Horne 1-0. OK – Mario Williams 4-49; Jadon Haselwood 4-19; Cody Jackson 3-31; Jackson Sumlin 3-19; Jaden Knowles 2-65; Brayden Willis 2-51; Mike Woods 2-8; Eric Gray 1-20; Marvin Mims 1-19; Brian Darby 1-16; Jeremiah Hall 1-16; Drake Stoops 1-13; Austin Stogner 1-13; Carsten Groos 1-8.INTERCEPTIONS: WCU –none. OK – Brys Washington, 1-37.FUMBLES: WCU – Kenny Benjamin 1-0; Carlos Davis 1-1; Rogan Wells 1-0; Calvin Jones 1-1. OK – Marvin Mims 1-0.SACKS (UA-A): WCU – Ivan Hogans 1-2; Jayden Pauling 0.5-3; Chris Morgan 0.5-2. OK – Perrion Winfrey 1.5-5; Isaiah Thomas 1-7, Isaiah Coe 1-3; Reggie Grimes 0.5-4.TACKLES (UA-A): WCU – Ivan Hogans 4-4; Charles Gadie 4-4; Jacob Harris 4-3; Cam McCutcheon 3-4; Ronald Kent Jr. 2-2; Ty Harris 2-2; Kareem Taylor 1-3; Andreas Keaton 0-4; Nick Oelrich 3-0; Quintin Talley 2-1; Rod Gattison 2-0; KJ Milner 1-1; Jayden Pauling 1-1; Trevor Childers 1-1; Chris Morgan 0-2; Carlos Davis 1-0; Gio Ricciardi 1-0; Caleb Fisher 1-0; Darrius Bell 1-0;Aaron Gethers 1-0; Micah Nelson 1-0; LA Rogers-Anderson 1-0; Marlon Alexander 0-1; Jaylen Floyd 0-1. OK – Danny Stut-sman 7-1; Del Turner-Yell 3-0; Isaiah Thomas 2-1; Shane Whitter 2-1; DJ Graham 2-1; Brian Asamoah 1-2; Damond Harmond 1-2; Brys Washington 1-2; Jalen Redmond 2-0; Justin Broiles 2-0; Jaden Davis 2-0; Jordan Kelley 2-0; Ethan Downs 2-0; Perrion Winfrey 1-1; Isaiah Coe 1-1; Jordan Mukes 1-1; Jeremiah Criddell 1-1; DaShaun White 1-1; Kelvin Gilliam 1-1; Josh Ellison 0-2; Caleb Kelly 1-0; Bryan Mead 1-0; Billy Bowman 1-0; Joshua Eaton 1-0; LaRon Stokes 1-0; Latrell McCutchin 1-0.

GAME TWO • SAT., SEPT. 11, 2021 • NORMAN, OKLA. (83,538)

WESTERN CAROLINA 0#4/4 OKLAHOMA 76

GAME ONE • SAT., SEPT. 4, 2021 • CULLOWHEE (9,647)

EASTERN KENTUCKY 31WESTERN CAROLINA 28



CULLOWHEE – Trailing 21-3 early in the second quarter, Western Carolina stormed back with 28-straight points to seize a 10-point, 31-21, lead late in the third stanza in Saturday's Family Weekend matchup with Samford. However, the Bulldogs rallied with three-consecutive scores in building an 11-point edge and then held off a late Catamount comeback attempt to escape E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field with a 42-37 win in the first Southern Conference game of the season.

Saturday's game was marred by a two-hour lightning delay midway through the first quarter and a persistent drizzle that peppered the proceedings much of the afternoon. All told, the two teams combined for 188 total plays – 97 by WCU and 91 for Samford – with a combined 1,030 yards of offense including 527 by Samford and 503 by the home squad.

Catamount fifth-year transfer quarterback Rogan Wells amassed 441 yards of total offense includ-ing 321 passing and a game-high 120 on the ground in the loss. Wells finished 25-of-57 with a trio of touchdowns including two to Raphael Williams who finished with a game-high 132 yards receiving on eight catches. Running back TJ Jones added 108 total yards with 55 yards and a two-yard touchdown rush on the ground and five catches for 53 through the air.

Samford QB Liam Welch threw for 352 yards on 27-of-48 passing for 352 yards and one touchdown while tailback DeMarcus Ware rushed for 118 yards and three scores including the deciding score late in the fourth quarter. Montrell Washington accounted for 187 all-purpose yards and two touchdowns, one on a 33-yard reception in the second quarter and an eight-yard reverse early in the fourth quarter that put the Bulldogs ahead for good.

WCU's defense turned Samford (2-1, 1-0 SoCon) over five times on Saturday including four intercep-tions and a scoop-and-score on a sack-fumble midway through the third quarter. The unit also forced a pair of three-and-outs on Samford's final two possessions to give the Catamounts a chance in the waning moments of the game.

Samford turned the ball over three times on its first three possessions of the second half with the Catamounts cashing in two for scores including the Taylor scoop-and-score and TJ Jones punching it in from two yards out after Keaton's second INT. Williams danced his way across the back of the end zone on a 27-yard pitch-and-catch with Wells to push the Catamounts ahead, 31-21, before Welch led Samford back with three-consecutive scores to set the stage for the final push in the fourth quarter.

Richard McCollum scored seven points for WCU on Saturday, splitting the uprights from 25 yards out to put WCU on the board early in the second quarter while tacking on four PATs.

BOILING SPRINGS, NC – Turnovers proved costly on Saturday night as Western Carolina dropped an offensive affair at Gardner-Webb, falling 52-34 at Spangler Stadium. The Runnin' Bulldogs overcame two 10-point second half deficits and finished the game with 28-consectutive points to pull away for the victory in nonconference play.

The two teams combined for 1,202 yards including 650 yards on 99 plays for the Catamounts and 552 yards for Gardner-Webb in Saturday's game.

Catamount graduate transfer quarterback Rogan Wells finished with 540 yards of total offense including a season-best 427 yards passing on 37-of-58 passing with two touchdowns and his second-consecutive 100-yard rushing performance with 113 yards on the ground including an 82-yard touchdown romp that gave WCU its first of two, 10-point third quarter leads, 27-17.

Wells later found Raphael Williams for one of his game-high 11 receptions for a six-yard touchdown that again handed the Catamounts a 10-point cushion, 34-24. However, Gardner-Webb responded by closing the game with 28-straight points including a 36-yard interception return for a touchdown late in the third quarter in pulling away for the victory.

Williams finished with 99 receiving yards, just missing his third 100-yard game of the season. Run-ning back TJ Jones finished with 106 total yards including 55 yards and a score on the ground and six catches for 51 receiving yards. Forest City, N.C., native Calvin Jones finished with three catches for 56 yards while tailback Kenny Benjamin hauled in a 13-yard TD pass as a part of four catches for 26 yards.

Richard McCollum accounted for 10 points with a pair of field goals including a season-long 40 yarder and four PATs.

For Gardner-Webb (2-2), a pair of running backs hit the 100-yard plateau on the ground as Narii Gaither ran for 151 yards and a touchdown and Donovan Jones eclipsed the century mark with 102 yards and a pair of TDs including a game-sealing 79-yard rush late in the fourth quarter.

Western Carolina's defense forced four turnovers on fumbles in the loss. Transfer linebacker Kareem Taylor paced the Catamounts with 11 tackles, his second double-digit tackle effort of the season. Jacob Harris was credited with nine tackles including half a tackle for loss while Ty Harris had eight stops and recovered a fumble. Defensive end K.J. Milner finished with seven total hits including a team-best 2.5 tackles for loss and a fumble recovery on the GWU's first offensive play.

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 ScoreSamford 14 7 7 14 42 Record: (2-1, 1-0 SoCon)Western Carolina 0 10 21 6 37 Record (0-3, 0-1 SoCon)

Scoring Summary:1st 6:09 SAM Ware,DeMarcus 44 yd run (Williams kick) – 2-48 yds – 0:29 SAM 7 WCU 0 0:00 SAM Ware,DeMarcus 4 yd run (Williams kick) – 5-14 yds – 1:19 SAM 14 WCU 02nd 11:24 WCU Richard McCollum 25 yd field goal – 10-67 yds – 3:09 SAM 14 WCU 3 10:29 SAM Washington,Mont 33 yd pass from Welch,Liam (Williams kick) – 4-75 yds – 0:55 SAM 21 WCU 3 0:27 WCU Raphael Williams 14 yd pass from Rogan Wells (McCollum kick) – 7-68 yds – 0:50 SAM 21 WCU 103rd 10:17 WCU Kareem Taylor 16 yd fumble recovery (McCollum kick) SAM 21 WCU 17 8:52 WCU TJ Jones 2 yd run (McCollum kick) – 2-2 yds – 0:29 SAM 21 WCU 24 3:52 WCU Raphael Williams 27 yd pass from Rogan Wells (McCollum kick) – 9-78 yds – 2:48 SAM 21 WCU 31 1:32 SAM Welch,Liam 2 yd run (Williams kick) – 9-42 yds – 2:11 SAM 28 WCU 314th 10:41 SAM Washington,Mont 8 yd run (Williams kick) – 6-89 yds – 2:09 SAM 35 WCU 31 6:27 SAM Ware,DeMarcus 4 yd run (Williams kick) – 9-80 yds – 2:27 SAM 42 WCU 31 4:32 WCU Calvin Jones 52 yd pass from Rogan Wells (pass intcpt) – 7-78 yds – 1:49 SAM 42 WCU 37

SAM WCUFIRST DOWNS ................................................. 26 24RUSHES-YARDS (NET) ..................................... 43-175 40-182PASSING YDS (NET) ........................................ 352 321Passes Att-Comp-Int.............................................. 48-27-4 57-25-3TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS ....................... 91-527 97-503Fumble Returns-Yards ........................................... 1-9 1-16Punt Returns-Yards ................................................ 2-5 2-9Kickoff Returns-Yards ............................................ 5-128 4-93Interception Returns-Yards .................................... 3-19 4-27Punts (Number-Avg) .............................................. 8-39.0 8-43.2Fumbles-Lost ......................................................... 1-1 3-1Penalties-Yards ...................................................... 7-75 11-75Possession Time ................................................... 27:17 32:43Third-Down Conversions ...................................... 6 of 16 11 of 24Fourth-Down Conversions .................................... 0 of 0 1 of 2Red-Zone Scores-Chances .................................... 4-5 3-4Sacks By: Number-Yards ....................................... 3-18 1-3

RUSHING: SAM – DeMarcus Ware 26-118; Liam Welch 9-26; Jay Stanton 6-16; Montrell Washington 2-15. WCU – Rogan Wells 16-120; TJ Jones 16-55; Kenny Benjamin 8-7.PASSING: SAM– Liam Welch 27-48-4-352. WCU – Rogan Wells 25-57-3-321.RECEIVING: SAM – Michael Vice 5-60; Jai'Rus Creamer 4-76; Kendall Watson 3-66; Montrell Washington 3-45; DeMarcus Ware 3-11; Ty King 2-47; Chandler Smith 2-27; JR Tran-Reno 2-11; Jay Stanton; A.J. Toney 1-5. WCU – Raphael Williams 8-132; TJ Jones 5-53; Mydreon Vines 3-27; Kenny Benjamin 3-22; Jakobe Quillen 2-17; Calvin Jones 1-52; Terrence Horne 1-17; Bardall,Clayton 1-9; Rogan Wells 1-minus 8.INTERCEPTIONS: SAM – Noah Martin 1-19; Chris Edmonds 1-0; Wade White 1-0 WCU – Andreas Keaton 2-27; Came McCutcheon 1-0; Ronald Kent Jr. 1-0.FUMBLES: SAM – Liam Welch 1-1. WCU – TJ Jones 2-0; Terrence Horne 1-1.SACKS (UA-A): SAM – Tay Berry 0-1; Nick Jackson 0-1; Lamar Anderson 1-0; Joseph Mera 1-0. WCU – Kareem Taylor 1-0.TACKLES (UA-A): SAM – Trimarcus Cheeks 6-3; Nathan East 6-2; Lamar Anderson 5-1; Seth Simmer 3-3; Coutrell Plair 3-2; Nelson Jordan 2-3; Armond Lloyd 2-3; Sylvaughn Turner 3-1; Wade White 3-1; Josiah Cotton 3-0; Joseph Mera 2-1; Nick Jackson 1-2; Noah Martin 0-3; Jordan Oladokun 2-0; Tay Berry 1-1; Torrence Pollard 1-1; JT May 1-1; Braeden Royal 1-0; Jonathan Moore 1-0; Kourtlan Marsh 1-0; Chandler Smith 1-0; Liam Welch 1-0; Thomas Neville 0-1; Dakota Chapman. WCU – Ty Harris 5-5; Kareem Taylor 5-5; Rogers-Anderson 4-4; Ivan Hogans 3-3; Ronald Kent Jr. 3-3; Jacob Harris 2-4;Micah Nelson 2-4; Came McCutcheon 3-2; Caleb Fisher 1-4; Ricky Palao 1-4; Nick Oelrich 2-1; Rod Gattison 2-0; Jayden Pauling 2-0; Willie Rice 2-0; Marlon Alexander 1-1; Calvin Jones 1-1; Andreas Keaton 1-1; Quintin Talley 0-2; Nigel Manns 1-0; Paxto Robertson 1-0; Kevin Thompson 1-0; Chris Morgan 1-0; Charles Gadie 1-0; TJ Jones 1-0; K.J. Milner 0-1; Curtis Roach 0-1; Timothy Jamison 0-1; Demorian Smith 0-1; Trevor Childers 0-1; Jaquarius Guinn 0-1.

