Football: Saturday's SoCon Results

Georgia Southern 28, Chattanooga 27

STATESBORO, Ga. - Georgia Southern outlasted a second-half comeback attempt by Chattanooga to win 28-27 on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles defense denied a two-point conversion attempt by the Mocs in the final two minutes of the contest to preserve the victory.

Wofford 43, The Citadel 14
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Wofford posted a 43-14 win over The Citadel on Saturday afternoon at Johnson Hagood Stadium. The Terriers had five different players score rushing touchdowns in the contest, which was the 13th straight win over the Bulldogs in the series.

Samford 26, Furman 21
GREENVILLE, S.C. - Dustin Taliaferro passed for 234 yards and three touchdowns to lead Samford to a 26-21 victory over Furman in SoCon football action Saturday afternoon at Paladin Stadium.

Elon 38, Western Carolina 31
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Elon forced four turnovers and completed a late touchdown pass from Thomas Wilson to Aaron Mellette as the Phoenix defeated the Catamounts 38-31 on Saturday in E.J. Whitemire Stadium.

Cats lose heartbreaker to Elon

Courtesy WCU

Cullowhee, NC - It's really disappointing," said WCU head coach Dennis Wagner after the game. "We've worked hard all week. I thought the defense played much, much better overall than they have all season. The problem is that when we needed plays, we didn't get it. They (Elon) gave us plenty of opportunities in the first half on offense that we didn't capitalize on. We turned the ball over four times on offense. You can't win games and turn the ball over like that."

The Cats scored 14 points in the forth quarter to tie the game at 31 all with 4 minutes remaining in the game, but the Catamount defense give up a 59 yard pass completion to set up the Phoenix final score and margin of victory, 31-38.

Football: Elon at WCU

Who - Elon at Western Carolina

When - Oct. 8th, 2011 - 3 PM

Where - E.J. Whitmire Stadium - Cullowhee, NC




Game #5 - Elon Phoenix

Football: SoCon Game Day

Courtesy SoConSports.com

The Dennis Wagner Show (Furman game)

Head Football Coach Dennis Wagner recaps the Furman game, names the players of the week, and discusses the upcoming home game with Elon.

Click on the link below to watch the show on WNC Television.


The Dennis Wagner Show

Elon at WCU: The Rushing Game

Rushing, in my opinion, will be the key to winning this game.   I think it's a given, both teams will pass effectively, so the rush offense & defense are the critical elements to the team that wins.  

Offensively, I give a slight edge to the Catamounts. The Cats have accumulated 629 yards (4 games) rushing, averaging 4.2 yards per carry, for an average of 157 yards per game.   Elon currently ranks 8th in the conference in rushing, having gained 607 yards on the ground, but in 5 games.  The Phoenix are averaging 3.5 yards per carry.

Rushing defense goes to the Phoenix.   Thus far, they rank 7th in rushing defense (the Cats are 9th), giving up a total of 895 yards on the ground, for an average of 4.4 yards per carry.   Meanwhile, the Catamounts have thus far given up 1499 yards on the ground or 7.1 yards per carry.   However, Western has faced two excellent triple option teams (GT & GSU), as well as an All American, Div II running back from Mars Hill.  The advantage, based on the defense against the rush, has to go to Elon.  

If the defensive changes made this week result in a better defensive game against the rush, the Cats will have a legitimate opportunity to pick up their first conference win of the season. 

Hodge Named Student-Athlete of the Week

Junior Samantha Hodge has been named the SoCon Student-Athlete of the Week for October 5.  Hodge was involved in all the goals the Catamounts scored during the weekend games against Wofford and Furman.

This Weekend's Events

Friday, October 7, 2011

Soccer at Georgia Southern 4:00 PM

Volleyball at Davidson 7:00 PM

Tennis at Elon Fall Tournament  - All Day

Saturday, October 8, 2011

Football vs Elon 3:00 PM

Tennis at Elon Fall Tournament - All Day

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Soccer at Davidson 2:00 PM

Tennis at Elon Fall Tournament - All Day

Football: In the Red Zone

There is an interesting comparison between Elon and Western Carolina when looking at both teams play inside the Red Zone, on both offense and defense.    

In the Red Zone on offense, Elon ranks #4 in the conference, having scored 11 of 13 times from the red zone.  Seven (7) of the scores were touchdowns (1 rushing, 6 pass) and 4 were field goals. The interesting fact here, is that Western Carolina ranks right behind Elon in the 5th spot.   The Catamounts have scored 12 of 15 times in the red zone.  Eleven (11) scores were touchdowns (9 rushing and 2 passing) and one was a field goal.

