The 2017 Catamount Offensive Machine

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations                                

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SoCon Basketball - November 30, 2017

Only one game is scheduled for the last day of November, as the Catamounts visit former SoCon member College of Charleston. The Cougars are a 16 point favorite.  

Men

        vs.        

Western Carolina vs Charleston

7: 00 pm

TD Arena

Charleston, South Carolina

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Saturday's SoCon Hoop Results

The SoCon had a pretty good Saturday as they won 4 of 5 games scheduled.



Northeastern 67
Furman 89
-Furman rolls in Nashville, as the Paladins beat Northeastern 78-67, Devin Sibley scored 22 points and grabbed a career-high 10 rebounds.


Fort Wayne  73
ETSU  83
-ETSU beats Fort Wayne 83-73 on Jalan McCloud's career day, as McCloud scored a career-high 25 points with nine rebounds and six assists.


VMI  64
America  69
-Larry Motuzis keeps American on top for 69-64 win over VMI,  Motuzis scored a career-high 26 points and grabbed seven rebounds.


Alabama A&M  72
Western Carolina  82
-Devin Peterson scored 21 points, as Western Carolina holds off Alabama A&M,   Peterson also dished out seven assists as the Cats held off a late A&M surge.


Tennessee Wesleyan   60
Chattanooga   95
-Chattanooga dominated NAIA's Tenn. Wesleyan 95-60 as David Jean-Baptiste had 18 points and Joshua Phillips had a career-high 14.




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SoCon Basketball - November 24, 2017

There are five games on Friday, all Division I, which means more opportunities to pick up good out of conference wins. We have the SoCon vs. 2 ACC teams, AEC, Southland, and Sun Belt teams.




Furman (2-2) at New Hampshire (1-3)  1:00 pm  (no video)
Nashville Municipal Auditorium

SE Louisiana (2-3) at Samford (1-4) 2:00 pm   ESPN3
Pete Hanna Center

UNCG (4-1) at Wake Forest (1-4)  7:00 pm   ACCNE
Lawrence Joel Coliseum

Western Carolina (1-4) at UT Arlington (2-1)  7:00 pm  (no video)
Gallagher Center

The Citadel (3-2) at Florida State (4-0)   8:00 pm  ACCNE
Tucker Center


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Happy Thanksgiving to all......

SoCon Basketball Results- November 21, 2017

Trinity Baptist  - 66
The Citadel   - 116
-The Citadel beats Trinity Baptist 116-66 as Zane Najdawi made 12 of 15 from the field and scored 28 points and Tariq Simmons had 16 points.

Western Carolina  - 76
Massachusetts  - 85
- UMass beats Western Carolina, 85-76 as Luwane Pipkins posted his third game with 20 or more points

Ohio Valley  - 66
VMI   -  81
- VMI cruises past Ohio Valley, 81-66 as Bubba Parham scored 19 points to lead VMI to a victory over Division II Ohio Valley

Longwood  - 40
UNCG  - 71
-UNCG throttles Longwood in 2nd half of a 71-40 win as Francis Alonso scored 16 points and the Greensboro defense limited Longwood to just 11

Jacksonville State  - 77
Chattanooga  - 75
-JSU held on to edge Chattanooga in OT as Marlon Hunter grabbed an offensive rebound and scored one of his two baskets in the game

Samford  - 67
Valparaiso  - 88
-Tevonn Walker lead Valparaiso to their 5th win, beating Samford. 88-67.  Walker had 26 points, nine rebounds and five assists as Valparaiso remains undefeated.

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Catamount Football Weekly: Nov. 22 (Season Wrap-up)

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"The Cats" retro gear

Tuesday's SoCon Basketball

SoCon Basketball - November 21, 2017


Trinity Baptist at The Citadel (2-2)  6:00 pm   -  SDN
McAlister Field House

Western Carolina (1-3) at Massachusetts (2-1)  7 pm  -  Atlantic 10 Digital Network;
Mullins Memorial Center

Ohio Valley at VMI (0-2) 7 pm  -  ESPN3
Cameron Hall

Longwood (0-3) at UNCG (3-1)   7:30 pm  - ESPN3
Greensboro Coliseum

Jacksonville State (3-1) at Chattanooga (2-2)  - ESPN3
McKenzie Arena

Samford (1-3) at Valparaiso (4-0)   - ESPN3
Athletics-Recreation Center


A little on WCU's opponent, UMass -

In their 101-76 win over Niagara on Sunday, UMass drilled 15 three-pointers, including seven from Luwane Pipkins, which was one shy of tying both team and individual records. Other highlights from include a career-high 16 points from guard Carl Pierre and 14 points from Rayshawn Miller, while C.J. Anderson dished out a career-best eight assists. After scoring a career-high 34 points, point guard Luwane Pipkins was named the Atlantic 10 Co-Player of the Week. The sophomore posted his second-straight game with over 20 points and is now the fifth-leading scorer in the league with a 22.7 point per game average. His 34 points were the second most this season by a league player in a game.