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 ScoreWestern Carolina 3 17 14 0 34 Record (0-4)Gardner-Webb 10 7 28 7 52 Record (2-2)

Scoring Summary:1st 12:37 WCU McCollum 38 yd field goal – 5-13 yds – 1:34 WCU 3 GWU 0 09:10 GWU McKAY, A. 25 yd field goal – 9-67 yds – 3:27 WCU 3 GWU 3 00:02 GWU LUTHER, T.J. 6 yd pass from FISHER, B. (McKAY kick) – 9-56 yds – 2:42 WCU 3 GWU 102nd 09:16 WCU McCollum 40 yd field goal – 4 plays, -3 yards, TOP 1:33 WCU 6 GWU 10 04:55 WCU K. Benjamin 13 yd pass from Rogan Wells (McCollum kick) – 6-58 yards – 2:38 WCU 13 GWU 10 02:40 GWU FISHER, B. 8 yd run (McKAY, A. kick) – 7-70 yds – 2:08 WCU 13 GWU 17 00:26 WCU TJ Jones 3 yd run (McCollum kick) – 11-79 yds – 2:09 WCU 20 GWU 173rd 11:06 WCU Rogan Wells 82 yd run (McCollum kick) – 3-98 yds – 1:03 WCU 27 GWU 17 09:40 GWU GAITHER, N. 18 yd run (McKAY, A. kick) – 3-30 yds – 1:17 WCU 27 GWU 24 08:09 WCU R. Williams 6 yd pass from Rogan Wells (McCollum kick) – 7-83 yds – 1:26 WCU34 GWU 24 06:21 GWU THOMAS, D. 5 yd pass from FISHER, B. (McKAY, A. kick) – 6-66 yds – 1:40 WCU 34 GWU 31 01:46 GWU JONES, D. 6 yd run (McKAY, A. kick) – 4-90 yds – 1:31 WCU 34 GWU 38 01:02 GWU BROWN, J. 36 yd interception (McKAY, A. kick) WCU 34 GWU 454th 02:09 GWU JONES, D. 79 yd run (McKAY, A. kick) –2-83 yds – 1:03 WCU 34 GWU 52

WCU GWUFIRST DOWNS ................................................. 34 21RUSHES-YARDS (NET) ..................................... 41-223 40-291PASSING YDS (NET) ........................................ 427 261Passes Att-Comp-Int.............................................. 58-37-2 22-14-0TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS ....................... 99-650 62-552Fumble Returns-Yards ........................................... 1-2 0-0Punt Returns-Yards ................................................ 0-0 0-0Kickoff Returns-Yards ............................................ 5-68 5-153Interception Returns-Yards .................................... 0-0 2--34Punts (Number-Avg) .............................................. 3-32.7 3-46.3Fumbles-Lost ......................................................... 4-3 4-4Penalties-Yards ...................................................... 7-58 4-32Possession Time ................................................... 34:58 24:52Third-Down Conversions ...................................... 8 of 16 4 of 10Fourth-Down Conversions .................................... 0 of 2 0 of 1Red-Zone Scores-Chances .................................... 4-7 6-6Sacks By: Number-Yards ....................................... 1-5 3-14

RUSHING: WCU – Rogan Wells 14-113; TJ Jones 14-55; Kenny Benjamin 9-40; Branson Adams 3-13; Toler Keigley 1-2. GWU – GAITHER, N. 22-151; JONES, D. 6-102; FISHER, B. 9-28; FRANKLIN, J. 1-10; GRAHAM, J. 1-1; TEAM 1-minus 1. PASSING: WCU – Rogan Wells 37-58-2-427. GWU – FISHER, B. 14-22-0-261. RECEIVING: WCU – Raphael Williams 11-99; TJ Jones 6-51; Kenny Benjamin 4-26; Calvin Jones 3-56; Daquan Patten 3-47; Owen Cosenke 3-23; Terrence Horne 3-22; Mydreon Vines 2-86; CJ Williams 1-13; Branson Adams 1-4. GWU – LUTHER, T.J. 6-119; FRANKLIN, J. 2-70; THOMAS, D. 2-23; GAITHER, N. 1-29; JORDAN, J. 1-8; GRAHAM, J. 1-6; SKANES, Q. 1-6. INTERCEPTIONS: WCU – None. GWU – BROWN, J. 1-36; BUCKNER, M. 1-minus 70. FUMBLES: WCU – Rogan Wells 2-1; TJ Jones 1-1; Daquan Patten 1-1. GWU – JORDAN, J. 1-1; BUCKNER, M. 1-1; GAITHER, N. 1-1. SACKS (UA-A): WCU – K.J. Milner 0-1; Chris Morgan 0-1. GWU – CLARK, K. 1-0; BASS, B. 1-0; COMSTOCK, T.J. 1-0. TACKLES (UA-A): WCU – Kareem Taylor 7-4; Jacob Harris 3-6; Ty Harris 6-2; K.J. Milner 1-6; Cameron McCutcheon 3-3; Ricky Palao 0-4; Ronald Kent Jr. 2-1; Chris Morgan 0-3; Quintin Talley 2-0; Nick Oelrich 1-1; Rod Gattison 1-1; Caleb Fisher 0-2; LA Rogers-Anderson 1-0; Willie Hampton 1-0; Demorian Smith 1-0; Andreas Keaton 1-0; Jaquarius Guinn 1-0; Ivan Hogans 1-0; Nigel Manns 0-1; Paxton Robertson 0-1; Trevor Childers 0-1; Willie Rice 0-1; Micah Nelson 0-1. GWU – McRAINEY, W. 12-5; COMSTOCK, T.J. 7-3; BUCKNER, M. 5-3; WILLIAMS, D. 5-3; THOMAS, A.J. 4-1; CLARK, K. 4-1; BOOKER, T. 3-2; FREEMAN, G. 2-3;TURNER, Jn. 2-3; BROWN, J. 3-1; BASS, B. 3-1; JACKSON, C. 1-2; BAILEY, K. 0-3; WAGNER, H. 0-3; ARRINGTON, T. 2-0; GRIER, D. 2-0; FRENCH, T. 0-2; MITCHELL, J. 1-0; ROBINSON, M. 1-0; FISHER, B. 1-0; OUSLEY, R. 1-0.

GAME FOUR • SAT., SEPT. 25, 2021 • BOILING SPRINGS, NC (5,689)

WESTERN CAROLINA 34GARDNER–WEBB 52

GAME THREE • SAT., SEPT. 18, 2021 • CULLOWHEE (9,060)

SAMFORD 42WESTERN CAROLINA 37



CHATTANOOGA, TN – No. 19 Chattanooga used big plays and a strong defensive effort that produced three turnovers in downing Western Carolina 45-17 on Saturday afternoon in Southern Conference action at Finley Stadium.

Among UTC's 271 total rushing yards were three scoring runs totaling 146 yards including rushes of 54 yards, 35 yards, and 54 yards.

Stepping in for starting quarterback Rogan Wells who was injured in the first half, Carlos Davis finished 16-27 for 225 yards with two touchdown passes, finding Terrence Horne on a 42-yard strike and Raphael Williams making an acrobatic TD reception in the back of the end zone from seven yards. Ten different receivers caught passes for the Catamount offense with RB Kenny Benjamin leading the squad with five receptions for 29 total yards, adding 27 yards on the ground.

WCU turned the ball over three times on offense, however, including two interceptions and a lost fumble.

Among the highlights for the Catamounts on Saturday were special teams that saw Calvin Jones return the opening kickoff 87 yards to set up the game's first score on a field goal by Richard McCollum for the early, 3-0, advantage. Jones finished with a pair of returns for 133. Terrence Horne ignited the WCU sideline with a 100-yard kickoff return to the end zone, but saw the play called back on a penalty.

Chattanooga quarterback Cole Copeland finished 17-for-29 for 239 yards with two touchdown passes to KeShawn Toney who finished with 49 receiving yards. A trio of running backs finished with scores on the ground including Tyrell Price with seven carries for 82 yards, Gino Appleberry with seven touches for 79 yards and Ailym Ford with 74 yards rushing on 16 carries.

Defensive back Jacob Harris led the Catamount defense with seven total tackles including six solo stops with LB Ty Harris finishing with six total hits including a sack. Rod Gattison came up with an interception to go along with five tackles, matching defensive linemen Micah Nelson and Chris Morgan.

CULLOWHEE – Western Carolina rallied from a two-touchdown, first-half deficit, clawing back even early in the fourth quarter on a Richard McCollum field goal. However, Mercer capitalized on a pair of fourth quarter miscues by the Catamounts to spoil WCU's annual Homecoming game with a 34-24 victory in Southern Conference action in front of 11,123 at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.

WCU tailback Kenny Benjamin accounted for 144 total yards and two touchdowns on the day. The Lehigh Acres, Fla., product led the squad with 70 rushing yards and a one-yard score that put the Catamounts on the board in the second quarter. He added 74 receiving yards, 36 of which came on a receiving touchdown that pulled the home squad back to within three, 24-21, late in the third quarter.

Making his first start at quarterback for the sidelined Rogan Wells, redshirt sophomore Carlos Davis finished 18-of-32 passing for 221 yards and a touchdown but was intercepted twice including once on a pass that was deflected over the middle. Both turnovers occurred in the fourth quarter and led to 10 Mercer points as the Bears pulled away late for the win.

Mercer (4-1, 3-0 SoCon) second-year freshman RB Fred Davis ran for 129 yards and two touchdowns while backfield mate Brandon Marshall added 91 yards on the ground. Quarterback Fred Payton completed just 10 of his 20 pass attempts for 114 yards including a five-yard scoring strike on the Bears' opening drive. Payton pushed Mercer ahead by two scores early in the second quarter with a one-yard rushing plunge for a 14-0 lead. Davis capped a 75-yard scoring drive for Mercer just before halftime to give the visitors a 21-7 lead at intermission.

WCU pulled to within a score as TJ Jones capped an 80-yard drive by plowing in from four yards out to make it 21-14. The drive was spurred by a 57-yard pitch-and-catch from Davis to second-year freshman Calvin Jones who finished with four catches for 67 total yards. On the ensuing possession, Mercer got the first of two long field goals from Devin Folser as he split the uprights from 50 yards away to push the Bears back in front by 10, 24-14.

Midway through the third, WCU cashed-in its first takeaway of the game as Nick Oelrich pounced on a football punched loose by Ty Harris. Three plays later, Davis found Benjamin on a 36-yard hook-up to make it a three-point game late in the third quarter. Richard McCollum later made it a new ball game on the third play of the fourth quarter, splitting the uprights from 24 yards away, tying things at 24 apiece.

WCU's next two possessions ended with interceptions, though, that Mercer turned into points. Folser hit a school-record 51-yard field goal after the first pick. Then, on WCU's ensuing possession, a downfield pass was deflected and fell into the hands of Lance Wise who returned the pick 56 yards to the one-yard line where Davis scored on the next play to put the game out of reach.