On defense, WCU and Elon are actually tied for 6th place in the conference, both have gives up scores 15 of the 18 times their opponent was in the red zone.

From the Red Zone, it looks pretty even to me.

Football: Weekly SoCon Coaches Teleconference

Courtesy SoConSports.com

Head football coach Dennis Wagner participated in the SoCon Head Football Coaches Teleconference this morning.   He discussed last Saturday's loss with Furman and the upcoming home game with Elon.

Furman: "I thought Furman did a great job of capitalizing on our mistakes," said Wagner. "We had three turnovers and any time you do that, that's going to hurt you. They took each one of those turnovers and drove them down for touchdowns. We gave up a couple big plays on defense that we gave up that were blown assignments and those are mistakes that we can't make."

Elon: "We're going to have to hit on all eight cylinders against Elon. They are a very aggressive football team. Defensively, they like to blitz a lot and they can put points up in the throwing game. We're glad that we have them here in Cullowhee and it should be a great game," Wagner said.


Coach Wagner

Coach Swepson

Men's Golf - Wolfpack Intercollegiate

Raleigh, N.C. -  J.T. Poston and Charlie Kilzer lead Western Carolina at the Wolfpack Intercollegiate, hosted by North Carolina State at the Lonnie Poole Golf Course.  Poston and Kilzer concluded the first round tied atop the individual leader board, and stand in second-place and tied for third, respectively, after 36 holes of the 54-hole event.

Overall, the Catamounts are tied for seventh place with Richmond at 19-over, 587, in the team standings. The Cats were third after the first 18 holes.

Wolfpack Intercollegiate

Football: Elon & turnovers

If any single aspect of the game has hurt the Phoenix this season, it's been turnovers. Last Saturday, Georgia Southern capitalized on three Phoenix interceptions and one fumble scoring 17 points off these miscues. Elon leads the Southern Conference in turnovers, 6 fumbles (lost) and 10 interceptions so far this season.

"We’ve got to do the right things and good things will happen to us," said Elon head coach Jason Swepson after Saturday's game against GSU. "The bottom line is we’ve just got to clean up the mistakes. We’ve got a good football team. We’ll work hard and we’ll put ourself in position to be successful. The kids aren’t going to quit. We’re not going to quit as coaches. We’ve still got a lot of football left in front of us."

Elon will give the Catamounts opportunities to excel, they just have to take advantage.

Tuesday's Events

Tuesday, October 4, 2011

Softball vs Walters State (DH) 5:00 PM

Volleyball at UNC Asheville 7:00 PM

Women's Golf vs Starmount Fall Classic (18 holes) All Day

Men's Golf vs Wolfpack Intercollegiate (18 holes) All Day

Football Reunion Nov. 18-19

Courtesy WCU Sports Information

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina athletics has announced the "Time for the Return: Cats are Back" Football Reunion scheduled for November 18-19.

Join former coaches, players, managers, athletic trainers and other die-hard Catamount Football fans for this reunion event surrounding the last home football game of the season against Coastal Carolina. A block of hotel rooms at the Best Western River Escape Inn & Suites in Dillsboro, N.C., is being held for WCU Football Reunion attendees at a special rate.

For more information on the 2011 "Cats are Back" Football Reunion, contact The Catamount Club office at (828) 227-3047, or check out the page on Facebook (Western Carolina University Football Alumni) to chat up the reunion weekend and to find out more information.

2011 "Cats are Back" Football Reunion

Softball: Glosson Named Assistant Softball Coach

Head Softball Coach Jim Clift announced the addition of Danielle Glosson as an assistant coach for the Catamounts.

"Danielle Glosson is a welcomed addition to our coaching staff," Clift said. "She will bring a wealth of knowledge and added enthusiasm to our program."

"She will primarily work with our pitchers, but as a former player of a successful program, I am excited about what she will contribute to the program as a whole," Clift said. "We are lucky to call her a Catamount."

Glosson Named Assistant Softball Coach

Football: SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week

George Richardson, Western Carolina, So., WR, Kernersville, N.C.