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Thank You Catamount Nation

"The Catamount Nation is the Best in the SoCon! Our team is THANKFUL for your support! You guys were great all year!" - Coach Speir

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Former WCU Football HC battles cancer

It has been a great season for the Cherokee Braves, but the man that leads this football team is fighting an ultimate fight, again. Our prayers go out to Kent Briggs.

 

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WCU at UNC - Head-to-Head Comparison

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations                           

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WCU 2-Deep vs. Tar Heels

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations              

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Game #12: North Carolina

In Western Carolina's twelfth and final regular season game, the Cats travel to Chapel Hill for the first-ever meeting with the Tar Heels on the gridiron. This will also be the second FBS game of the season for the Cats..

Western Carolina will play the Tar Heels for a second time in the 2018 season, again in Chapel Hill.


When: Saturday, November 18 (Time - TBA)
Where: Kenan Stadium (63,000) - Natural Grass -  Chapel Hill, NC
Weather forcast:

SAT NOV 18

AM Showers

63°40°

40%

SW 13 mph

Radio: Catamount Sports Network
- Talent:  Gary Ayers (pxp), Daniel Hooker (color), Jeff Bryson, Greg McLamb (sideline)
TV / Video: ACC Network Extra
Head Coach: Larry Fedora (Austin College, ‘85)
Game Notes:   Western Carolina  -  UNC -  SoCon Weekly Review

Record at North Carolina: 42-33 (5 yrs)
Career Record: 76-52 (9 yrs)
Basic Offense: Spread
Basic Defense: 4–3
Lettermen Returning / Lost: 32 / 20
Starters - Returning / Lost (O/D/S): 15 (5/7/3) / 12 (6/4/2)
Series History: First Meeting

Last season's record (Tar Heels):  8-5 overall, 4-2 home, 4-1 away, 5-3 ACC - The Tar Heels ended the season losing 3 of their last 4 games.

Games played by UNC this season prior to the WCU game: (9) - 2017 Record: 2-8 overall, 1-6 conf., 0-6 home, 2-2 away
-Cal (home) Lost 30-35 to the Bears
-Louisville (home) lost 35-47
-Old Dominion (away) won 53-23
-Duke (home) lost 17-27
-Georgia Tech (away) lost 7-33
-Notre Dame (home) lost 10-33
-Virginia (home) lost 14-20
-Virginia Tech (away) lost 7-59
-Miami (home) lost 10-24
-Pitt (away) won 34-31


Key Offensive losses: C - Lucas Crowley, OT - Jon Heck, TB - Elijah Hood, WR - Bug Howard, WR - Ryan Switzer, QB - Mitch Trubisky

Key Defensive losses: DE - Mikey Bart, S - Dominquie Green, DT - Naz Jones CB - Des Lawrence

The Tar Heels returned just 13  percent of their total offense (passing, rushing, receiving) from last year's team. They had to replace their top passer, two leading rushers and three standout wide receivers from last season.

The Tar Heels have had a significant injury problem this season, below is a partial list of players out for the season:
Corey Bell Jr., CB  - Junior
Antwuan Branch, TB  - Freshman
Jesse Cuccia, S  - Junior
Luke Elder, OL  - Redshirt Freshman
D.J. Ford, S  - Sophomore
Rontavius Groves, WR   - Redshirt Freshman
Tommy Hatton, OL   - Sophomore
Thomas Jackson, WR  -  Junior
Devin Perry, WR    -  Junior
Tyler Powell, DL   - Senior
Austin Proehl, WR   - Senior
Jacob Schmidt, TB  -  Junior
Andre Smith, LB   -  Junior
William Sweet, OT   -  Sophomore
Carl Tucker, TE    -  Sophmore
Noah Turner, TE   -   Sophomore