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 ScoreWestern Carolina 3 7 0 7 17 Record (0-5, 0-2 SoCon)#19 Chattanooga 21 3 7 14 45 Record (2-2, 1-0 SoCon)

Scoring Summary:1st 14:04 WCU Richard McCollum 22 yd field goal – 4-2 yds – 0:46 WCU 3 UTC 0 9:04 UTC KeShawn Toney 10 yd pass from C. Copeland (Sears kick) – 10-75 yds – 5:00 WCU 3 UTC 7 6:42 UTC Cole Copeland 1 yd run (Sears kick), 3-31 1:18 WCU 3 UTC 14 3:32 UTC Price, Tyrell 57 yd run (Sears kick), 2-57 0:47 WCU 3 UTC 212nd 9:17 WCU Terrence Horne 42 yd pass from C. Davis (McCollum kick) – 5-80 yds – 1:30 WCU 10 UTC 21 0:18 UTC Aaron Sears 24 yd field goal – 9-70 yds – 4:13 WCU 10 UTC 243rd 4:40 UTC KeShawn Toney 39 yd pass from C. Copeland (Sears kick) – 5-60 yds – 2:44 WCU 10 UTC 314th 13:31 WCU Raphael Williams 7 yd pass from C. Davis (McCollum kick) – 10-59 yds – 2:54 WCU 17 UTC 31 12:09 UTC Gino Appleberry 35 yd run (Sears kick) – 3-50 yds – 1:17 WCU 17 UTC 38 9:06 UTC Ailym Ford 54 yd run (Sears kick) – 4-68 yds – 1:47 WCU 17 UTC 45

WCU UTCFIRST DOWNS ................................................. 13 21RUSHES-YARDS (NET) ..................................... 24-47 41-271PASSING YDS (NET) ........................................ 226 247Passes Att-Comp-Int.............................................. 37-17-3 32-18-1TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS ....................... 61-273 73-518Fumble Returns-Yards ........................................... 0-0 0-0Punt Returns-Yards ................................................ 0-0 0-0Kickoff Returns-Yards ............................................ 4-176 0-0Interception Returns-Yards .................................... 1-0 3-27Punts (Number-Avg) .............................................. 7-37.0 6-35.0Fumbles-Lost ......................................................... 3-1 0-0Penalties-Yards ...................................................... 9-66 4-43Possession Time ................................................... 22:54 35:40Third-Down Conversions ...................................... 3 of 11 8 of 16Fourth-Down Conversions .................................... 1 of 1 0 of 0Red-Zone Scores-Chances .................................... 2-3 3-3Sacks By: Number-Yards ....................................... 1-6 2-15

RUSHING: WCU – Kenny Benjamin 8-27; TJ Jones 6-18; Carlos Davis 7-3; Rogan Wells 1-2; Branson Adams 1-minus 1; TEAM 1-minus 2. UTC – Price, Tyrell 7-82; Appleberry, Gin 7-79; Ford, Ailym 16-74; Jackson, Lance 5-21; Arnold, Drayton 2-11; Copeland, Cole 4-4.PASSING: WCU – Carlos Davis 15-26-1-220; Rogan Wells 2-11-2-6. UTC – Copeland, Cole 17-29-1-239; Arnold, Drayton 1-3-0-8.RECEIVING: WCU – Kenny Benjamin 5-29; Raphae Williams 2-16; TJ Jones 2-10; Branson Adams 2-10; Terrence Horne 1-42; Keenan Hambrick 1-39; Clayton Bardall 1-29; Daquan Patten 1-25; Jakobe Quillen 1-21; Calvin Jones 1-5. UTC – James, Chris 4-39; Mayes, Jamoi 3-58; McKinnon, Kanor 3-32; Toney, KeShawn 2-49; Arnett, Tyron 2-38; Henderson, Regi 1-12; Tyus, Juwan 1-8; Summers, Tyrin 1-8; Appleberry, Gin 1-3.INTERCEPTIONS: WCU – Rod Gattison 1-0. Chattanooga-Plummer, Telly 1-24; Dowdell, Brando 1-3; Lawson, Jerrell 1-0.FUMBLES: WCU – Carlos Davis 1-1; TEAM 1-0; TJ Jones 1-0. UTC – None.SACKS (UA-A): WCU – Ty Harris 1-0.UTC – Maxwell, Devonn 0-1; Wiggles, Quay 0-1; Snyder, Christi 1-0.TACKLES (UA-A): WCU – Jacob Harris 6-1; Ty Harris 4-2; Rod Gattison 4-1; Chris Morgan 3-2; Micah Nelson 3-2; Andreas Keaton 3-1; Kareem Taylor 2-2; Giovanni Ricciardi 3-0; Cameron McCutcheon 2-1; Ivan Hogans 2-1; Ronald Kent Jr. 1-2; TEAM 2-0; K.J. Milner 2-0; Trevor Childers 2-0; Nick Oelrich 1-0; Quintin Talley 1-0; Marlon Alexander 1-0; Timothy Jamison 1-0; Kenny Benjamin 1-0; Braxton Richburg 1-0; Nigel Manns 1-0; Ricky Palao 0-1. Chattanooga-Lawson, Jerrell 4-3; Person, Jay 3-2; Boeck, Ty 2-3; Lowery III, Rue 4-0; Sanders, Justin 3-0; Snyder, Christi 3-0; Jones, Jordan 2-1; Jones, Kam 2-1; Smith, Christia 2-0; Collier, Austin 1-1; Harris, J.D. 1-0; Shepherd, Eli 1-0; Boring, Gabe 1-0; Taylor, Marlon 1-0; TEAM 1-0; Smith, CaMiron 1-0; Dowdell, Brando 1-0; Walker, Jordan 1-0; Reviere, Giovan 0-1; Wiggles, Quay 0-1; Maxwell, Devonn 0-1.

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 ScoreMercer 7 14 3 10 34 Record (4-1, 3-0 SoCon)Western Carolina 0 7 14 3 24 Record (0-6, 0-3 SoCon)

Scoring Summary:1st 9:57 MER Parker Wroble 5 yd pass from Fred Payton (Folser kick) – 6-54 yds – 2:13 MER 7 WCU 02nd 13:08 MER Fred Payton 1 yd run (Folser,Devin kick) – 9-84 yds – 4:13 MER 14 WCU 0 4:51 WCU Kenny Benjamin 1 yd run (McCollum kick) – 12-50 yds – 4:36 MER 14 WCU 7 1:41 MER Fred Davis 2 yd run (Folser kick) – 8-75 yds – 3:10 MER 21 WCU 73rd 10:44 WCU TJ Jones 4 yd run (McCollum kick) – 6-80 yds – 2:12 MER 21 WCU 14 6:40 MER Devin Folser 50 yd field goal – 11-40 yds – 3:53 MER 24 WCU 14 3:43 WCU Kenny Benjamin 36 yd pass from Carlos Davis (McCollum kick) – 3-52 yds – 0:54 MER 24 WCU 214th 14:45 WCU Richard McCollum 24 yd field goal – 8-54 yds – 2:22 MER 24 WCU 24 9:06 MER Devin Folser 51 yd field goal – 9-11 yds – 3:27 MER 27 WCU 24 6:04 MER Fred Davis 1 yd run (Folser kick) – 1-1 – 0:04 MER 34 WCU 24

MER WCUFIRST DOWNS ................................................. 16 19RUSHES-YARDS (NET) ..................................... 50-223 38-116PASSING YDS (NET) ........................................ 116 221Passes Att-Comp-Int.............................................. 20-10-0 32-18-2TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS ....................... 70-339 70-337Fumble Returns-Yards ........................................... 0-0 0-0Punt Returns-Yards ................................................ 1--3 0-0Kickoff Returns-Yards ............................................ 4-77 6-100Interception Returns-Yards .................................... 2-56 0-0Punts (Number-Avg) .............................................. 6-35.5 5-41.0Fumbles-Lost ......................................................... 4-1 2-1Penalties-Yards ...................................................... 9-89 7-58Possession Time ................................................... 31:00 29:00Third-Down Conversions ...................................... 7 of 16 5 of 15Fourth-Down Conversions .................................... 1 of 1 2 of 3Red-Zone Scores-Chances .................................... 4-5 3-3Sacks By: Number-Yards ....................................... 4-12 3-21

RUSHING: MER – Fred Davis 26-128; Brandon Marshall 11-91; Fred Payton 10-7; Parker Wroble 1-1; TEAM 2-minus 4. WCU – Kenny Benjamin 15-70; Carlos Davis 11-26; TJ Jones 9-13; Branson Adams 3-7.PASSING: MER – Fred Payton 10-20-0-116. WCU – Carlos Davis 18-32-2-221.RECEIVING: MER – Devron Harper 3-56; Ethan Dirrim 3-40; Ty James 2-16; Parker Wroble 1-5; Fred Davis 1-minus 1. WCU – Kenny Benjamin 5-74; Calvin Jones 4-67; Raphae Williams 2-31; Jakobe Quillen 2-13; TJ Jones 2-7; Owen Cosenke 1-13; Keenan Hambrick 1-9; Terrence Horne 1-7.INTERCEPTIONS: MER – Lance Wise 1-56; TJ Moore 1-0. WCU – None.FUMBLES: MER – Fred Davis 3-1; TEAM 1-0. WCU – Kenny Benjamin 2-1.SACKS (UA-A): MER – Solomon Zubairu 2-0; Chris Hill 1-0; Ken Standley 1-0. WCU – Ivan Hogans 1-0; Rod Gattison 1-0; Timothy Jamison 1-0.TACKLES (UA-A): MER – Ken Standley 6-2; Lance Wise 6-2; Jordan Williams 6-0; Solomon Zubairu 3-3; DJ McDaniel 0-5; Richie Coffey 2-2; Luke Ward 3-0; Rick Lester III 2-1; Myles Redding 2-1; Chris Hill 2-1; Danijah Gammage 1-2; K. Pu'uRobinson 1-2; Harrison Poole 2-0; TJ Moore 2-0; Michael Campbell 2-0; Tayshaun Shipp 0-2; Jordan Swain 0-2; Marques Thomas 1-0; Savio Frazier 1-0; Isaac Dowling 1-0; Zach Hopkins 1-0; Barron King 0-1. WCU – Jacob Harris 3-6; Ty Harris 7-1; Kareem Taylor 5-3; Ivan Hogans 5-2; Cameron McCutcheon 3-3; Andreas Keaton 3-3; K.J. Milner 0-6; Micah Nelson 2-2; Rod Gattison 2-2; Chris Morgan 1-3; Willie Rice 3-0; Trevor Childers 2-1; Marlon Alexander 1-1; Skylin Thomas 1-0; Michael Harper 1-0; Timothy Jamison 1-0; Ricky Palao 1-0; Jaquarius Guinn 0-1; Ronald Kent Jr. 0-1; Demorian Smith 0-1; Calvin Jones 0-1; Quintin Talley 0-1.

GAME SIX • SAT., OCT. 9, 2021 • CULLOWHEE (11,123)

MERCER 34WESTERN CAROLINA 24

GAME FIVE • SAT., OCT. 2, 2021 • CHATTANOOGA, TENN. (8,520)

WESTERN CAROLINA 17#19 CHATTANOOGA 45



CHARLESTON, S.C. – Quarterback Carlos Davis threw for a career-high 401 yards and three touchdowns while running back TJ Jones amassed 205 total yards, including 132 rushing with a pair of scores and three catches for 73 yards and a touchdown as Western Carolina upended The Citadel 45-31 in Southern Conference play at Johnson Hagood Stadium.

The win for the Catamounts was their first of the season and the first under head coach Kerwin Bell, halting a six-game seasonal slide and eight-straight defeats dating back to last season.

Davis threw for 320 of his 401 yards in the first half as the Catamounts built a three-touchdown, 31-10 lead at intermission. The Bulldogs commanded the third quarter in pulling to within one score headed to the fourth quarter before the Catamounts used two long Jones scoring rushes of 30 and 53 yards to surge back in front 45-24 with The Citadel tacking on a late touchdown to provide the final tally.

On Saturday, Davis completed 31-of-40 passes to nine different receivers, with Raphael Williams hauling in a career-best 12 catches for a career-high 147 receiving yards with a touchdown. Williams' 12 catches are tied for the fourth-most in a single game in program history as he finished with his third career 100-yard receiving game. Jones rumbled for 132 yards on the ground, with Kenny Benjamin add-ing 49 rushing yards and a second-quarter touchdown. Calvin Jones got the Catamounts started with a seven-yard receiving score in the first quarter.

Richard McCollum accounted for nine points for the Catamounts, connecting on all six of his PATs and chipping home a 22-yard field goal on the first half's final play to provide the three-score lead at halftime.

Western Carolina's defense held the Bulldogs rushing attack – which entered the game first in the SoCon and second in the nation – to a season-low 177 rushing yards, limiting quarterback Jaylan Adams to just 57 yards rushing with a three-yard touchdown run. Adams completed 5-of-10 passes for 126 yards, including four passes to Raleigh Webb for 144 yards. Logan Billings ran for 54 yards and two touchdowns.

Linebacker Kareem Taylor led the Catamount defense with 10 tackles, including seven solo stops and two for losses, while Ricky Palao was credited with nine stops with a sack and a fumble recovery. Ivan Hogans had seven tackles with two for loss, including a sack, while Ty Harris had six stops with a TFL.

SPARTANBURG, S.C. – Returning to the starting lineup, quarterback Rogan Wells threw for 309 yards and four touchdowns and wide receiver Raphael Williams caught a school-record 16 passes for 177 receiving yards and two TDs as Western Carolina won its second-straight Southern Conference road game, defeating Wofford 41-21 at Gibbs Stadium.