The Southern Conference has selected George Richardon as the Special Teams Player of the Week.  Richardson averaged 45.8 yards per kickoff return on four returns for Western Carolina. The sophomore wideout took the opening kickoff of the second half 99 yards for a touchdown. It was the Catamounts' first return for a touchdown since Mike Malone ran back a score against Furman in 2007. The Kernersville, N.C., native is averaging 27.9 yards per return this season.

Football Players of the Week

Happy Birthday, Old Mountain Jug

Happy Birthday, Old Mountain Jug, maybe you can come home to Cullowhee this year. 

Volleyball: Cats sweep Greensboro

Greensboro, N.C. - The Catamounts swept the Lady Spartans, 3-0 (25-18, 25-17, 25-22) Saturday in Greensboro. This second win over Greensboro marks the first time this season that the Cats swept a SoCon team.

The last time the Catamounts swept a SoCon opponent was in 2007, against Davidson. The Cats 2-2 SoCon record marks the first time they have picked up two conference wins since the 2009 season.

Soccer: Cats win two in double overtime

Cullowhee, NC - The Catamounts won two conference matches in double overtime over weekend. On Friday, the Cats downed Wofford 2-1, and today the Cats put away Furman, 1-0.

Both games were won in double overtime, and keeps the Catamounts unbeaten at the Catamount Sports Complex this season with a 5-0 record at home. The Cats also improved to 3-1 in the SoCon, and are 8-3-1 overall.   Freshman Tara Budnick's scored the golden goal at the 101:57 mark in double overtime in the Wofford game, and freshman Madison Lee scored the the game winning goal 43 seconds into the second overtime in the Furman game.

Football: Elon Phoenix

The Furman game is past, it's now time to focus on Elon.  Here's the preseason review we did earlier in the summer, and a update on Elon at the end.

Game #5. The Phoenix of Elon University

A preseason preview of the Catamount's fifth opponent of the 2011 football season, the Elon Phoenix.

Just one month after the start of football season, the Phoenix will travel to Cullowhee and E.J. Whitmire Stadium for the Cat's third conference game and third home game. This game will mark the 41st time the Cats and Phoenix/Fighting Christians have met in football, with the first game being played in 1933. The Catamounts lead 13-8-1 in all game played in Cullowhee, however, the Phoenix brings a 5 game winning streak into this game.

Jason Swepson (Boston College - '92) became Elon's head coach in January, coming from NC State where he was the running backs coach for the last four seasons. Like Coach Wagner, Coach Swepson will act as the Phoenix offensive coordinator, with the additional responsibility of quarterbacks coach. This will be Swepson's first head coaching position.

The Phoenix lost a total of 17 seniors to graduation, which includes 6 senior starters on offense and 6 senior starters on defense, along with 5 seniors on special teams. Hardest to replace will be all everything starting quarterback Scott Riddle.

Junior quarterback Thomas Wilson, last season's #2 QB, is expected to get the starting job for the 2011 season. He appeared in five games, completed 11 of 18 pass attempts for 153 yards and two touchdowns. Wilson's favorite target is expected to be pre-season All American, junior wide receiver Aaron Mellette. Last season Mellette finish second in the SoCon with 1,100 receiving yards, caught a league-high 86 passes and led the conference with 12 receiving touchdowns.

While the Phoenix certainly have the nucleus for a decent team, with their losses to graduation, an entirely new and untested coaching staff, they will not challenge for the upper levels of the conference this season.

Update:   Elon enters the contest 3-2 overall, and 1-1 in the SoCon, with a win over the Citadel (in OT) 18-15 and a loss to GSU (41-14).  Their other two wins came over Concord & NC Central.  Elon has averaged 121 yards per game, and 268 yards passing. 

Prediction: WCU 31   Elon 17

Football: Staurday's Results

Furman 47, Western Carolina 21

CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Furman passed for 237 yards to power past Western Carolina, 47-21, Saturday evening at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.


Georgia Southern 41, Elon 14
ELON, N.C. -  Georgia Southern remained unbeaten with a 41-14 victory over Elon at Rhodes Stadium on Saturday afternoon. The Eagles capitalized on three interceptions, scoring 17 points en route to 410 yards of total offense. GSU gained over 300 yards on the ground, led by Robert Brown's 116 yards on 11 carries.

Wofford 28, Appalachian State 14
SPARTANBURG, S.C. - Appalachian State was unable to convert on a pair of red-zone opportunities, but allowed Wofford to go 4-of-4 on fourth downs and 11-of-18 on third downs conversions in a  28-14 win by the Terriers at Gibbs Stadium.

