Sept. 3, 2004

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina scored on six of its seven first half possessions en route to a record-setting 77-7 season-opening win over West Virginia State Thursday night at Whitmire Stadium/Waters Field. The Catamounts (1-0) set school records for most points in a game (77) and most points in a half (43), while the 77 points allowed by the Yellow Jackets (0-2) was the most points allowed by a West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference school in its 79-year history.

While the Western Carolina football team was setting records, true freshman linebacker Travis Hill (Rock Hill, S.C.) tied a Southern Conference record by returning two interceptions for touchdowns, becoming just the fourth player in league history to accomplish the feat. Hill led the Cats with nine tackles, including one for a loss, while adding a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and his two interceptions. Sophomore Ryan Nesby added a 49-yard interception return for a score as Western had a total of five interceptions -- one shy of its total of six for the 2003 season -- and created a total of seven turnovers on the night.

Overall, Western had 515 yards of total offense (372 rushing and 143 passing), while West Virginia State was held to just two first downs and 127 yards of total offense.

Offensively, sophomore Nicholas Wishart set the tone early, carrying the ball all five plays of the 52-yard scoring drive. Despite having a touchdown run nullified due to a penalty, Wishart responded on the next play for a 15-yard touchdown. After punting on its next possession, Western quarterback Bennett Swygert connected with Eddie Cohen for a 24-yard touchdown, then, on the next possession, hit Lamont Reid for a 23-yard score. Sophomore Darius Fudge had touchdown runs of five yards and one yard to push the Cats lead to 34-0 midway through the second quarter. With 1:37 left in the first half, Reid scored his second TD of the evening, hauling in a Justin Clark pass for a 17-yard score. After Primus Glover got the first of Western's five interceptions with 26 seconds left in the first half, Shon Rowser kicked a 33-yard field goal, providing a 43-0 margin at the break.

Western scored three touchdowns -- all on interception returns -- in the third quarter for a 63-0 lead. First, Nesby picked off a Lewis Hollis pass near midfield and returned it 49 yards for the score. On the next possession, Ricky Rainey tipped a pass in the backfield. Hill picked the ball out of the air and returned it six yards for a score. With 2:01 left in the third quarter, Hill dropped back in coverage, intercepted a Tom Bordieri pass and returned it 35 yards for the score.

As the fourth quarter started, Mike Malone and Russell Hemby each had nice runs to set up Hemby's one-yard TD plunge, giving the Cats a 70-0 lead. On the ensuing kickoff, West Virginia State answered with a 71-yard return by Levin Carn, giving the Yellow Jackets the ball on the WCU 23. On fourth-and-five, Bordieri scrambled and found an open Patrick Jones for an 18-yard touchdown pass.

The Cats capped the scoring with a five-play, 70-yard drive. After a 17-yard run by Hemby on a broken play, Garret Baker broke off left tackle for a 40-yard touchdown run, providing the final 77-7 margin.

Offensively for the Cats, Swygert was 8-of-12 for 95 yards and two TDs, while Justin Clark was 3-of-3 for 48 yards and a score. Hemby led all rushers with nine attempts for 71 yards, while Malone, Wishart, Fudge and Baker each had over 50 yards rushing. Cohen led the receiving corps with four receptions for 47 yards. Defensively, Shelton Gaffney added five stops while John Martin had two tackles for losses, including a sack.

Western Carolina will return to action on Saturday (Sept. 11), hosting Nicholls State. Kickoff is set for 4:00 pm at Whitmire Stadium/Waters Field.