Williams' 16 receptions eclipsed the previous school benchmark of 15 accomplished twice by Ter-ryon Robinson in both 2014 and 2016 and Eric Rasheed in 1984. It is also represents the most catches by a player at the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) level this season. Williams finished with his fourth, 100-yard receiving game this season and his third game with double-digit receptions.

Wells amassed 357 yards of total offense, adding a team-best 48 rushing yards including a game-opening 32-yard touchdown rush on WCU's opening possession. TJ Jones ran for 40 yards, adding 19 on a reception while Kenny Benjamin caught two passes for 28 yards, adding 24 on the ground.

Western Carolina scored on its first four possessions on Saturday with Wells adding a 72-yard touch-down pass to Calvin Jones and Richard McCollum splitting the uprights twice from 37 and 23 yards out to race out to a 20-7 lead midway through the second quarter. Williams capped the half with his two scoring receptions from nine and 27 yards as Catamounts led 34-7 at halftime.

Freshman tight end Brayden Blackmon caught his first collegiate pass on a three-yard scoring strike from Wells to cap a 10-play, 75-yard drive and a commanding 41-7 lead in the third quarter. Wofford scored twice in the fourth quarter to provide the final tally, 41-21.

Irvin Mulligan rushed for 101 yards and a touchdown to lead the Terriers offense with David Legette scoring from 19 yards out and Wyatt Bartkowiak catching an 11-yard touchdown inside the final three minutes for the Terriers.

Senior LB Kareem Taylor paced WCU with 10 tackles including eight solo stops and 1.5 tackles for loss, recording double-digit stops for the fifth time this season. Taylor was also credited with a forced fumble to key a strong defensive effort. Jacob Harris and Marlon Alexander were both credited with five tackles with Alexander recording two tackles for loss with one of two sacks for the Catamounts. Rod Gattison came up with his second interception of the season with a second-quarter pick that set-up WCU's final score of the opening half.

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 ScoreWestern Carolina 7 24 0 14 45 Record (1-6, 1-3 SoCon)The Citadel 3 7 14 7 31 Record (2-5, 1-3 SoCon)

Scoring Summary:1st 12:28 WCU Calvin Jones 7 yd pass from Carlos Davis (McCollum kick) – 6-64 yds – 2:32 WCU 7 CIT 0 3:07 CIT Colby Kintner 45 yd field goal – 12-42 yds – 5:54 WCU 7 CIT 32nd 14:22 WCU Kenny Benjamin 1 yd run (McCollum kick) – 9-75 yds – 3:45 WCU 14 CIT 3 12:11 WCU TJ Jones 40 yd pass from Carlos Davis (McCollum kick) – 2-40 yds 0:18 WCU 21 CIT 3 7:57 WCU Raphael Williams 10 yd pass from Carlos Davis (McCollum kick) – 7-59 yds 2:54 WCU 28 CIT 3 3:41 CIT Logan Billings 2 yd run (Kintner kick) – 10-75 yds – 4:16 WCU 28 CIT 10 0:00 WCU Richard McCollum 22 yd field goal – 14-89 yds – 3:36 WCU 31 CIT 103rd 8:12 CIT Jaylan Adams 3 yd run (Kintner kick) – 1-3 yds – 0:04 WCU 31 CIT 17 1:05 CIT Logan Billings 2 yd run (Kintner kick) – 10-84 yds – 4:40 WCU 31 CIT 244th 7:03 WCU TJ Jones 30 yd run (McCollum kick) – 7-67 yds – 2:49 WCU 38 CIT 24 2:16 WCU TJ Jones 53 yd run (McCollum kick) – 3-61 yds – 0:19 WCU 45 CIT 24 1:12 CIT Darique Hampton 1 yd run (Kintner kick) – 5-75 yds – 1:04 WCU 45 CIT 31

WCU CITFIRST DOWNS ................................................. 26 18RUSHES-YARDS (NET) ..................................... 38-176 57-177PASSING YDS (NET) ........................................ 401 197Passes Att-Comp-Int.............................................. 40-31-1 18-8-0TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS ....................... 78-577 75-374Fumble Returns-Yards ........................................... 0-0 1-3Punt Returns-Yards ................................................ 1-4 0-0Kickoff Returns-Yards ............................................ 2-22 4-94Interception Returns-Yards .................................... 0-0 1-11Punts (Number-Avg) .............................................. 2-21.0 4-44.8Fumbles-Lost ......................................................... 2-1 1-1Penalties-Yards ...................................................... 5-41 7-55Possession Time ................................................... 28:20 31:40Third-Down Conversions ...................................... 7 of 13 5 of 15Fourth-Down Conversions .................................... 0 of 1 3 of 5Red-Zone Scores-Chances .................................... 4-4 4-4Sacks By: Number-Yards ....................................... 2-13 0-0

RUSHING: WCU – TJ Jones 15-132; Kenny Benjamin 14-49; Carlos Davis 5-22; TEAM 4-minus 27. CIT – Jaylan Adams 22-57; Logan Billings 13-54; Joe Douglas 3-29; Emeka Nwanze 9-19; K. Sessions 2-11; Cooper Wallace 5-7; Darique Hampton 2-2; Nkem Njoku 1-minus 2.

PASSING: WCU – Carlos Davis 31-40-1-401. CIT – Jaylan Adams 5-10-0-126; Darique Hampton 3-8-0-71.

RECEIVING: WCU – Raphael Williams 12-147; Kenny Benjamin 6-30; TJ Jones 3-73; Jakobe Quillen 3-69; Talon James 3-17; Calvin Jones 2-21; CJ Williams 1-39; Jacob Harris 1-14; Terrence Horne 1-5. CIT – Raleigh Webb 4-144; Logan Billings 3-9; Tyler Cherry 1-44.

INTERCEPTIONS: WCU – None. CIT – Destin Mack 1-11.

FUMBLES: WCU – Carlos Davis 1-1; TEAM 1-0. CIT – Emeka Nwanze 1-1.

SACKS (UA-A): WCU – Ivan Hogans 1-0; Ricky Palao 1-0. CIT – None.

TACKLES (UA-A): WCU – Kareem Taylor 7-3; Ricky Palao 7-2; Ivan Hogans 6-1; Ty Harris 5-1; Trevor Childers 4-1; Cameron McCutcheon 3-2; Andreas Keaton 4-0; Marlon Alexander 3-1; Micah Nelson 3-1; Ronald Kent Jr. 3-0; Quintin Talley 2-0; Jaquarius Guinn 1-1; K.J. Milner 1-0; Jacob Harris 1-0; Rod Gattison 1-0; Calvin Jones 1-0; Nigel Manns 1-0; Nick Oelrich 1-0; Caleb Fisher 1-0; Tyler Smith 1-0; Willie Hampton 1-0; Timothy Jamison 0-1. CIT – W. Hendricks 9-4; Chris Beverly 5-2; Andy Davis 6-0; Dominick Poole 5-0; Willie Eubanks 4-1; J. Roberts 4-1; Marquise Blount 3-2; Carson Hatchett 3-1; Brian Horn 3-0; JaySmith 2-1; Dalton Owens 1-1; Caleb Deveaux 1-0; Joe Douglas 1-0; Destin Mack 1-0; Mike McDowell 0-1; Raleigh Webb 0-1; Hasan Black 0-1.

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 ScoreWestern Carolina 10 24 7 0 41 Record: (2-6,2-3 SoCon)Wofford 0 7 0 14 21 Record: (1-7,0-6 SoCon)

Scoring Summary:1st 12:41 WCU Rogan Wells 32 yd run (McCollum kick) – 6-76 yds – 2:13 WCU 7 WOF 0 3:51 WCU Richard McCollum 37 yd field goal – 8-49 yds – 3:21 WCU 10 WOF 02nd 14:31 WOF Irvin Mulligan 1 yd run (Gliarmis kick) – 9-64 yds – 4:14 WCU 10 WOF 7 13:59 WCU Calvin Jones 72 yd pass from Rogan Wells (McCollum kick) – 2-73 yds – 0:28 WCU 17 WOF 7 7:55 WCU Richard McCollum 23 yd field goal – 11-59 yds – 4:02 WCU 20 WOF 7 2:11 WCU Raphael Williams 9 yd pass from Rogan Wells (McCollum kick) – 10-51 yds – 3:16 WCU 27 WOF 7 0:23 WCU Raphael Williams 27 yd pass from Rogan Wells (McCollum kick) – 4-37 yds – 1:07 WCU 34 WOF 73rd 8:28 WCU Brayden Blackmon 3 yd pass from Rogan Wells (McCollum kick) – 10-75 yds – 3:44 WCU 41 WOF 74th 7:35 WOF David Legette 19 yd run (Gliarmis kick) – 6-0 – 3:14 WCU 41 WOF 14 2:29 WOF W. Bartkowiak 11 yd pass from Kyle Pinnix (Gliarmis kick) – 7-62 yds – 3:49 WCU 41 WOF 21

WCU WOFFIRST DOWNS ................................................. 21 20RUSHES-YARDS (NET) ..................................... 29-132 54-309PASSING YDS (NET) ........................................ 327 35Passes Att-Comp-Int.............................................. 39-26-0 12-4-1TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS ....................... 68-459 66-344Fumble Returns-Yards ........................................... 0-0 0-0Punt Returns-Yards ................................................ 2-6 1-11Kickoff Returns-Yards ............................................ 3-36 8-147Interception Returns-Yards .................................... 1-25 0-0Punts (Number-Avg) .............................................. 6-31.2 5-35.0Fumbles-Lost ......................................................... 1-0 1-1Penalties-Yards ...................................................... 4-57 3-20Possession Time ................................................... 26:23 33:37Third-Down Conversions ...................................... 5 of 14 5 of 12Fourth-Down Conversions .................................... 1 of 1 0 of 1Red-Zone Scores-Chances .................................... 4-4 3-4Sacks By: Number-Yards ....................................... 2-20 0-0

RUSHING: WCU – Rogan Wells 6-48; TJ Jones 10-40; Kenny Benjamin 8-24; Branson Adams 3-9; Carlos Davis 1-8; Calvin Jones 1-3. WOF – Irvin Mulligan 12-101; J Broussard 9-54; David Legette 4-43; Nathan Walker 9-34; B. Corriston 7-30; Ryan Ingram 8-25; Kyle Pinnix 5-22.

PASSING: WCU – Rogan Wells 21-30-0-309; Carlos Davis 5-9-0-18. WOF – B. Corriston 2-10-1-14; Kyle Pinnix 2-2-0-21.

RECEIVING: WCU – Raphael Williams 16-177; Kenny Benjamin 2-28; Daquan Patten 2-10; Calvin Jones 1-72; TJ Jones 1-19; Caleb Scott 1-7; Owen Cosenke 1-7; Jakobe Quillen 1-4; Brayden Blackmon 1-3. WOF – W. Bartkowiak 1-11; Devin Mathews 1-10; Kyle Watkins 1-10; Alec Holt 1-4.

INTERCEPTIONS: WCU – Rod Gattison 1-25. WOF – None.

FUMBLES: WCU – Rogan Wells 1-0. WOF – Irvin Mulligan 1-1.

SACKS (UA-A): WCU – Charles Gadie 1-0; Marlon Alexander 1-0. WOF – None.

TACKLES (UA-A): WCU – Kareem Taylor 8-2; Jacob Harris 5-0; Marlon Alexander 3-2; Charles Gadie 4-0; K.J. Milner 4-0; Ivan Hogans 3-0; Darrius Bell 3-0; Jaquarius Guinn 3-0; Trevor Childers 3-0; Ty Harris 1-2; Ronald Kent Jr. 2-0; Skylin Thomas 2-0; Rod Gattison 2-0; Giovanni Ricciardi 2-0; Chris Morgan 1-1; Ricky Palao 1-1; Micah Nelson 1-0; CJ Williams 1-0; Nick Oelrich 1-0; Timothy Jamison 1-0; Calvin Jones 1-0; Caleb Scott 1-0; Andreas Keaton 1-0; Nigel Manns 1-0. WOF – Tahir Annoor 5-0; Jaheem Hazel 5-0; John Beckley 2-3; Michael Mason 1-4; Joe Beckett 3-0; Marcus Gatling 3-0; A. Lattany, 2-1; Rett Russell 2-0; TJ Neal 2-0; D. Anderson 2-0; H. Morgan 1-1; Brandon Maina 1-1; Jack Scroggs 1-1; Isaiah Mananga 1-0; Marcus Dees 1-0; C. Woolery 1-0; Seth Foster 1-0; Amir Annoor 1-0; Ryan Ingram 1-0; O. Emmanwori. 1-0; Nathan Walker 1-0; Chuck Smith 0-1; Eli Purcell 0-1; James Wells 0-1; CJ Tillman 0-1; Romello Gray 0-1.

