Throughout this preseason, Purple & Gold will preview all of Western's 2019 football opponents.
For the seventh game of the season, the Cats travel to Spartanburg, SC to face the Wofford Terriers.
Western faces the Terriers for the forty-fifth time since 1972.
Game #7 - Wofford
When: Saturday, October 19 at 1:30 pm
Where: Gibbs Stadium, Spartanburg, SC (natural grass)
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
TV / video: Nextar / ESPN3 or ESPN+
The Series: The Cats are 14-27 overall against the Terriers.in a series that started in 1952, The Cats & Terriers have played a total of 41 times, and Western has lost two in a row to the Terriers.
Games that will be played by the Bulldogs this season prior to the WCU contest: (5 games) The Terriers open the season on the road in Orangeburg, SC against SC State, before returning home to open SoCon play against Samford in Spartanburg. The Terriers remain at home for the third game of the young season, as Gardner-Webb travels to Spartanburg. In games 4 & 5, Wofford returns to conference play on the road, facing VMI in Lexington then traveling to Johnson City to meet ETSU, before returning home to face the Cats in their Homecoming game.
The last game played vs. Wofford: November 10, 2018 - Wofford Survives WCU on Senior Day Cullowhee, N.C. – Quarterback Tyrie Adams accounted for 396 yards of total offense and his eighth-rushing score of the season, but a late interception again thwarted an upset bid by Western Carolina against No. 14/15 Wofford. The Terriers rallied from a 20-7 first-half deficit, limiting the high-octane Catamounts to a fourth-quarter field goal in keeping their conference title and postseason hopes alive with a 38-23 victory to spoil WCU’s Senior Day at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field. Trailing by eight, 31-23, with under three minutes to play in regulation, Adams marched the Catamount offense 71 yards out of his own end zone in search of the equalizing score. However, miscommunication with a wide receiver on an scramble play resulted in Wofford’s George Gbesee jumping an errant throw, returning the pick 66 yards to set-up Andre Stoddard’s second – and game-sealing – rushing touchdown.
Last Season's Record (Wofford): 9-4 overall, 6-0 home, 3-4 away, 6-2 in the SoCon
Offensive Formation: Triple Option
-2018 Offensive: 29.6 ppg. (45th in FCS)
Defensive Formation: Multiple 50
-2018 Defensive: 19.0 ppg. (8th in FCS)
Starters returning/lost: 16 / 9
Offensive starters - Returning/Lost: 9 / 2
Defensive starters - Returning/Lost: 5 / 6
Specialist - Returning/Lost: 2 / 1
Lettermen - Returning/Lost: 47 / 18
Defending co-champion Wofford was picked by the SoCon's head coaches & media to finish first in the preseason polls. This is the second time that the Terriers have been picked first, as they were in 2017 when they won the title. Wofford has won the league six times and reached the second round of the FCS Playoffs in 2018.
Wofford led all SoCon teams with nine total preseason all-conference selections, putting three on the first teams and a league-best six on the second teams. Leading the Terriers on the first team were offensive linemen Justus Basinger and Michael Ralph, along with defensive lineman Thad Mangum. Second-team selections included safety Mason Alstatt, offensive lineman Justus Basinger, punter Luke Carter, cornerback George Gbesee, defensive lineman Mikel Horton and linebacker Jireh Wilson.
In 2019, on the offensive side of the ball, the Terriers have 9 starters returning, led by quarterback Joe Newman who started all 13 games last season. The Terrier backfield will have the only changes with the departure of starters fullback Andre Stoddard and halfback Lennox McAfee
The defensive side of the ball is where a weakness if any, may occur. The Terriers return only 5 starters on defense, having lost Miles Brown (DL), Brandon Zamary (DL), Billy Hinton (LB), Domo Lemon (CB), JoJo Tillery (S), and Devin Watson (CB)
2018 Wofford Statistics
Rushing Offense: 4052 yards
Yards per game: 311.7
Yards per rush: 6.1 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 159
TDs rushing: 38
Passing Offense: 1502 yards or 115.5 yards per game
Avg. per pass: 7.9 yrds
Passing 1st downs: 59
Passing Comp-Att-Int: 114-191-10
TDs Passing: 11
Total Offense: 5554 yards or 427.2
3d Down Conversions: 61-156
4th Down Conversions: 9-19
Field Goal: 12 of 16
On-side kicks: 0-0
Red Zone Scores: 39 of 48
Red Zone Touchdowns: 28 of 48
Avg per punt: 42 yrds
Game prediction: Per the Massey Ratings, the Cats have a 13% probability of winning (24-42) over the Terriers.
According to Massey, Western Carolina should be 2-5 after this game. I'm going to agree on the possible loss in Spartanburg, however, the Cats depart Sparkle City with a 5-2 overall record after this game.
--------------------------------------
Join the conversation and leave a comment below
