Oct 13, 2001
Final Stats
CULLOWHEE, N.C. - Western Carolina had only thrown two touchdowns passes in its previous five games before sophomore quarterback Brian Gaither tossed three in the first half to lead the Catamounts (3-3, 2-2 SoCon) to a 31-28 victory over Wofford (2-3, 1-1) Saturday night at E.J. Whitmire Stadium/Bob Waters Field.
The win was the first for Western since Wofford joined the Southern Conference in 1997 and improved the Cats' record to 8-4 all-time versus the Terriers in Cullowhee.
After the teams traded punts on their first possessions, Gaither led the Catamounts on a 16-play, 92-yard scoring drive, capped by a 35-yard strike to Michael Banks. Gaither was 6-of-8 on the drive and the TD was Banks' first of the season.
Wofford tied the game at 7-7 at the start of the second quarter on a 10-yard Melvin Jones touchdown run. On the Terriers next possession, WCU cornerback Ahmed Green stripped wideout Curtis Nash, which was recovered by Catamount freshman Tyler Norman. On Western's first play after the turnover, Gaither once again found Banks, this time on a 37-yard TD pass to give WCU a 14-7 lead.
The Terriers immediately responded with an eight-play, 73 yard drive to once again tie the game. Jones scored the second of his three TDs on the day with a seven-yard rush.
Just before halftime, Catamount punter Stanton Horne, who averaged a season-best 48.7 yards on his six punts, pinned Wofford deep in its own territory with a 70-yard punt, which ranks as the fifth-longest punt in school history. After one Terrier first down, the Catamount defense forced a punt, which was mishandled by Wofford's punter and recovered by Fred Boateng. Three plays later, with only 18 seconds left in the first half, Gaither hit junior split end Brenden Roy on a screen pass to give Western a 21-14 advantage at the break.
Western increased it lead to 24-14 on a 41-yard field goal by Shon Rowser less than three minutes into the third quarter. The score was setup by WCU sophomore linebacker Rod Dunlap. On Wofford's first play from scrimmage in the second half, Dunlap dropped Jesse McCoy in the Terrier backfield and forced a fumble, which Dunlap also recovered.
Catamount tailback Manny DeShauteurs provided what proved the be the game-winning touchdown late in the third quarter. The sophomore burst over right guard on a fourth-and-one for the two-yard score, the first of his career. Western was put in scoring position on a 54-yard Gaither-to-Roy pass down the right sideline.
Wofford added two touchdowns inside the final seven minutes, a six-yard run by McNair and a 17-yard run by Jones, to provide the final margin, 31-28.
For the Cats, Gaither played his first complete game, sharing duties with junior Pat Cilento the previous five games. Gaither was 15-of-27 for 203 yards with three TDs and no interceptions. Banks and Roy were his main targets. Banks reached triple digits for the second consecutive game, hauling in seven passes for 111 yards and his first two scores of the season. Roy caught three passes for a career-high 75 yards. Defensively, sophomore defensive end Nick McNeil was in on three sacks, while the Catamounts recovered three fumbles and Pat Leach intercepted his first pass of the season.
Wofford was led by Jones' 145 yards and three scores. The Terriers were able to rush for 245 yards, including four players averaging over six yards per carry.
Western will return to action next on Thursday when it plays at Chattanooga before a television audience. Kickoff is set for 7:00 p.m., and the contest will be broadcast on Charter/Comcast Sports Southeast. Wofford returns home to face nationally-ranked Appalachian State on Saturday (6:00 p.m.).