GAME SEVEN • SAT., OCT. 23, 2021 • CHARLESTON, S.C. (8,411)

WESTERN CAROLINA 45THE CITADEL 31

GAME EIGHT • SAT., OCT. 30, 2021 • SPARTANBURG, S.C. (3,230)

WESTERN CAROLINA 41WOFFORD 21



CULLOWHEE – Western Carolina twice erased 11-point deficits on Saturday afternoon, the second com-ing on an 85-yard scoring strike from quarterback Rogan Wells to Kenny Benjamin out of the backfield as the Catamounts rallied and then held on for a thrilling 43-42 Southern Conference victory over the Furman Paladins at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.

Saturday's win – the third-straight for the streaking Catamounts – wasn't secured until the game's final play as the first career field goal attempt of Paladin kickoff specialist Alex Lepvreau fell short of the cross bar from 62 yards away. WCU halted a five-game winless drought against Furman.

Wells accounted for 477 total yards and three touchdowns including a 33-yard scoring romp early in the third quarter, adding TD passes of five yards to TE Owen Cosenke and the aforementioned game-winner on the 85-yard catch-and-run by Benjamin. Catching five passes for 126 yards and adding 19 rushing yards, Benjamin recorded 145 all-purpose yards while Terrence Horne led the team with 170 total yards including 18 yards rushing, 71 receiving, and 81 on kickoff returns.

Wells led the Catamounts with 91 rushing yards while TJ Jones scored twice, both coming on one-yard rushes including the second on a leap over the pile into the purple and gold end zone.

Furman used a dominant ground game that chewed up a combined 316 yards and scored five times through the first three quarters. Dominic Roberto rushed 24 times for a game-high 196 yards and four of the scores on the ground to pace the Paladins with Devin Abrams adding a four-yard score in the second quarter as the Paladins led 28-17 inside the final five minutes of the first half.

Jones capped a 12-play, 83-yard drive with a one-yard scoring run with 18 seconds to play before intermission to pull the Catamounts back within four, 28-24, at halftime.

On the opening drive of the second half, Rogan Wells scampered in from 33 yards away to put the Catamounts back in front, 31-28. However, the Paladins cashed-in a pair of WCU turnovers for 14 points and a 42-231 lead late in the third quarter.

Western Carolina scored the game's final 12 points on a second scoring rush by Jones and the Benjamin reception.

Three Catamounts finished with double-digit tackles as senior LB Kareem Taylor was credited with a career-high 15 tackles – his sixth game in double figures – adding a sack late with Furman trying to drive into field goal range on the final possession. Jacob Harris posted 11 total tackles and opened the game's scoring on a 41-yard interception return for a touchdown that gave WCU the early advantage.

Score by Quarters 1 2 3 4 ScoreFurman 7 21 14 0 42 Record: (4-5, 2-4 SoCon)Western Carolina 10 14 7 12 43 Record: (3-6, 3-3 SoCon)

Scoring Summary:1st 14:14 WCU Jacob Harris 41 yd interception return (McCollum kick) FUR 0 WCU 7 9:26 FUR Dominic Roberto 3 yd run (Bleekrode kick) – 10-73 yds – 4:43 FUR 7 WCU 7 7:12 WCU Richard McCollum 32 yd field goal – 9-54 yds – 2:09 FUR 7 WCU 102nd 13:48 FUR Dominic Roberto 3 yd run (Bleekrode kick) – 17-75 yds – 8:24 FUR 14 WCU 10 10:42 WCU Owen Cosenke 5 yd pass from Rogan Wells (McCollum kick) – 9-75 yds – 3:06 FUR 14 WCU 17 6:10 FUR Devin Abrams 4 yd run (Bleekrode,Timmy kick) –10-68 yds – 4:26 FUR 21 WCU 17 4:10 FUR Ryan Miller yd pass from Hamp Sisson (Bleekrode kick) – 3-28 yds – 1:02 FUR 28 WCU 17 0:18 WCU TJ Jones 1 yd run (McCollum kick), 12-83 yds – 3:47 FUR 28 WCU 243rd 13:21 WCU Rogan Wells 33 yd run (McCollum kick), 4-64 yds – 1:32 FUR 28 WCU 31 5:36 FUR Dominic Roberto 35 yd run (Bleekrode kick) – 1-35 yds – 0:08 FUR 35 WCU 31 3:10 FUR Dominic Roberto 11 yd run (Bleekrode kick) – 2-35 yds – 0:18 FUR 42 WCU 314th 10:19 WCU TJ Jones 1 yd run (pass failed) – 11-70 yds – 4:37 FUR 42 WCU 37 6:41 WCU Kenny Benjamin 85 yd pass from Rogan Wells (pass failed) – 1-85 yds – 0:12 FUR 42 WCU 43

FUR WCUFIRST DOWNS ................................................. 24 21RUSHES-YARDS (NET) ..................................... 52-316 36-152PASSING YDS (NET) ........................................ 102 387Passes Att-Comp-Int.............................................. 28-17-1 33-22-2TOTAL OFFENSE PLAYS-YARDS ....................... 80-418 69-539Fumble Returns-Yards ........................................... 0-0 0-0Punt Returns-Yards ................................................ 1-28 0-0Kickoff Returns-Yards ............................................ 6-124 5-80Interception Returns-Yards .................................... 2-25 1-41Punts (Number-Avg) .............................................. 2-46.0 2-38.5Fumbles-Lost ......................................................... 1-1 3-2Penalties-Yards ...................................................... 1-5 4-45Possession Time ................................................... 34:19 25:41Third-Down Conversions ...................................... 8 of 17 10 of 15Fourth-Down Conversions .................................... 3 of 4 1 of 1Red-Zone Scores-Chances .................................... 5-5 4-4Sacks By: Number-Yards ....................................... 0-0 2-12

RUSHING: FUR – Dominic Roberto 24-196; Wayne Anderson, Jr., 10-48; Devin Abrams 7-31; Hamp Sisson 6-30; Kendall Thomas 3-10; Chase Abshier 1-2; TEAM 1-minus 1. WCU – Rogan Wells 13-91; Kenny Benjamin 7-19; Terrence Horne 1-18; TJ Jones 13-14; Calvin Jones 1-10; Jakobe Quillen 1-0. PASSING: FUR – Hamp Sisson 17-26-1-102; TEAM 0-2-0-0. WCU – Rogan Wells 22-33-2-387. RECEIVING: FUR – Ryan Miller 6-25; Joshua Harris 5-44; Ryan DeLuca 1-11; Dejuan Bell 1-7; Noah Henderson 1-5; Devin Abrams 1-5; Kendall Thomas 1-4; Wayne Anderson, Jr. 1-1. WCU – Kenny Benjamin 5-126; Calvin Jones 5-70; Raphael Williams 5-42; Terrence Horne 2-71; Jakobe Quillen 2-34; Owen Cosenke 2-12; Daquan Patten 1-32. INTERCEPTIONS: FUR – Hugh Ryan 1-25; Bryce McCormick 1-0. WCU – Jacob Harris 1-41. FUMBLES: FUR – Dejuan Bell 1-1. WCU – Calvin Jones 1-1; Terrence Horne 1-0; TJ Jones 1-1. SACKS (UA-A): FUR – None. WCU – Kareem Taylor 1-0; Chris Morgan 1-0. TACKLES (UA-A): FUR – Travis Blackshear 6-3; Braden Gilby; Bryce McCormick 3-4; London Lewis 5-1; Dimarcus Clay 3-1; Cameron Coleman 2-2; Jalen Miller 2-1; Caden Richards 2-1; Nicky Kuzemka 1-2; Evan DiMaggio 2-0; Adrian Hope 2-0; Jeremiah Jackson 1-1; Micah Robinson 1-1; Landon Lawrence 0-2; Parker Stokes 1-0; Amaah Achina 1-0; Kam Brinson 1-0; Myion Hicks 1-0; Elijah McKoy 0-1; Dan Scianna 0-1; Trey Rogers 0-1; Dominic Morris 0-1; Hugh Ryan 0-1. WCU – Kareem Taylor 7-8; Jacob Harris 8-3; Ivan Hogans 8-2; Trevor Childers 3-6; Cameron McCutcheon 4-3; K.J. Milner 0-7; Andreas Keaton 2-3; Ricky Palao 2-3; Chris Morgan 2-1; Ronald Kent Jr. 1-2; Marlon Alexander 0-3; Giovanni Ricciardi 1-1; Nick Oelrich 1-1; Nigel Manns 1-1; Micah Nelson 0-2; Rod Gattison 1-0; Malik Richardson 1-0; Raphae Williams 1-0; Timothy Jamison 1-0; Caleb Scott 1-0.

GAME NINE • SAT., NOV. 6, 2021 • CULLOWHEE (8,942)

FURMAN 42WESTERN CAROLINA 43

GAME TEN • SAT., NOV. 13, 2021 • CULLOWHEE ()

#11/12 ETSU WESTERN CAROLINA

2021 Western Carolina FootballWestern Caro. Game Results (as of Nov 11, 2021)

All games

Date Opponent Score Overall Conference Time Attend

Sep 04, 2021 EASTERN KY. L 28-31 0-1 0-0 03:27 9647Sep 11, 2021 at Oklahoma L 0-76 0-2 0-0 03:18 83538

* Sep 18, 2021 SAMFORD L 37-42 0-3 0-1 06:04 9060Sep 25, 2021 at Gardner-Webb L 34-52 0-4 0-1 3:33 5689

* Oct 02, 2021 at Chattanooga L 17-45 0-5 0-2 03:19 8520* Oct 09, 2021 MERCER L 24-34 0-6 0-3 03:16 11123* Oct 23, 2021 at The Citadel W 45-31 1-6 1-3 3:17 8411* Oct 30, 2021 at Wofford College W 41-21 2-6 2-3 03:13 3230* Nov 06, 2021 FURMAN W 43-42 3-6 3-3 03:16 8942

2021 Western Carolina FootballWestern Caro. Overall Team Statistics (as of Nov 11, 2021)

All games

Team Statistics WCU OPPSCORING 269 374 Points Per Game 29.9 41.6 Points Off Turnovers 62 121FIRST DOWNS 200 200 R u s h i n g 64 94 P a s s i n g 119 86 P e n a l t y 17 20RUSHING YARDAGE 1308 2162 Yards gained rushing 1490 2332 Yards lost rushing 182 170 Rushing Attempts 312 412 Average Per Rush 4.2 5.2 Average Per Game 145.3 240.2 TDs Rushing 14 35PASSING YARDAGE 2713 1895 C o m p - A t t - I n t 222-378-16 145-246-8 Average Per Pass 7.2 7.7 Average Per Catch 12.2 13.1 Average Per Game 301.4 210.6 TDs Passing 18 14TOTAL OFFENSE 4021 4057 Total Plays 690 658 Average Per Play 5.8 6.2 Average Per Game 446.8 450.8KICK RETURNS: #-Yards 34-686 34-766PUNT RETURNS: #-Yards 8-72 7-82INT RETURNS: #-Yards 8-93 16-219KICK RETURN AVERAGE 20.2 22.5PUNT RETURN AVERAGE 9.0 11.7INT RETURN AVERAGE 11.6 14.6FUMBLES-LOST 25-11 14-9PENALTIES-Yards 64-497 51-486 Average Per Game 55.2 54.0PUNTS-Yards 44-1608 41-1615 Average Per Punt 36.5 39.4 Net punt average 34.7 36.7KICKOFFS-Yards 53-3103 66-3986 Average Per Kick 58.5 60.4 Net kick average 36.5 40.9TIME OF POSSESSION/Game 2 8 : 3 8 3 1 : 2 13RD-DOWN Conversions 56/136 54/125 3rd-Down Pct 41% 43%4TH-DOWN Conversions 8/16 8/13 4th-Down Pct 50% 62%SACKS BY-Yards 14-87 17-81MISC YARDS 0 0TOUCHDOWNS SCORED 34 50FIELD GOALS-ATTEMPTS 11-12 8-11ON-SIDE KICKS 0-0 0-1RED-ZONE SCORES (29-35) 83% (43-46) 93%RED-ZONE TOUCHDOWNS (19-35) 54% (40-46) 87%PAT-ATTEMPTS (30-30) 100% (50-50) 100%ATTENDANCE 38772 109388 Games/Avg Per Game 4/9693 5/21878 Neutral Site Games 0/0

Score by Quarters 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT TotalWestern Caro. 39 110 70 50 0 269Opponents 86 101 104 83 0 374

