Game #9 - Wofford Terriers

For the ninth game of the season, the Cats remain in Cullowhee to face the resurgent Wofford Terriers in the Southern Conference Game of the Week, and it's also Homecoming week in Cullowhee. 

The Terriers come up the mountain riding a two-game winning streak that broke a 16-game slide for Wofford. Their new interim head coach is off to a 2-0 start, having beat The Citadel and ETSU. The Terrier's previously underperforming offense scored 48 points and put up 580 yards of total offense against the Bucs last Saturday.   

Game #9 - Wofford Terriers

When: Saturday, November 5, 2022

Time:  2:00 pm
Where:   E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field

Radio: Catamount Sports Network

   -announcers:  Gary Ayers • Daniel Hooker • Producer: Jeff Bryson

TV/video:  ESPN3 /  Nexstar Network

   -announcers: Pete Yanity - PBP, Jared Singleton - Analyst  (Nexstar affiliates with the opportunity to air games are: ECBD (Charleston), WMYT (Charlotte), WWCW (Lynchburg/Roanoke), and WYCW (Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville).

Game Notes:      Western Carolina    -    Wofford

Mascot:  Terrier

Colors: Old Gold & Black

Message Board:  Wofford Fans

The Series: The Cats are 15-28 overall against the Terriers in a series that started in 1952, The Cats & Terriers have played a total of 43 times, and the Cats are 10-12 in games played in Cullowhee. Last season's win in Spartanburg broke a 4 game Terrier win streak over the Catamounts.  

The last game played vs. Wofford:  October 30, 2021 -  Catamounts Dominant in 41-21 Road Win at Wofford - 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.

Head Coach:  Shawn Watson (Interim Head Coach/Offensive Coordinator/Quarterbacks)  - Wofford College head football coach Josh Conklin announced on Thursday, Oct. 6, his resignation.  Shawn Watson was immediately named the interim Head coach.  Watson joined the staff as assistant head coach and offensive coordinator on January 13, 2022. He was named interim head coach on October 6, 2022. A veteran with over 35 years of coaching experience, he most recently was the assistant head coach and offensive coordinator at the University of Northern Iowa. He recruits nationally for the quarterback position, along with the Rock Hill area of South Carolina.

Shawn Watson's record vs. WCU:  0 - 0

Kerwin Bells' record vs. Wofford:   1 - 0

Last Season's Record (2021 Wofford):  1-10 overall, 0-5  home, 1-5 away, 1-4 SoCon.  

This Season's Record (2021 Wofford):  2-6 overall, 2-2  home, 0-4 away, 2-3 SoCon.

Offensive Formation:   Pro spread offense
Defensive Formation:   3/4 Base
Starters returning/lost:    16  /  9
Offensive starters - Returning/Lost:  6  /  5
Defensive starters - Returning/Lost:  8  /  3

In the 2022 Southern Conference Preseason Poll, the conference’s nine head coaches picked Wofford to finish ninth with 13 points. This marked the lowest preseason selection for the Terriers since 1997, the first year in the SoCon. 

Wofford College head football coach Josh Conklin announced on Thursday, Oct. 6, his resignation. Shawn Watson, the Terrier's assistant head coach and offensive coordinator will serve as interim head coach for the remainder of the season. Watson has over 35 years of coaching experience, including a stint as head coach at Southern Illinois (1994-96). It marks the first time in school history that the football team has had an interim head coach. Tyler Carlton will take over primary play-calling duties for the offense. 

Injury Report: To begin the 2022 season, LB Marcus Gatling, DL Jacob Drag, and LB Camden Gray have been out due to injury. OL Nick Russo, OL Luke Mabry, WR Alec Holt, and WR Rickie Shaw will miss the remainder of the season due to injury.

For their first win of the season, The Citadel Bulldogs traveled to Spartanburg on Oct. 15th, and Wofford came away with a 31-16 win over the Bulldogs at Gibbs Stadium. With the game tied at 7-7 in the second quarter, the Terriers responded with 24 unanswered points on the way to the victory. Wofford is now 1-6 on the season and 1-3 in the Southern Conference. The Terriers had 349 total yards, with 232 passing yards. Wofford was 5-of-14 on third down. Wofford was called for nine penalties and The Citadel was called for five in the game. 

Wofford is now 2-6 on the season and 2-3 in the Southern Conference. In the ETSU win, the Terriers were led by Jimmy Weirick, who set a new school record with 409 passing yards along with three touchdowns. Landon Parker had eight catches for 179 yards and Amir Annoor had an interception with a minute left in the game. Wofford had 580 total yards, with 409 passing yards. 

2022 Wofford Statistics (8 games)

Rushing Offense: 709 yards
Yards per game: 88.6
Yards per rush: 2.7 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 45
TDs rushing: 9
Passing Offense: 1611 yards or 201.4 yards per game
Avg. per pass: 7.1 yards
Passing 1st downs: 71
Passing Att-Comp-Int: 226-129-6

TDs Passing: 8
Total Offense: 2320 yards or 201.4 per game
3d Down Conversions: 37 of 113 (32.7)
4th Down Conversions: 7 of 10  (70%)
Field Goal: 4 of  6
On-side kicks: 1- 1
Red Zone Scores: 16 of 20
Red Zone Touchdowns: 14 of 20
PAT: 15 of 16

Punts: 55, Avg per punt:  37.2 yards