Game #4 - Presbyterian Blue Hose

For the fourth game of the season, the Catamounts return to Cullowhee for what is hopefully a little payback versus Presbyterian for the 19-14 upset victory in Clinton last season. A Catamount victory over the Blue Hose would go a long way to upright the ship after a disappointing loss in Charleston, and a poorly played game against Tennessee. This is also WCU Family Weekend in Cullowhee.

On the strength of last season's upset, the Cats and Blue Hose are now tied at 9-9, in a series that stretches back to 1950.  The Blue Hose last defeated the Catamounts in Cullowhee in 1969 when they downed the Cats by a score of 28-17, which was the only blemish on new head football coach Bob Waters' first season at the helm in Cullowhee. The Cats finished the '69 season with a 9-1 record. The Cats are 2-0 against PC in games played on Bob Waters Field.




Presbyterian

When: Saturday, October 3d at 3:30 pm
Where: E.J. Whitmire Stadium. Cullowhee, NC
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
TV / video: locally - My40, WMYA-TV  and nationally on ESPN3
Game Notes:   Western Carolina      -      Presbyterian

Head Coach:  Harold Nichols -
Nichols completed his sixth season at the helm of the Blue Hose in 2014, ending the season as the Big South Conference Co-Coach of the Year. A 1989 alumnus of Presbyterian, Nichols came back to the Blue Hose on January 14, 2009, from Bucknell. Last season, Nichols led PC to a 6-5 record, the program’s first winning season since 2007 and its first-ever in the Big South. He guided the Blue Hose to ranked wins over No. 12 Furman and No. 22 Charleston Southern and the team's two road wins stand as the most since three in 2007.


Last year’s record: 6-5 overall, 3-2 in the Big South Conference  

Last Season's Game vs. PC (Oct. 4, 2014) : Turnovers Costly in WCU's 19-14 Road Loss at Presbyterian  "Presbyterian bookend its scores with two interception returns for touchdowns - the second coming inside the game's final two minutes - as the Blue Hose handed Western Carolina a heart-breaking 19-14 road loss in nonconference action on Saturday afternoon at Bailey Memorial Stadium."

Offensive starters - Returning/Lost:  7 / 4  -  On offense, the Hose lost center Dillon Salmans, tight end Kris Hurley, wide receiver Tobi Antigha,  and running back Demarcus Rouse to graduation.
Defensive starters - Returning/Lost:  9 / 2  -  On defense, the Hose lost the following starters: linebacker Isaiah Lynn, and defensive back Cory White
Specialist - Returning/Lost:  4 / 2  -  The Hose long snapper Cannon Jordan, kick returner Jeremiah McKie, punt returner Jeremiah McKie were lost to graduation
Offensive Formation:   Spread
Defensive Formation:  4-3

Presbyterian's 6-5 record in 2014 was their first winning season since 2007 and the first-ever in the Big South. Against FCS competition, the Blue Hose finished with a 5-2 record and its only two losses came to FCS playoff teams Coastal Carolina and Liberty. Against FCS competition, PC allowed only 15.9 points per game and 310.0 total offense yards per game. The Blue Hose earned seven Big South Conference postseason honors with HC Harold Nichols leading the group as Co-Coach of the Year, Redshirt junior linebacker Donelle Williams and junior defensive back Ed Britt earned 1st team honors while senior wide receiver Tobi Antigha, senior offensive lineman Devinn Ritter and redshirt senior long snapper Cannon Jordan received 2d team accolades.

2015 Presbyterian Statistics (YTD):
Rushing Offense: 480  - Avg. per game: 135
Yards per rush:  3.3
TDs rushing:  4
Passing Offense: 322 or 107 yards per game
Passing Comp-Att-Int:  25-63-2
Total Offense: 728 yards or  243 yards per game
Fumbles-Lost:  3-1
Penalties-Yards: 26 for 210 yards
3d Down Conversions: 8 of 41 or 22%
4th Down Conversions:  1 of 2 or 50%
Field Goals - Attempts: 1 of  5
Red-Zone Scores: 6 of 10 (60%)
Red-Zone Touchdowns: 5 of 10 (50%)
Punts (No. Yards): 24 (858)
Avg, per punt: 36 yds

Who has the Blue Hose played prior to Western? 
The Blue Hose (1-3) opened their season with a road trip to Miami (Ohio), and dropped a 23-13 game to the Red Hawks. PC's Darrell Bridges led the Blue Hose with 125 yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. QB Tamyn Garrick was 14-of-27 passing for 163 yards in the loss. Daryl Wilson led all PC receivers with 86 receiving yards on five receptions. Darrell Williams had a game-high nine tackles for the Blue Hose defense.

PC then traveled to Charlotte, where they dropped a 34-10 game to the 49ers. The Blue Hose struggled to move the football against the Charlotte defense, gaining only 112 yards in the game with 103 coming on the ground. Darrell Bridges rushed 22 times for 62 yards. Backup quarterback Ben Cheek added 12 carries for 28 yards and Jordan Hallums’s only carry of the game went for 19 yards to set up a PC score.

PC then returned to Clinton for a home game against non-scholarship Campbell, picking up a 23-13 win over the Camels. The Blue Hose defense had three takeaways in the contest, with PC getting points off two. PC's Darrell Bridges rushed for a game-high 132 yards and two touchdowns on 30 carries to lead the Blue Hose offense. Tamyn Garrick came off-the-bench to go 6-for-13 passing for 127 yards for PC. Marquel Hines totaled 42 receiving yards to lead the team while Bridges added 42 receiving yards.

Then in week #4, the Blue Hose remained at Bailey Stadium, to meet the Chattanooga Mocs. The Mocs pulled off their first shutout of the season, winning 21-0. PC's Darrell Bridges again led the Mocs on offense with 87 rushing yards on 12 carries for an average of 7.3 yards per carry. Ben Cheek went 5-for-10 passing for a career-high 38 yards in just his third game for PC. Donelle Williams recorded a career-high-tying 18 tackles to lead the PC defensive unit, holding Chattanooga to its second lowest point total of the season.

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