2021 Western Carolina FootballWestern Caro. Overall Individual Statistics (as of Nov 11, 2021)

All games

Rushing gp-gs att gain loss net avg td lg avg/gJones,TJ 9 - 4 104 463 11 452 4.3 8 53 50.2Wells,Rogan 7 - 7 63 506 88 418 6.6 4 82 59.7Benjamin,Kenny 9 - 5 86 301 19 282 3.3 2 17 31.3Davis,Carlos 5 - 2 28 119 34 85 3.0 0 15 17.0Adams,Branson 8 - 0 13 42 1 41 3.2 0 7 5.1Stanley,Mikai 6 - 0 6 21 0 21 3.5 0 7 3.5Horne,Terrence 9 - 4 1 18 0 18 18.0 0 18 2.0Jones,Calvin 9 - 8 2 13 0 13 6.5 0 11 1.4Williams,CJ 8 - 2 1 4 0 4 4.0 0 4 0.5Keigley,Toler 3 - 0 1 2 0 2 2.0 0 2 0.7Nelson,Tyree 4 - 0 1 1 0 1 1.0 0 1 0.2Quillen,Jakobe 9 - 2 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0TEAM 8 - 0 5 0 29 -29 -5.8 0 0 -3.6Total 9 312 1490 182 1308 4.2 14 82 145.3Opponents 9 412 2332 170 2162 5.2 35 79 240.2

Passing gp-gs effic comp-att-int pct yds td lg avg/gWells,Rogan 7 - 7 120.89 147-262-11 56.1 1811 12 85 258.7Davis,Carlos 5 - 2 139.62 75-115-5 65.2 902 6 57 180.4TEAM 8 - 0 0.00 0-1-0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0Total 9 126.27 222-378-16 58.7 2713 18 85 301.4Opponents 9 135.93 145-246-8 58.9 1895 14 62 210.6

Receiving gp-gs no. yds avg td lg avg/gWilliams,Raphae 9 - 9 65 776 11.9 7 40 86.2Benjamin,Kenny 9 - 5 42 425 10.1 3 85 47.2Jones,TJ 9 - 4 24 254 10.6 2 40 28.2Jones,Calvin 9 - 8 21 364 17.3 3 72 40.4Quillen,Jakobe 9 - 2 13 194 14.9 0 43 21.6Horne,Terrence 9 - 4 12 179 14.9 1 54 19.9Patten,Daquan 8 - 1 8 120 15.0 0 32 15.0Vines,Mydreon 5 - 0 7 122 17.4 0 58 24.4Cosenke,Owen 7 - 4 7 55 7.9 1 13 7.9Williams,CJ 8 - 2 4 80 20.0 0 39 10.0Bardall,Clayton 6 - 5 4 27 6.8 0 15 4.5Adams,Branson 8 - 0 4 17 4.2 0 6 2.1Talon James 5 - 0 3 17 5.7 0 10 3.4Hambrick,Keenan 7 - 0 2 48 24.0 0 39 6.9Heath,Raekwon 5 - 0 2 15 7.5 0 13 3.0Nelson,Tyree 4 - 0 1 18 18.0 0 18 4.5Caleb Scott 4 - 0 1 7 7.0 0 7 1.8Brayden Blackmon 5 - 0 1 3 3.0 1 3 0.6Wells,Rogan 7 - 7 1 -8 -8.0 0 0 -1.1Total 9 222 2713 12.2 18 85 301.4Opponents 9 145 1895 13.1 14 62 210.6

Punt Returns no. yds avg td lgPatten,Daquan 8 72 9.0 0 28Total 8 72 9.0 0 28Opponents 7 82 11.7 0 28

Interceptions no. yds avg td lgKeaton,Andreas 3 27 9.0 0 22Gattison,Rod 2 25 12.5 0 25Ronald Kent Jr. 1 0 0.0 0 0McCutcheon,Came 1 0 0.0 0 0Harris,Jacob 1 41 41.0 1 41Total 8 93 11.6 1 41Opponents 16 219 13.7 1 78

Kick Returns no. yds avg td lgHorne,Terrence 15 291 19.4 0 34Jones,Calvin 12 339 28.2 0 87Adams,Branson 3 28 9.3 0 22Benjamin,Kenny 1 0 0.0 0 0Nelson,Tyree 1 12 12.0 0 12Caleb Scott 1 16 16.0 0 16Talon James 1 0 0.0 0 0Total 34 686 20.2 0 87Opponents 34 766 22.5 0 70

Fumble Returns no. yds avg td lgTaylor,Kareem 1 16 16.0 1 16Harris,Ty 1 2 2.0 0 2Total 2 18 9.0 1 16Opponents 3 31 10.3 0 19


All games

PATScoring td fg kick rush rcv pass dxp saf ptsJones,TJ 10 - - - - - - - 60Richard McCollum - 8-8 24-24 - - - - - 48Williams,Raphae 7 - - - - - - - 42Benjamin,Kenny 5 - - - - - - - 30Wells,Rogan 4 - - - - 1-4 - - 24Jones,Calvin 3 - - - - - - - 18McCollum,Richar - 3-3 6-6 - - - - - 15Brayden Blackmon 1 - - - - - - - 6Horne,Terrence 1 - - - - - - - 6Cosenke,Owen 1 - - - - - - - 6Harris,Jacob 1 - - - - - - - 6Taylor,Kareem 1 - - - - - - - 6Williams,CJ - - - - 1 - - - 2Robertson,Paxto - 0-1 - - - - - - 0Total 34 11-12 30-30 - 1 1-4 - - 269Opponents 50 8-11 50-50 - - - - - 374

Total Offense g plays rush pass total avg/gWells,Rogan 7 325 418 1811 2229 318.4Davis,Carlos 5 143 85 902 987 197.4Jones,TJ 9 104 452 0 452 50.2Benjamin,Kenny 9 86 282 0 282 31.3Adams,Branson 8 13 41 0 41 5.1Stanley,Mikai 6 6 21 0 21 3.5Horne,Terrence 9 1 18 0 18 2.0Jones,Calvin 9 2 13 0 13 1.4Williams,CJ 8 1 4 0 4 0.5Keigley,Toler 3 1 2 0 2 0.7Nelson,Tyree 4 1 1 0 1 0.2TEAM 8 6 -29 0 -29 -3.6Total 9 690 1308 2713 4021 446.8Opponents 9 658 2162 1895 4057 450.8

Field Goals fg pct. 01-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-99 lg blkMcCollum,Richar 3-3 100. 0-0 2-2 1-1 0-0 0-0 34 0Robertson,Paxto 0-1 0.0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 0Richard McCollum 8-8 100. 0-0 4-4 3-3 1-1 0-0 40 0

FG Sequence Western Caro. OpponentsEastern Ky. (26),(34),56 (21)Oklahoma - (56),(46)Samford (25) -Gardner-Webb (38),(40) (25)Chattanooga (22) (24)Mercer (24) (50),(51)The Citadel (22) (45)Wofford College (37),(23) 27Furman (32) 40,62

Numbers in (parentheses) indicate field goal was made.

Punting no. yds avg lg tb fc i20 50+ blkDickerson,Brand 19 740 38.9 56 0 6 4 1 0Brandon Dickerson 19 721 37.9 55 0 11 5 1 0Paxton Robertson 3 105 35.0 39 0 1 0 0 0Brady Elms 2 42 21.0 22 0 0 1 0 0TEAM 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1Total 44 1608 36.5 56 0 18 10 2 1Opponents 41 1615 39.4 59 2 19 11 6 1

Kickoffs no. yds avg tb ob retn net ydlnRichard McCollum 26 1509 58.0 5 0Robertson,Paxto 14 817 58.4 5 0Paxton Robertson 13 777 59.8 6 0Total 53 3103 58.5 16 0 22.5 36.5 28Opponents 66 3986 60.4 24 2 20.2 40.9 24


All games

All Purpose g rush rcv pr kr ir total avg/gWilliams,Rapha 9 0 776 0 0 0 776 86.2Jones,Calvin 9 13 364 0 339 0 716 79.6Benjamin,Kenny 9 282 425 0 0 0 707 78.6Jones,TJ 9 452 254 0 0 0 706 78.4Horne,Terrence 9 18 179 0 291 0 488 54.2Wells,Rogan 7 418 -8 0 0 0 410 58.6Quillen,Jakobe 9 0 194 0 0 0 194 21.6Patten,Daquan 8 0 120 72 0 0 192 24.0Vines,Mydreon 5 0 122 0 0 0 122 24.4Adams,Branson 8 41 17 0 28 0 86 10.8Davis,Carlos 5 85 0 0 0 0 85 17.0Williams,CJ 8 4 80 0 0 0 84 10.5Cosenke,Owen 7 0 55 0 0 0 55 7.9Hambrick,Keena 7 0 48 0 0 0 48 6.9Harris,Jacob 9 0 0 0 0 41 41 4.6Nelson,Tyree 4 1 18 0 12 0 31 7.8Keaton,Andreas 9 0 0 0 0 27 27 3.0Bardall,Clayton 6 0 27 0 0 0 27 4.5Gattison,Rod 9 0 0 0 0 25 25 2.8Caleb Scott 4 0 7 0 16 0 23 5.8Stanley,Mikai 6 21 0 0 0 0 21 3.5Talon James 5 0 17 0 0 0 17 3.4Heath,Raekwon 5 0 15 0 0 0 15 3.0Brayden Blackm 5 0 3 0 0 0 3 0.6Keigley,Toler 3 2 0 0 0 0 2 0.7TEAM 8 -29 0 0 0 0 -29 -3.6Total 9 1308 2713 72 686 93 4872 541.3Opponents 9 2162 1895 82 766 219 5124 569.3

2021 Western Carolina FootballWestern Caro. Overall Defensive Statistics (as of Nov 11, 2021)

All games

Tackles Sacks Pass defense Fumbles blkd

## Defensive Leaders gp-gs ua a tot tfl/yds no-yds int-yds brup qbh rcv-yds ff kick saf

9 Taylor,Kareem 9-9 48 34 82 6.0-17 2.0-11 . . 3 1-16 2 . .3 Harris,Jacob 9-9 34 27 61 0.5-0 . 1-41 3 . . . 1 .1 Hogans,Ivan 9-8 39 16 55 10.0-33 3.0-22 . 3 1 . . . .37 Harris,Ty 8-6 31 15 46 5.5-15 1.0-6 . 2 1 1-2 1 . .21 Keaton,Andreas 9-9 22 14 36 . . 3-27 5 . . . . .96 Milner,K.J. 9-9 10 21 31 5.0-11 0.5-2 . . 2 1-0 . . .27 Childers,Trevor 9-1 15 14 29 2.5-5 . . . 1 . 1 . .30 Nelson,Micah 9-9 14 15 29 3.0-7 . . 2 2 1-0 . . .99 Palao,Ricky 9-3 13 15 28 1.5-4 1.0-4 . . . 1-0 . . .4 Cameron McCutcheon 5-5 15 12 27 1.0-1 . . . . . . . .93 Morgan,Chris 8-3 8 13 21 2.5-10 2.0-9 . . 1 . . . .13 Ronald Kent Jr. 7-7 12 9 21 1.0-3 . 1-0 5 . 1-0 1 . .12 Gattison,Rod 9-0 16 4 20 2.0-5 1.0-4 2-25 . . . 1 . .90 Marlon Alexander 6-5 8 7 15 3.0-6 1.0-4 . . 2 . . . .6 Oelrich,Nick 9-0 11 3 14 . . . 1 . 1-0 . . .4 McCutcheon,Came 3-2 7 6 13 1.0-1 . 1-0 1 . . . . .8 LA Rogers-Anderson 7-1 7 6 13 1.0-2 . . . . . . . .7 Gadie,Charles 5-2 9 4 13 1.0-16 1.0-16 . 1 . . . . .24 Talley,Quintin 8-0 7 4 11 . . . 1 . . . . .91 Guinn,Jaquarius 6-4 5 5 10 1.0-3 . . . . 1-0 . . .53 Fisher,Caleb 8-0 3 6 9 2.0-6 . . . 2 . . . .13 Kent Jr.,Ronald 2-2 3 5 8 0.5-1 . . . . . . . .58 Giovanni Ricciardi 6-0 6 1 7 . . . . . . . . .44 Manns,Nigel 9-0 5 2 7 . . . . . . . . .29 Rice,Willie 8-0 5 1 6 . . . . . . . . .94 Jamison,Timothy 9-1 4 2 6 2.0-8 1.0-6 . . 3 . . . .5 Pauling,Jayden 4-0 4 2 6 0.5-3 0.5-3 . . . . . . .3J Jones,Calvin 9-8 3 2 5 . . . . . . . . .90 Alexander,Marlo 3-1 1 4 5 1.5-1 . . 1 . . . . .0 Floyd,Jaylen 3-0 3 1 4 . . . . . . . . .92 Bell,Darrius 5-0 4 . 4 1.0-1 . . . . . . . .49 Smith,Demorian 6-0 1 2 3 . . . . . . . . .36 Thomas,Skylin 9-0 3 . 3 . . . . . . . . .0J Jones,TJ 9-4 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .2 Gethers,Aaron 3-1 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .8B Benjamin,Kenny 9-5 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .TM TEAM 8-0 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .10 Willie Hampton 4-0 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .41 Caleb Scott 4-0 2 . 2 . . . . . . . . .28 Braxton Richburg 2-0 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .62 Harper,Michael 6-4 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .32 Malik Richardson 6-0 1 . 1 . . . 1 . . . . .74 Smith,Tyler 4-4 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .33 Roach,Curtis 4-0 . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .58 Ricciardi,Giova 2-0 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .55 Thompson,Kevin 7-0 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .1W Williams,CJ 8-2 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .5D Davis,Carlos 5-2 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .9V Vines,Mydreon 5-0 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .46 Paxton Robertson 5-0 . 1 1 . . . . . . . . .46 Robertson,Paxto 3-0 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .2W Williams,Raphae 9-9 1 . 1 . . . . . . . . .72 Whitmore,Blake 2-2 . . . . . . . . 1-0 . . .