The Citadel 28, #17 Chattanooga 27
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - Chattanooga was upset by The Citadel at Finley Stadium Saturday evening by a score of  28-27, as the the Bulldogs reeled off 28 unanswered points in the final 21 minutes of the game..

Samford 41, Gardner-Webb 14
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Samford tallied 464 yards of total offense on its way to a 41-14 non-conference win over the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium in the only non-conference game of the week.

Football: Furman

What: Furman at WCU


Where: E.J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC


When: Today, 10-1-11, 6 PM

Soccer: Double overtime win over Wofford

Courtesy WCU Sports Information

Cullowhee, NC - Freshman Tara Budnick scored the goal that lifted the women's soccer team to 2-1 double overtime win over Wofford, Friday night.   The Catamounts are now 7-3-1 and 2-1 in the Southern Conference.

The Soccer Cats set the tone with this win for the remainder of weekend sport events in Cullowhee, here's to all win this weekend.

From Catamount Athletic Director Chip Smith

Our Team, Our House!

Three of the next four games for Catamount Football will be played at home...

We will face quality conference opponents on Bob Waters Field...

Home field is an advantage, but we, THE FANS, have to make it so!

WCU student-athletes put on the Purple & Gold every weekend to represent our University on the playing fields with nowhere to hide and where performance - not excuses - is the standard. This itself is a challenge many would not, and do not, accept.

Catamount student-athletes work very hard at their sport, in the classroom, on campus and in the community to bring recognition to WCU. They deserve our support if, for nothing else, out of respect for the work and commitment they make towards winning championships, which make all of us proud.

In respect for the effort and commitment the seniors and the young men who have dedicated themselves to WCU, I challenge every fan, every student, every one of us to remain in the stands through the fourth quarter of every game in Cullowhee.

Be that home field advantage!

Show your support by your presence and your noise!

Our team, Our house!

Go Catamounts!

The finished look

Courtesy WCU Sports Information

This Weekend's Events

Friday, September 30, 2011

Soccer vs Wofford 7:00 PM

Cross Country at 38th-annual Paul Short Run 10:00 AM

Volleyball at Elon 7:00 PM

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Football vs Furman 6:00 PM

Volleyball at UNC Greensboro 5:00 PM

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Soccer vs Furman 2:00 PM

Women's Golf vs Starmount Fall Classic (18 holes) All Day

Courtesy WCU Sports Information

Warren named to initial Jerry Rice Award "watch list"

"This year, a national freshman of the year award will recognize the achievements of first-year players. The Sports Network is presenting and Fathead.com sponsoring the inaugural Jerry Rice Award."


The first Watch List features:
* Two quarterbacks: Jerry Lovelocke of Prairie View A&M and Greg McGhee of Howard;
* Five running backs: Andre Clarke of North Carolina Central, David Johnson of Northern Iowa, Ross Scheuerman of Lafayette, Jordan Talley of Eastern Washington and Shaun Warren of Western Carolina;
* Two wide receivers: R.J. Harris of New Hampshire and Brandon White of San Diego;
* Three linebackers: Michael Dallas II of the Morgan State, D'Vonte Grant of North Carolina A&T and Dillon Lucas of Villanova;
* Two cornerbacks: Eriq Lewis of Old Dominion and Zachary Senvisky of Morehead State;
* One punter: Garrett Mohr of Jacksonville.

Jerry Rice Award

The Dennis Wagner Show (GSU)

Head Football Coach Dennis Wagner recaps the Georgia Southern game, names the players of the week, and discusses the upcoming home game with Furman.

Click on the link below to watch the Show on WNC Television.


The Dennis Wagner Show

Baseball - Alumni weekend planned

Cullowhee, NC - Head Coach Bobby Moranda has announced that the Catamount baseball plans an alumni weekend on Saturday, Nov. 5, which coincides with the induction of former baseball standout, Chris Moore, into the WCU Athletics Hall of Fame.

Please RSVP with WCU Assistant Baseball Coach Alan Beck at (828) 227-2510 or by E-mail at abeck@email.wcu.edu if you would like to attend.

After the induction presentation, all baseball alumni are invited to attend a special BBQ at Childress Field / Hennon Stadium prior to the WCU/Wofford Football game.


Alumni Reunion

SoCon Football - Saturday, Oct. 1, 2011

Courtesy SoConSports.com