2017 UNC Statistics (thru 10 games):
Rushing Offense: 1695 yards
Yards per game: 133
Yards per rush: 3.7 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 68
TDs rushing: 14
Passing Offense: 2129 yards or 213 yards per game
Avg. per pass: 6.4 yards
Passing 1st downs: 102
Passing Comp-Att-Int: 332-180-14
TDs Passing: 13
Total Offense: 3464 yards or 346 yards per game
Fumbles-Lost: 14 - 6
Field goal attempts: 15 - 21
PAT-Attempts: 51 of 52 (98%)
On-side kicks: 0-1
Red Zone Scores: 23 of 29
Red Zone Touchdowns: 19 of 29
Punts - Yards: 50 - 2134

and lastly..... guess who is the quarterbacks coach  at UNC?   answer.......  Keith Heckendorf

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Coach Speir's post game comments

WCU 2-Deep Roster vs. Mercer

Courtesy WCU Athletics Media Relations                   

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This week's Purple & Gold football picks (11-11-17)

It's week #11 in the SoCon, and time to pick Saturday's games.

All four games are set for Saturday, and all four are conference games.






Wofford (8-1, 6-1 SoCon) at VMI  (0-10, 0-7 SoCon)   1:30 pm - watch on ESPN3
The Terriers travel to Lexington and continue on beatdowns of the Keydets. Wofford assures itself of a slice of the conference chanpionship and the auto-bid to the NCAA with a 35-10 win over VMI/


The Citadel (5-4, 3-4 SoCon) at Furman (6-3, 5-1 SoCon)  2:00 pm EDT - watch on ESPN3
The Bulldogs travel to Travler's Rest to play the Paladins in an important game for both teams. The defending champion Bulldogs are playing for honor and Paladins are playing for a chance of an at-large NCAA bid and a potential slice of the SoCon championship.  The Paladins are too strong for the dogs as they pick up a 28-14 win over the Citadel.


Mercer (4-5, 3-4 SoCon) at Western Carolina (7-3, 5-2 SoCon)  2:00 pm EDT - watch on ESPN3
The Bears travel to Cullowhee, hoping for a repeat victory over the Cats. Western is playing for an at-large playoff bid and has not been statically eliminated from a share of the conference crown (would require losses by Wofford and Furman).  The Cats do their part, picking up win #8, with a 28-21 victory.

ETSU (4-5, 2-4 SoCon) at Samford (6-2, 4-2 SoCon)    3:00 pm EDT - watch on ESPN3
The Bucs travel to Birmingham to face the Bulldogs in what is a must-win game for Samford if their hopes for an at-large playoff berth are to continue. The Bulldogs roll to a 35-14 win over the Bucs.

Record this season:
42-11 overall








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2017 SoCon Football Power Rankings - (Week #10)

Welcome to Purple & Gold's 2017 SoCon Football Power Rankings.

Each Tuesday throughout the season, we'll release that week's Power Rankings.






Here's this week's P&G rankings after week #10 of play,.


1. Wofford (8-1, 6-1 SoCon)
Next:  VMI

2. Furman (6-3, 5-1 SoCon)
Next:  Citadel

3.  Western Carolina (7-3, 5-2 SoCon)
Next: Mercer

4. Samford (6-3, 4-2 SoCon)
Next: ETSU

5. Mercer (4-5, 3-4 SoCon)
Next:  @ Western Carolina

6. The Citadel (5-4, 3-4 SoCon)
Next:  @ Furman

7. East Tennessee State (4-5, 2-4 SoCon)
Next:  @ Samford

8. Chattanooga (2-8, 2-5 SoCon)
Next:  bye

9. Virginia Military Institute (0-10, 0-7 SoCon)
Next:  @ Wofford




Watch for Friday's SoCon picks.......




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Game #11: Mercer

In the Cat's eleventh game of the season, the Mercer Bears travel to Cullowhee for the Cats fifth & final home game of the regular season.

Western faces the Bears for just the fourth time since Mercer joined the Southern Conference.

When: Saturday, November 11 at 2:00 pm
Where: E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
- Talent: Gary Ayers (pxp), Greg McLamb (color), Jeff Bryson, Dan Gibson (sideline)
TV / video: ESPN3 The Series
- Talent: Daniel Hooker (pxp), Kyle Rush (color) & Katie Miller (sideline)
Fan Message Board:  MU Bear Down
Game Notes:     Western Carolina     -     Mercer    -     SoCon Weekly Release

Head Coach: Bobby Lamb (Furman, ‘87)
Record at Mercer: 32-24 (4 yrs)
Career Record: 98-64 (14 yrs)
Basic Offense: Pistol
Basic Defense: 3-4
Lettermen Returning / Lost: 41 / 30
Starters Returning / Lost (O/D/S): 15 (7/6/2) / 10 (4/5/1)
The Series:  In only the 4th meeting between the two teams, the Cats own a 2-1 record over the visiting Bears, having lost last season in Macon, GA. Western is 1-0 against the Bears in Cullowhee.