Total 9 399 274 673 55-159 14-87 8-93 26 18 9-18 6 1 .Opponents 9 398 208 606 45-172 17-81 16-219 27 38 11-31 16 1 .

2021 Western Carolina FootballWestern Caro. Game Superlatives (as of Nov 11, 2021)

All games

INDIVIDUAL GAME HIGHS

Rushes 17 Jones,TJ vs Eastern Ky. (Sep 04, 2021)Yards Rushing 132 TJ Jones at The Citadel (Oct 23, 2021)TD Rushes 2 TJ Jones at The Citadel (Oct 23, 2021)

2 TJ Jones vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)Long Rush 82 Rogan Wells at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)Pass attempts 58 Rogan Wells at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)Pass completions 37 Rogan Wells at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)Yards Passing 427 Rogan Wells at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)TD Passes 4 Rogan Wells at Wofford College (Oct 30, 2021)Long Pass 85 Rogan Wells vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)Receptions 16 Raphae Williams at Wofford College (Oct 30, 2021)Yards Receiving 177 Raphae Williams at Wofford College (Oct 30, 2021)TD Receptions 2 Raphae Williams vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)

2 Raphae Williams at Wofford College (Oct 30, 2021)Long Reception 85 Kenny Benjamin vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)Field Goals 2 McCollum,Richar vs Eastern Ky. (Sep 04, 2021)

2 Richard McCollum at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)2 Richard McCollum at Wofford College (Oct 30, 2021)

Long Field Goal 40 Richard McCollum at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)Punts 8 Dickerson,Brand at Oklahoma (Sep 11, 2021)

8 Brand Dickerson vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)Punting Avg 43.2 Brand Dickerson vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)Long Punt 56 Brand Dickerson vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)Punts inside 20 4 Brand Dickerson vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)Long Punt Return 28 Patten,Daquan vs Eastern Ky. (Sep 04, 2021)Long Kickoff Return 87 Calvin Jones at Chattanooga (Oct 02, 2021)Tackles 15 Kareem Taylor vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)Sacks 1.0 Hogans,Ivan at Oklahoma (Sep 11, 2021)

1.0 Kareem Taylor vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)1.0 Ty Harris at Chattanooga (Oct 02, 2021)1.0 Timothy Jamison vs Mercer (Oct 09, 2021)1.0 Rod Gattison vs Mercer (Oct 09, 2021)1.0 Ivan Hogans vs Mercer (Oct 09, 2021)1.0 Ivan Hogans at The Citadel (Oct 23, 2021)1.0 Ricky Palao at The Citadel (Oct 23, 2021)1.0 Charles Gadie at Wofford College (Oct 30, 2021)1.0 Marlon Alexander at Wofford College (Oct 30, 2021)1.0 Kareem Taylor vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)1.0 Chris Morgan vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)

Tackles For Loss 3.0 Ivan Hogans vs Mercer (Oct 09, 2021)Interceptions 2 Andreas Keaton vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)


All games

TEAM GAME HIGHS

Rushes 41 at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)Yards Rushing 226 vs Eastern Ky. (Sep 04, 2021)Yards Per Rush 5.9 vs Eastern Ky. (Sep 04, 2021)TD Rushes 3 at The Citadel (Oct 23, 2021)

3 vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)Pass attempts 58 at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)Pass completions 37 at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)Yards Passing 427 at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)Yards Per Pass 11.7 vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)TD Passes 4 at Wofford College (Oct 30, 2021)Total Plays 99 at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)Total Offense 650 at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)Yards Per Play 7.8 vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)Points 45 at The Citadel (Oct 23, 2021)Sacks By 3 vs Mercer (Oct 09, 2021)First Downs 34 at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)Penalties 11 vs Eastern Ky. (Sep 04, 2021)

11 vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)11 at Chattanooga (Oct 02, 2021)

Penalty Yards 75 vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)Turnovers 5 at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)Interceptions By 4 vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)Punts 8 at Oklahoma (Sep 11, 2021)

8 vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)Punting Avg 43.2 vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)Long Punt 56 vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)Punts inside 20 4 vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)Long Punt Return 28 vs Eastern Ky. (Sep 04, 2021)


All games

OPPONENT INDIVIDUAL GAME HIGHS

Rushes 26 Ware,DeMarcus, vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)26 Davis,Fred, vs Mercer (Oct 09, 2021)

Yards Rushing 196 Roberto,Dominic, vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)TD Rushes 4 Roberto,Dominic, vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)Long Rush 79 JONES, D., at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)Pass attempts 48 Welch,Liam, vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)Pass completions 27 Welch,Liam, vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)Yards Passing 352 Welch,Liam, vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)TD Passes 5 Rattler,Spencer, at Oklahoma (Sep 11, 2021)Long Pass 62 Darique Hampton, at The Citadel (Oct 23, 2021)Receptions 6 LUTHER, T.J., at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)

6 Miller,Ryan, vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)Yards Receiving 144 Raleigh Webb, at The Citadel (Oct 23, 2021)TD Receptions 2 Haselwood,Jadon, at Oklahoma (Sep 11, 2021)

2 Toney, KeShawn, at Chattanooga (Oct 02, 2021)Long Reception 62 Raleigh Webb, at The Citadel (Oct 23, 2021)Field Goals 2 Folser,Devin, vs Mercer (Oct 09, 2021)Long Field Goal 56 Brkic,Gabe, at Oklahoma (Sep 11, 2021)Punts 8 Porcellato,Brad, vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)Punting Avg 57.0 Turk,Michael, at Oklahoma (Sep 11, 2021)

57.0 FISHER, B., at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)Long Punt 59 Matt Campbell, at The Citadel (Oct 23, 2021)Punts inside 20 2 Porcellato,Brad, vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)

2 Turk,Trey, vs Mercer (Oct 09, 2021)2 Bleekrode,Timmy, vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)

Long Punt Return 28 Bell,Dejuan, vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)Long Kickoff Return 70 LUTHER, T.J., at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)Tackles 17 McRAINEY, W., at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)Sacks 2.0 Zubairu,Solomon, vs Mercer (Oct 09, 2021)Tackles For Loss 3.5 Standley,Ken, vs Mercer (Oct 09, 2021)Interceptions 1 Woods,Jaden, vs Eastern Ky. (Sep 04, 2021)

1 Baker,Roy, vs Eastern Ky. (Sep 04, 2021)1 Washington,Brys, at Oklahoma (Sep 11, 2021)1 Martin,Noah, vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)1 White,Wade, vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)1 Edmonds,Chris, vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)1 BUCKNER, M., at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)1 BROWN, J., at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)1 Dowdell, Brando, at Chattanooga (Oct 02, 2021)1 Lawson, Jerrell, at Chattanooga (Oct 02, 2021)1 Plummer, Telly, at Chattanooga (Oct 02, 2021)1 Moore,TJ, vs Mercer (Oct 09, 2021)1 Wise,Lance, vs Mercer (Oct 09, 2021)1 Destin Mack, at The Citadel (Oct 23, 2021)1 Ryan,Hugh, vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)1 McCormick,Bryce, vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)


All games

OPPONENT TEAM GAME HIGHS

Rushes 57 at The Citadel (Oct 23, 2021)Yards Rushing 316 vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)Yards Per Rush 7.3 at Oklahoma (Sep 11, 2021)TD Rushes 5 at Oklahoma (Sep 11, 2021)

5 vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)5 vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)

Pass attempts 48 vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)Pass completions 27 at Oklahoma (Sep 11, 2021)

27 vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)Yards Passing 352 vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)Yards Per Pass 11.9 at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)TD Passes 5 at Oklahoma (Sep 11, 2021)Total Plays 91 vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)Total Offense 624 at Oklahoma (Sep 11, 2021)Yards Per Play 8.9 at Gardner-Webb (Sep 25, 2021)Points 76 at Oklahoma (Sep 11, 2021)Sacks By 4 at Oklahoma (Sep 11, 2021)

4 vs Mercer (Oct 09, 2021)First Downs 31 at Oklahoma (Sep 11, 2021)Penalties 9 vs Eastern Ky. (Sep 04, 2021)

9 vs Mercer (Oct 09, 2021)Penalty Yards 89 vs Mercer (Oct 09, 2021)Turnovers 5 vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)Interceptions By 3 vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)

3 at Chattanooga (Oct 02, 2021)Punts 8 vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)Punting Avg 57.0 at Oklahoma (Sep 11, 2021)Long Punt 59 at The Citadel (Oct 23, 2021)Punts inside 20 2 vs Samford (Sep 18, 2021)

2 at Chattanooga (Oct 02, 2021)2 vs Mercer (Oct 09, 2021)2 vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)

Long Punt Return 28 vs Furman (Nov 06, 2021)

2021 Western Carolina FootballWestern Caro. Red-Zone Results (as of Nov 11, 2021)

All games

Western Caro. Inside Opponent Red-Zone

Times Times Total Rush Pass FGs Failed to score inside RZ

Date Opponent Score In RZ Scored Pts TDs TDs TDs Made FGA Down Int Fumb Half Game

Sep 04, 2021 EASTERN KY. L 28-31 6 5 28 3 2 1 2 0 0 1 0 0 0Sep 11, 2021 at Oklahoma L 0-76 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Sep 18, 2021 SAMFORD L 37-42 4 3 17 2 1 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0Sep 25, 2021 at Gardner-Webb L 34-52 7 4 24 3 1 2 1 0 1 1 1 0 0Oct 02, 2021 at Chattanooga L 17-45 3 2 10 1 0 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0Oct 09, 2021 MERCER L 24-34 3 3 17 2 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0Oct 23, 2021 at The Citadel W 45-31 4 4 24 3 1 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0Oct 30, 2021 at Wofford College W 41-21 4 4 20 2 0 2 2 0 0 0 0 0 0Nov 06, 2021 FURMAN W 43-42 4 4 23 3 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 35 29 163 19 9 10 10 0 1 4 1 0 029 of 35 (82.9%)

Opponents Inside Western Caro. Red-Zone

Times Times Total Rush Pass FGs Failed to score inside RZ

Date Opponent Score In RZ Scored Pts TDs TDs TDs Made FGA Down Int Fumb Half Game

Sep 04, 2021 EASTERN KY. L 28-31 5 5 31 4 3 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0Sep 11, 2021 at Oklahoma L 0-76 9 9 63 9 4 5 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Sep 18, 2021 SAMFORD L 37-42 5 4 28 4 4 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0Sep 25, 2021 at Gardner-Webb L 34-52 6 6 38 5 3 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 0Oct 02, 2021 at Chattanooga L 17-45 3 3 17 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0Oct 09, 2021 MERCER L 24-34 5 4 28 4 3 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0Oct 23, 2021 at The Citadel W 45-31 4 4 28 4 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0Oct 30, 2021 at Wofford College W 41-21 4 3 21 3 2 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0Nov 06, 2021 FURMAN W 43-42 5 5 35 5 4 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0

Totals 46 43 289 40 28 12 3 1 0 1 0 1 043 of 46 (93.5%)

