Oct. 22, 2005

Final Stats

Chattanooga, Tenn. - Western Carolina scored twice on offense, twice on special teams and once on defense Saturday night at Finley Stadium to snap a three-game losing skid by defeating #35 Chattanooga, 38-20, ending a streak of three straight wins by the then-Southern Conference leading Mocs Saturday. Western also broke out the purple pants, which the Cats wore in upset wins over Appalachian State last season and over second-ranked Furman this season.

Western (3-3, 2-2 SoCon) was led by Lamont Reid. The senior from Maiden rushed for a career-high 108 yards and a score while catching a career-long, 63 yard touchdown pass. Also, tailback Darius Fudge nearly topped the century mark, netting 95 yards on 18 carries. Junior quarterback Justin Clark, who left the Georgia Southern game two weeks ago with a concussion, returned to the field against the Mocs to complete 13-of-18 passes for 144 yards. Defensively, Western was paced by sophomore corner back Carlton Bailey, who tallied a career-high 10 tackles with an interception return for a TD, while Mitchell Dukes added three sacks and a total of four tackles for losses. On special teams, Nicholas Wishart and Michael Hines each blocked punts, which lead directly to a pair of touchdowns.

On the first play of the game, Western Carolina receiver J.C. Brown lined up at quarterback, took the snap and gained three yards. Later in the series, Western was facing fourth and three. The Cats went for it and Clark hit John Bush for a15-yard pass in the right flat for a first down. The drive ended with true freshman Jonathan Parsons making a 38-yard field goal, the first make and attempt of his career.

The Mocs (5-3, 2-2 SoCon) got on the board as the first quarter ended and second began. On the last play of the first half, Terry Lindley recovered a fumble on a punt return and brought back 48 yards to the UTC two. On the second play of the second quarter, Levonte Barber had a one-yard touchdown run to give the Mocs a 7-3 advantage.

After a career-long 63-yard punt by Tim Mayse and UTC facing third and four, Western's Bailey picked off a pass and returned it 28 yards for a score. Not only did that give WCU a 10-7 lead, but it was the first career pick by the sophomore and the second time the Cats have returned an interception for a score this season.

With under 1:30 left in the second quarter and WCU backed up on its own 11, Bush had a short gain to give WCU some breathing room. On the next play, Fudge gained 24 yards off left tackle. Then, Clark found Lamont Reid on a short screen pass. Reid used some good down-field blocking and broke a few tackles of his own to turn the short pass into a 63-yard touchdown and give Western 17-7 lead with 54 seconds left in the half. For Clark, the 63-yard gain tied for the longest of his career, while the 63-yard reception was the longest play from scrimmage for Reid.

Western used two other big plays as the third quarter began. On Chattanooga's first drive, which ended on a three and out, Wishart blocked a Jonathan Wright punt, which would eventually be recovered in the endzone by Marcus Nelums for a touchdown. On UTC's next possession, which ended in a punt as well, Hines broke through the line to block a punt and return it 37 yards for a touchdown. Western took a 31-7 lead after the two punts blocks, marking the first time WCU had blocked a punt and returned the blocked punt for TDs. The last time the Cats blocked two punts in a game was in 1983 versus Chattanooga in Cullowhee.

Chattanooga switched quarterbacks on its ensuing possession, as Matt Lopez entered the game. He led the Mocs down the field for a five-play, 66-yard drive, capped by a Lopez to Brian Arnold 15-yard score to cut UTC's deficit to 31-14.

The Cats, on their first offensive possession of the third quarter, answered UTC score with touchdown of their own. Highlighted by a 19-yard run by Reid and a 14-yard by Fudge, Western capped a the nine-play, 73-yard drive on a fourth-and-one, three-yard run by Reid to give Western a 38-14 cushion.

However, the Mocs marched right back down the field and scored to make the score 38-20. Lopez continued to pick the defense, completing four of his first seven pass attempts, with short passes getting down to the WCU 27. He then found Michael Gilmore on a post pattern for a 27-yard touchdown. The point after failed, leaving Western with an 18-point lead.

The Mocs continued to move the ball midway through the fourth quarter, getting down to the WCU 10. However, the Catamount defense stiffened and forced a turnover on downs when a fourth-down pass was dropped, with WCU linebacker James Conklin ready to make the play. The Catamount defense forced turnovers on downs on the Mocs' final two drives as well to hold on for the win.

For the Mocs, Eldra Buckley rushed for 85 yards, while the UTC quarterbacks combined to complete 21-of-46 passes for 210 yards. Gilmore was the Mocs' to target, hauling in seven passes for 120 yards.

Western Carolina will return to action next Saturday (Oct. 29), hosting Elon for Homecoming. Kickoff is set for 2:00 pm.