Oct. 1, 2005

Final Stats

Cullowhee, N.C. - The 18th-ranked Western Carolina football team tried to rally late, but could not overcome some trickery --a touchdown pass by Citadel receiver Kinta Palmer -- and a quick score off a turnover -- a TD reception by Palmer -- as the Bulldogs held on for a 17-7 upset victory over the Catamounts Saturday night before 10,067 at E.J. Whitmire Stadium/Bob Water Field.

With 4:09 left in the first half, The Citadel (2-2, 1-1 Southern Conference) started a drive on the 20 yard line after a touchback on a Catamount punt. Mitchell Lee immediately put the Bulldogs in scoring range with a 49-yard run. One play later, Palmer looked to run an end-around, but pulled up and hit an open Ta'Mar Jernigan for a 23-yard touchdown.

Then, with under 20 seconds left in the half, Bulldog defensive end Deon Douglas sacked Western's Justin Clark inside the WCU 30 and forced a fumble, which was recovered by The Citadel's Fred Townsend. On the next play, Bulldog quarterback Duran Lawson found Palmer in the left corner of the endzone with just six seconds left for a score, giving The Citadel a 14-0 lead at the break.

Neither team had much offensive success in the third quarter and most of the fourth. However, late in the fourth quarter, Blake Vandiver, who missed a 37-yard field goal earlier in the period, padded The Citadel's lead to 17-0 with five minutes left, connecting from 38 yards out and effectively putting the game out of reach.

Western (2-2, 1-1 SoCon) immediately answered on the ensuing kickoff. The kick went to J.C. Brown, but he lateralled the ball to Nick Miller across the field and the speedy sophomore found paydirt 92 yards later. It Western's first kick return for a touchdown since Xavier Godard accomplished the feat versus Georgia Southern -- a 100-yarder -- on Oct. 11, 2003. It was also the 10th-longest kickoff return in WCU history.

After a failed on-side kick by the Cats, Western would force The Citadel to punt on a three-and-out series. Starting from their own 16, Clark led the Catamounts down the field to the Bulldog two. However, a penalty and incomplete passes on third and fourth downs preserved the win for The Citadel.

Both defenses played well on the evening with The Citadel gaining just 237 yards of total offense and Western managing just 166. Also, Citadel was just 3-of-15 on third down conversions and the Cats were just 3-of-18. With that, both punters played key roles in the game. Western's Tim Mayse averaged 46.6 yards on eight punts, including two career-long punts over 57 yards. Bulldog punter Mark Kaspar averaged 43.4 yards on 10 punts, including a career-long of 53. The difference being Western was penalized eight times, while the Bulldogs were whistled just four times.

Offensively for the Bulldogs, Lee led the way rushing 13 times for 87 yards, an average of 6.7 yards per carry. Lawson finished the night completing 9-of-15 passes for 60 yards and a TD. Jernigan hauled in a game-high five passes for 45 yards. Defensively, Porter Johnson recorded 11 tackles, including 10 solo stops and six for losses, while Joshua Lawson, who recorded his first career interception, added nine tackles.

For the Catamounts, Lamont Reid was the team's top rusher, gaining 39 yards on 12 carries, and Clark completed 14-of-32 passes for 153 yards and an interception. Senior linebackers James Conklin and Lamar Barnes led the WCU defense, each collecting seven tackles.

Next up for Western Carolina will be a trip to Statesboro to face the Georgia Southern Eagles next Saturday (Oct. 8). Kickoff is set for Noon and the game will be broadcast on CSS TV.