2021 Western Carolina FootballWestern Caro. By-Quarter Statistics (as of Nov 11, 2021)

All games

3rd-Down Conversions

Date Opponent Score Overall 1st Qtr 2nd Qtr 3rd Qtr 4th Qtr Overtime

Sep 04, 2021 EASTERN KY. L 28-31 4-12 33.3 1-4 25.0 2-4 50.0 1-2 50.0 0-2 0.0Sep 11, 2021 at Oklahoma L 0-76 3-15 20.0 1-5 20.0 1-5 20.0 0-4 0.0 1-1 100.0Sep 18, 2021 SAMFORD L 37-42 11-24 45.8 2-6 33.3 4-8 50.0 3-4 75.0 2-6 33.3Sep 25, 2021 at Gardner-Webb L 34-52 8-16 50.0 1-3 33.3 3-5 60.0 0-2 0.0 4-6 66.7Oct 02, 2021 at Chattanooga L 17-45 3-12 25.0 2-6 33.3 1-1 100.0 0-2 0.0 0-3 0.0Oct 09, 2021 MERCER L 24-34 5-15 33.3 2-4 50.0 2-6 33.3 1-2 50.0 0-3 0.0Oct 23, 2021 at The Citadel W 45-31 7-13 53.8 3-3 100.0 3-4 75.0 0-2 0.0 1-4 25.0Oct 30, 2021 at Wofford College W 41-21 5-14 35.7 0-1 0.0 4-7 57.1 1-2 50.0 0-4 0.0Nov 06, 2021 FURMAN W 43-42 10-15 66.7 1-2 50.0 4-6 66.7 3-3 100.0 2-4 50.0

Western Caro. 56-136 41.2 13-34 38.2 24-46 52.2 9-23 39.1 10-33 30.3 0-0 0.0Opponents 54-125 43.2 16-32 50.0 15-30 50.0 13-33 39.4 10-30 33.3 0-0 0.0

4th-Down Conversions


Sep 04, 2021 EASTERN KY. L 28-31 1-2 50.0 0-0 0.0 0-1 0.0 0-0 0.0 1-1 100.0Sep 11, 2021 at Oklahoma L 0-76 1-3 33.3 0-0 0.0 0-2 0.0 1-1 100.0 0-0 0.0Sep 18, 2021 SAMFORD L 37-42 1-2 50.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0 1-2 50.0Sep 25, 2021 at Gardner-Webb L 34-52 0-2 0.0 0-0 0.0 0-1 0.0 0-0 0.0 0-1 0.0Oct 02, 2021 at Chattanooga L 17-45 1-1 100.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0 1-1 100.0Oct 09, 2021 MERCER L 24-34 2-3 66.7 0-0 0.0 2-2 100.0 0-0 0.0 0-1 0.0Oct 23, 2021 at The Citadel W 45-31 0-1 0.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0 0-1 0.0 0-0 0.0Oct 30, 2021 at Wofford College W 41-21 1-1 100.0 0-0 0.0 1-1 100.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0Nov 06, 2021 FURMAN W 43-42 1-1 100.0 0-0 0.0 1-1 100.0 0-0 0.0 0-0 0.0

Western Caro. 8-16 50.0 0-0 0.0 4-8 50.0 1-2 50.0 3-6 50.0 0-0 0.0Opponents 8-13 61.5 2-3 66.7 1-1 100.0 2-3 66.7 3-6 50.0 0-0 0.0

Time of Possession


Sep 04, 2021 EASTERN KY. L 28-31 29:14 7:01 9:21 6:52 6:00Sep 11, 2021 at Oklahoma L 0-76 27:01 6:46 7:05 6:48 6:22Sep 18, 2021 SAMFORD L 37-42 32:43 8:19 9:16 7:23 7:45Sep 25, 2021 at Gardner-Webb L 34-52 34:58 6:16 9:57 7:24 11:21Oct 02, 2021 at Chattanooga L 17-45 24:20 6:30 5:11 6:13 6:26Oct 09, 2021 MERCER L 24-34 29:00 8:32 7:44 6:41 6:03Oct 23, 2021 at The Citadel W 45-31 28:20 7:08 7:31 5:55 7:46Oct 30, 2021 at Wofford College W 41-21 26:23 5:40 9:41 4:56 6:06Nov 06, 2021 FURMAN W 43-42 25:41 2:14 7:56 6:59 8:32

Western Caro. Total 257:40 58:26 73:42 59:11 66:21 0:00Avg. 28:37 6:29 8:11 6:34 7:22 0:00

Opponents Total 282:10 76:34 61:18 75:49 68:29 0:00Avg. 31:21 8:30 6:48 8:25 7:36 0:00

2021 Western Carolina FootballWestern Caro. Combined Team Statistics (as of Nov 11, 2021)

All games

Date Opponent Score Att.Sep 04, 2021 EASTERN KY. L 28-31 9647Sep 11, 2021 at Oklahoma L 0-76 83538

* Sep 18, 2021 SAMFORD L 37-42 9060Sep 25, 2021 at Gardner-Webb L 34-52 5689

* Oct 02, 2021 at Chattanooga L 17-45 8520* Oct 09, 2021 MERCER L 24-34 11123* Oct 23, 2021 at The Citadel W 45-31 8411* Oct 30, 2021 at Wofford College W 41-21 3230* Nov 06, 2021 FURMAN W 43-42 8942

Rushing gp-gs att gain loss net avg td lg avg/gJones,TJ 9 - 4 104 463 11 452 4.3 8 53 50.2Wells,Rogan 7 - 7 63 506 88 418 6.6 4 82 59.7Benjamin,Kenny 9 - 5 86 301 19 282 3.3 2 17 31.3Davis,Carlos 5 - 2 28 119 34 85 3.0 0 15 17.0Adams,Branson 8 - 0 13 42 1 41 3.2 0 7 5.1Stanley,Mikai 6 - 0 6 21 0 21 3.5 0 7 3.5Horne,Terrence 9 - 4 1 18 0 18 18.0 0 18 2.0Jones,Calvin 9 - 8 2 13 0 13 6.5 0 11 1.4Williams,CJ 8 - 2 1 4 0 4 4.0 0 4 0.5Keigley,Toler 3 - 0 1 2 0 2 2.0 0 2 0.7Nelson,Tyree 4 - 0 1 1 0 1 1.0 0 1 0.2Quillen,Jakobe 9 - 2 1 0 0 0 0.0 0 0 0.0Total 9 312 1490 182 1308 4.2 14 82 145.3Opponents 9 412 2332 170 2162 5.2 35 79 240.2

Passing gp-gs effic comp-att-int pct yds td lg avg/gWells,Rogan 7 - 7 120.89 147-262-11 56.1 1811 12 85 258.7Davis,Carlos 5 - 2 139.62 75-115-5 65.2 902 6 57 180.4TEAM 8 - 0 0.00 0-1-0 0.0 0 0 0 0.0Total 9 126.27 222-378-16 58.7 2713 18 85 301.4Opponents 9 135.93 145-246-8 58.9 1895 14 62 210.6

Receiving gp-gs no. yds avg td lg avg/gWilliams,Raphae 9 - 9 65 776 11.9 7 40 86.2Benjamin,Kenny 9 - 5 42 425 10.1 3 85 47.2Jones,TJ 9 - 4 24 254 10.6 2 40 28.2Jones,Calvin 9 - 8 21 364 17.3 3 72 40.4Quillen,Jakobe 9 - 2 13 194 14.9 0 43 21.6Horne,Terrence 9 - 4 12 179 14.9 1 54 19.9Patten,Daquan 8 - 1 8 120 15.0 0 32 15.0Vines,Mydreon 5 - 0 7 122 17.4 0 58 24.4Cosenke,Owen 7 - 4 7 55 7.9 1 13 7.9Williams,CJ 8 - 2 4 80 20.0 0 39 10.0Bardall,Clayton 6 - 5 4 27 6.8 0 15 4.5Adams,Branson 8 - 0 4 17 4.2 0 6 2.1Talon James 5 - 0 3 17 5.7 0 10 3.4Hambrick,Keenan 7 - 0 2 48 24.0 0 39 6.9Heath,Raekwon 5 - 0 2 15 7.5 0 13 3.0Total 9 222 2713 12.2 18 85 301.4Opponents 9 145 1895 13.1 14 62 210.6

Field Goals fg pct. 01-19 20-29 30-39 40-49 50-99 lg blkMcCollum,Richar 3-3 100.0 0-0 2-2 1-1 0-0 0-0 34 0Robertson,Paxto 0-1 0.0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-0 0-1 0 0Richard McCollum 8-8 100.0 0-0 4-4 3-3 1-1 0-0 40 0

PATScoring td fg kick rush rcv pass dxp saf ptsJones,TJ 10 - - - - - - - 60Richard McCollum - 8-8 24-24 - - - - - 48Williams,Raphae 7 - - - - - - - 42Benjamin,Kenny 5 - - - - - - - 30Wells,Rogan 4 - - - - 1-4 - - 24Jones,Calvin 3 - - - - - - - 18McCollum,Richar - 3-3 6-6 - - - - - 15Harris,Jacob 1 - - - - - - - 6Taylor,Kareem 1 - - - - - - - 6Cosenke,Owen 1 - - - - - - - 6Brayden Blackmon 1 - - - - - - - 6Horne,Terrence 1 - - - - - - - 6Williams,CJ - - - - 1 - - - 2Total 34 11-12 30-30 - 1 1-4 - - 269Opponents 50 8-11 50-50 - - - - - 374

Score by Quarters 1st 2nd 3rd 4th OT TotalWestern Caro. 39 110 70 50 0 269Opponents 86 101 104 83 0 374

Record: Overall Home Away NeutralAll games 3-6 1-3 2-3 0-0Conference 3-3 1-2 2-1 0-0Non-Conference 0-3 0-1 0-2 0-0

Team Statistics WCU OPPFIRST DOWNS 200 200 R u s h i n g 64 94 P a s s i n g 119 86 P e n a l t y 17 20RUSHING YARDAGE 1308 2162 Rushing Attempts 312 412 Average Per Rush 4.2 5.2 Average Per Game 145.3 240.2 TDs Rushing 14 35PASSING YARDAGE 2713 1895 C o m p - A t t - I n t 222-378-16 145-246-8 Average Per Pass 7.2 7.7 Average Per Catch 12.2 13.1 Average Per Game 301.4 210.6 TDs Passing 18 14TOTAL OFFENSE 4021 4057 Average Per Play 5.8 6.2 Average Per Game 446.8 450.8KICK RETURNS: #-Yards 34-686 34-766PUNT RETURNS: #-Yards 8-72 7-82INT RETURNS: #-Yards 8-93 16-219FUMBLES-LOST 25-11 14-9PENALTIES-Yards 64-497 51-486PUNTS-AVG 44-36.5 41-39.4TIME OF POSSESSION/Game 2 8 : 3 8 3 1 : 2 13RD-DOWN Conversions 56/136 54/1254TH-DOWN Conversions 8/16 8/13

Interceptions no. yds avg td lgKeaton,Andreas 3 27 9.0 0 22Gattison,Rod 2 25 12.5 0 25Harris,Jacob 1 41 41.0 1 41McCutcheon,Came 1 0 0.0 0 0Ronald Kent Jr. 1 0 0.0 0 0

Punting no. yds avg lg tb fc i20 50+ blkBrandon Dickerson 19 721 37.9 55 0 11 5 1 0Dickerson,Brand 19 740 38.9 56 0 6 4 1 0Paxton Robertson 3 105 35.0 39 0 1 0 0 0Brady Elms 2 42 21.0 22 0 0 1 0 0TEAM 1 0 0.0 0 0 0 0 0 1

Punt Returns no. yds avg td lgPatten,Daquan 8 72 9.0 0 28Total 8 72 9.0 0 28Opponents 7 82 11.7 0 28

Kick Returns no. yds avg td lgHorne,Terrence 15 291 19.4 0 34Jones,Calvin 12 339 28.2 0 87Adams,Branson 3 28 9.3 0 22Nelson,Tyree 1 12 12.0 0 12Talon James 1 0 0.0 0 0Benjamin,Kenny 1 0 0.0 0 0Caleb Scott 1 16 16.0 0 16Total 34 686 20.2 0 87Opponents 34 766 22.5 0 70

All Purpose g rush rcv pr kr ir total avg/gWilliams,Raphae 9 0 776 0 0 0 776 86.2Jones,Calvin 9 13 364 0 339 0 716 79.6Benjamin,Kenny 9 282 425 0 0 0 707 78.6Jones,TJ 9 452 254 0 0 0 706 78.4Horne,Terrence 9 18 179 0 291 0 488 54.2Total 9 1308 2713 72 686 93 4872 541.3Opponents 9 2162 1895 82 766 219 5124 569.3

Total Offense g plays rush pass total avg/gWells,Rogan 7 325 418 1811 2229 318.4Davis,Carlos 5 143 85 902 987 197.4Jones,TJ 9 104 452 0 452 50.2Benjamin,Kenny 9 86 282 0 282 31.3Adams,Branson 8 13 41 0 41 5.1Total 9 690 1308 2713 4021 446 8

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