Nov. 3, 2001
Final Stats
Cullowhee, N.C. -
Western Carolina rolled up 618 yards of total offense, while holding Liberty to just 156, and set an E.J. Whitmire Stadium record with a 63-0 victory on Saturday afternoon.
The 63 points was the most scored in the history of WCU's facility, which opened in 1974, and the 63-point margin of victory was a record as well. The Catamounts additionally set stadium and team records with 32 first downs.
Western's high-powered offense had several stars in the record-setting day. Tailback Fred Boateng (Falls, Church, Va.) broke the 100-yard barrier for the second consecutive game, getting 155 yards on 23 attempts (6.7 average). The sophomore also rushed for two touchdowns, including a season-long 60-yard run. Sophomore Manny DeShauteurs (Brevard, N.C.) only carried the ball for times, but scored three times on runs of 12, 15 and 19 yards. Sophomore Lamont Seward (Warrenton, N.C.) had a breakout day, scoring on a 15-yard reception and a nine-yard rush on a reverse. Last year's Southern Conference Freshman of the Year finished the day with a season high seven receptions and broke the 100-yard mark for the first time this season with 103.
Defensively, the Catamounts set the tone early by forcing punts on each of the Flames six first-half possessions and held Liberty to without a first down until five minutes left in the second quarter. Nick McNeil (Leland, N.C.) led the WCU defense with four tackles for losses, including three sacks to bring his SoCon-leading total to 10 on the season. Junior linebacker Mitch Miller (Candler, N.C.) picked off his first and second passes of his career, while true freshman Teddy Burgis (Marietta, Ga.) tallied his first career interception.
Western Carolina's offense sputtered on its first possession, going three and out. However, the Cats would score on seven of its next eight drives to take a 49-0 lead. WCU's first drive, which covered 56 yards in 10 plays, was capped by DeShauteurs' 12-yard scoring run on his first carry of the afternoon. Boateng had accounted for all 51 yards on the Cats' second scoring drive with five rushes, including a nine-yard TD, and one pass reception. Western opened the second quarter with an impressive 16-play, 94-yard scoring drive. Quarterback Brian Gaither (Winston-Salem, N.C.) was 4-of-4 during the drive and DeShauteurs made it two-for-two, scoring from 15 yards out on his second rush of the day.
Gaither also played a key role in WCU's fourth and fifth scoring drives. First, the sophomore completed 4-of-5 passes for 92 yards, including a 36-yard TD to Michael Banks. With under a minute left before halftime, he engineered five-play, 84-yard scoring drive. Working on the hurry-up offense, Gaither completed 3-of-4 passes for 60 yards, the final 15 coming of Seward's first TD reception of the season. Boateng also played a key role in the score, catching a screen pass for 28 yards and reeling off a 24-yard run to set up the Gaither-to-Seward score. In addition to a 35-0 lead at the break, Western out-gained Liberty 384-to-72 in total offense.
The Catamounts continued their strong play, scoring on their first two drives of the second half. Seward scored his second TD of the day and recorded his first career rushing touchdown on a nine-yard reverse over the right tackle. After three straight incomplete passes and a punt, Boateng scored his second TD of the day on a one-play, 60-yard burst down the left sideline.
Early in the fourth quarter and after Miller's first interception, WCU back-up quarterback Pat Cilento (Brookeville, Md.) hit junior split end Brenden Roy (Reston, Va.) on a 29-yard scoring strike. Roy had a career day with five receptions for 91 yards. One Liberty's next possession, Miller picked off his second pass, which eventually led to DeShauteurs' third TD - a 19 yarder - on his fourth carry of the day.
Liberty running back Samkon Gado was a bright spot for the Flame offense, gaining 83 yards on 22 attempts. Liberty quarterback Biff Parson, who earned national honors last week for his 321-yard and three-touchdown performance at South Florida, was only 6-of-21 for 37 yards versus the Catamount defense, which ranked 14th nationally in pass defense prior to today's game. On defense for Liberty, three player reached double digits in tackles, including Milton Johnson (12), Aaron DeBerry (10) and Seth Reichart (10). Reichart and Matt Mays each had two tackles for losses, while Alphonso Green and Tim Ayer each had interceptions.
Western was 8-of-17 on third down conversions, while Liberty was only 3-of-17. The Catamounts additionally converted on both fourth down attempts and has now been successful on each of their last seven conversion attempts. Western leads the league in fourth down conversions, now successful on 75 percent (18-of-24) of its attempts.
Western will return to action next Saturday (Nov. 10) when it participates in the annual Battle for the Old Mountain Jug with Appalachian State. Kickoff is set for 2:00 p.m., in Boone. Liberty will play the last of its current five-game road swing with a 1:30 p.m., start time at Charleston Southern.