Last Season's Game vs. Mercer (Oct. 15, 2016) Catamount Football Falls to Mercer, 38-24 Macon, GA - Alex Lakes rushed for 112 yards with two touchdowns and Mercer pulled away in the fourth quarter to beat Western Carolina 38-24 on Saturday in Southern Conference action at Five Star Stadium. Western Carolina made it a seven-point game with 5:48 to go on Logan Howard's 30-yard field goal. The ensuing kickoff was returned 31 yards by Chandler Curtis and a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty set up Mercer on the WCU 40. Seven plays later, Lakes' 2-yard plunge sealed it with 1:53 left.

Last season's record (Mercer): 6-5 overall, 4-1 home, 2-4 away, 4-4 SoCon

Games played by the Bears this season prior to the WCU game: (9) - Record this season: 4-5 overall, 3-4 conference, 3-2 home, 1-3 away
-Jacksonville (home) The Bears kicked off the season big, with a 47-7 win over Jacksonville
-Wofford (home) Mercer dropped a one-point game to the #10 Terriers in game two, 27-18
-Auburn (away) Mercer has a good showing in 10-24 loss to FBS foe Auburn
-ETSU (away) The Bears woes start when they lose in  overtime to upstart ETSU by three points, 23-26
-VMI (home) Mercer gets on right track with a 49-14 win over winless VMI
-The Citadel (away) The Bears surprise the #17 Bulldogs on the road,  24-14
- Chattanooga (home) Mercer continues the wining streak by beating the Mocs, 30-10
-Furman (away) - The Bears road woes continue in Greenville, as the Paladins win 21-28
-Samford (home) Mercer starts a new streak, this time in losses as the #14 Dogs hold Mercer to a field goal

Key Losses:  QB John Russ, OL Bret Niederreither, OL Kirby Southard, OL Avery White, Punter Tyler Zielenske

The Bears were picked fifth in the SoCon preseason polls returning 14 starters from last season's 6-5 team. The fifth-place vote is Mercer's second highest in four years as a SoCon football member. Offensive lineman Thomas Marchman, tight end Sam Walker and placekicker Cole Fisher were named to the Preseason All-SoCon First Team. Wide receiver Marquise Irvin, offensive lineman Caleb Yates, defensive lineman Isaiah Buehler and return specialist Chandler Curtis earned Preseason All-SoCon Second Team honors.

In scoring offense, the Cats continue to lead SoCon scoring offense, with the Bears at #5, averaging 26 points per game. The Cats are #4 in scoring defense, giving up 22.5 points per game, and the Bears rank #1 in that category, only giving up 19 points per game.  Western comes in at #3 in rushing (249 yards), while the Bears are #5 (139 yards) .

With only two games remaining for the Bears, both on the road (WCU & Alabama), the 4-5 Bears are out of the running for both a conference title and an at-large NCAA bid. The Bears scheduled two FBS opponents this year (WCU fans know this game well) which hurt their chances of coming up with the 7 DI wins needed to be considered for an at-large bid. Mercer can only hope to play the role of "spoiler" when they visit Cullowhee next Saturday.  While the Cats have their 7 wins, most feel that this year 8 may be needed to guarantee a birth, if the Missouri Valley and CAA receive unusually large playoff numbers.

2017 Mercer Statistics (thru 9 games):
Points per game:  26
Rushing Offense: 1475 yards
Yards per game: 139
Yards per rush: 3.6 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 76
TDs rushing: 17
Passing Offense: 1898 yards or 211 yards per game
Avg. per pass: 7.4 yards
Passing 1st downs: 76
Passing Comp-Att-Int: 257-159-7
TDs Passing: 13
Total Offense: 350 yards per game
Fumbles-Lost: 8 - 5
3d Down Conversions: 44 of 120 (37%)
4th Down Conversions: 4 of 10 (40%)
Field goal - attempts: 7 - 11
PAT-Attempts: 36 of 38 (95%)
On-side kicks: 0-0
Red Zone Scores: 29 of 31
Red Zone Touchdowns: 22 of 31
Punts - Yards: 48 - 1912



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Cam Brown, thank you for being an inspiration

Cam Brown, thank you for being an inspiration.

You touched more people in your short time on earth than most people do in a lifetime. pic.twitter.com/o8pAMqJSjZ

— Alison Posey (@AlisonPosey14) November 5, 2017

Saturday's SoCon Football Round-up (11-4-17)

Week #10 is now in the books, here's how the games played out.....


