Looking at Game 5, Presbyterian

Who:  Presbyterian College Blue Hose

When:  October 4th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (EST)

Where:  Bailey Memorial Stadium, Clinton, SC

Series history: This game will mark the 18th all-time meeting between Western Carolina and PC. The Cats currently lead the series 9-8. Western Carolina is in the midst of a eight-game winning streak in the overall series. The Blue Hose have not defeated the Catamounts since 1969 when they downed the Cats 28-17 in Cullowhee. The series began in 1950 and the Blue Hose won eight of the first eight contests before WCU began its current nine-game winning streak in 1970.  The two team last played in 2008 in Clinton, in the second game of a home and home series, both won by the Catamounts.

Their coach:  Harold Nichols - Nichols is entering his 5th season as PC's head coach.

Last year’s record:  3-8 overall,  1-4 Big South

How they got there:  The Blue Hose opened the 2013 season in Winston-Salem, NC against Wake Forest, losing 31-7, then returned to Clinton to play Brevard, knocking off the Toronados 43-34.  PC then traveled to Greenville to play Furman, only losing by one, 21-20.  PC then returned home to meet the first season Charlotte team, losing 45-21 to the 49ers.  Traveling to Spartanburg, SC to meet their second SoCon opponent of the season, the Terriers romped over the Blue Hose 55-14.  In game six, PC entered Big South play and knocked off VMI with their best offensive performance of the season, beating the Keydets, 49-35.  PC made it two wins in a row, knocking off Point, before losing their final four games of the season  against CSU (16-27),  Liberty (14-35), Coastal Carolina (13-46), and Gardner-Webb (13-20).

The last game vs. Presbyterian:  September 21, 2008 -  Red-shirt sophomore Marquel Pittman hauled in an acrobatic four-yard scoring strike with just over three minutes showing on the Bailey Memorial Stadium clock Saturday afternoon. But it wasn't until Presbyterian's Cam Miller hooked a 23-yard field goal wide left that the Catamounts were able to celebrate their first road win since late October, 2005, downing the Blue Hose, 23-21. The victory snapped Western's 14-game road losing skid which dated back to '05 when the Cats defeated Chattanooga. It also was WCU's eighth-straight over Presbyterian dating back to 1970, and its first in Clinton since 1976, snapping PC's six-game home winning streak.

Presbyterian is a young team that lost only 9 seniors from the 2013 team.  The 2014 Blue Hose team has 38 either true or redshirt freshmen,  25 either true or redshirt sophomores, 23 juniors or redshirt juniors, &  12 seniors.

Offensive starters - Returning/Lost:   8 - 3

Defensive starters - Returning/Lost:   9 - 2

Statistics:
Scoring:  23.5 points per game
Rushing Offense:  147.8 yards per game
Passing Offense:  176,5 yards per game
Total Offense:   324.3 yards per game
Fumbles-Lost:  16 - 7
Penalties-Yards:  37.5 yards per game
3rd Down Conversions:  54 - 141   38%
4th Down Conversions:   11 - 18  61%
Field Goals - Attempts:   1 - 5
Red-Zone Scores:   27 - 35,  77%
Red-Zone Touchdowns: 26 - 35,   74%

Losses/Weaknesses:
Key Losses -  RB Demarcus Rouse,  RB LaQua Mayers, WR Jeremiah McKie,  YR Tobi Antigha,

Strengths:  Tobi Antigha earned a spot on the 2014 CFPA Wide Receiver Watch List
Returning Leaders:  RB Blake Roberts, QB Heys McMath, QB Kaleb Griffin

QBs -
Heys McMath 85-149 1142 yards 10 TDs 5 INT
Kaleb Griffin 71-100 635 Yards 2 TDs 4 INT

McMath took over the starting QB job against VMI for the final final 6 games. Griffin will probably be the primary backup in 2014.

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