Chattanooga at Wofford
Football Survives In Double Overtime
SPARTANBURG, S.C. – On Saturday afternoon, the Wofford College football team had a 34-yard field goal in the second overtime against Chattanooga for a 24-21 win at Gibbs Stadium. The Mocs tied the game with a touchdown and two-point conversion with 16 seconds left in regulation. Wofford scored first to open overtime and Chattanooga matched the touchdown. On the first play of the second overtime, Wofford's Devin Watson intercepted a Chattanooga pass. Luke Carter then hit a field goal for the victory.


Western Carolina at The Citadel
Catamount Football Scores Road Win at The Citadel, 31-19
Charleston, S.C. - Redshirt sophomore QB Tyrie Adams threw for three touchdowns -- two to redshirt senior WR Terryon Robinson -- and Detrez Newsome rushed for 197 yards including an 81-yard touchdown romp as Western Carolina outlasted The Citadel, 31-19, on Saturday afternoon in Southern Conference action at Johnson Hagood Stadium. WCU's defense forced five turnovers in the road win including three interceptions against the run-oriented triple-option attack of the Bulldogs -- two that thwarted would-be scoring drives for the home squad -- while adding a pair of fumble recoveries as WCU scored its first road win over the Bulldogs since 2010. Marvin Tillman came up with two interceptions to pace the Catamount defense.


Samford at Mercer
No. 15 Football Earns Key SoCon Road Win At Mercer, 20-3
MACON, Ga. – The 15th-ranked Samford football team used a strong performance on both sides of the ball to earn an impressive 20-3 Southern Conference road victory at Mercer Saturday afternoon at Five Star Stadium. "This was a big win for our team, and we needed it," Samford head coach Chris Hatcher said. "We didn't play very well last week, but we came out today, and with a lot of guys not making the trip, we had a lot of guys step up today and play very well. I'm really proud of all three phases."


VMI at ETSU
Defense, second-half surge lift Bucs past VMI, 24-6 
JOHNSON CITY, Tenn. (Nov. 4, 2017) – In the first Senior Day home finale for William B. Greene, Jr. Stadium, the ETSU football team used a suffocating defensive effort and a 14-point scoring surge in the second half to race past Southern Conference foe VMI, 24-6, Saturday afternoon. Playing in front of a crowd of 7,327 fans, the Buccaneers improved to 4-5 overall and 2-4 in SoCon play. ETSU also kept alive its hopes of a winning season as the Bucs face a pair of SoCon road contests beginning next Saturday at No. 15 Samford. For the year, ETSU finished with a 4-2 record inside Greene Stadium.


The Standings after week #10
1. Wofford -           SoCon 6-1, overall 8-1
2. Furman -           SoCon 5-1, overall 6-3
3. WCU-                SoCon 5-2 overall 7-3
4. Samford -          SoCon 4-2, overall 6-3
5. The Citadel -     SoCon 3-4, overall 5-4
5. Mercer -            SoCon 3-4, overall 4-5
7. ETSU -              SoCon 2-4, overall 5-4
8. Chattanooga -   SoCon 2-5, overall 2-8
9. VMI -                 SoCon 0-7, overall 0-10




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WCU Players of the Game (the Citadel)

We're back with Purple & Gold's Catamount Players of the Game. 

This week's selection is for the Citadel game played in Charleston, SC.

                                                                       

Robinson 

     The Offensive Player of the Game is Terryon Robinson


    The Defensive Player of the Game is the entire WCU Defensive Squad   

Redshirt senior Terryon Robinson pulled in 6 passes for 71 yards and two touchdowns. Robinson hauled in a 32-yard touchdown pass from Adams to close out a wild back-and-forth close to the first half, carrying a 17-10 lead into halftime.

WCU’s defense forced five turnovers in the road win including three interceptions against the run-oriented triple-option attack of the Bulldogs – two that thwarted would-be scoring drives for the home squad – while adding a pair of fumble recoveries as WCU scored its first road win over the Bulldogs since 2010. Marvin Tillman came up with two interceptions to pace the Catamount defense. Four defenders finished with double-digit tackles with linebackers Daniel Riddle and A.J. Newman finishing with 13 apiece with Riddle intercepting a third pass in The Citadel’s end zone. Linebacker Kendall White recorded 11 and lineman Nate Link finished with 10.


Purple & Gold congratulates Terryon Robinson & the entire WCU Defense on their accomplishments in the Citadel victory.

The Defense

Robinson  

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