Oct. 9, 2010

Box Score |  Post-Game Notes |   

Cullowhee, N.C. - Samford running back Chris Evans rushed for 131 yards and three touchdowns as the Bulldogs handed Western Carolina a 38-7 Homecoming Day loss on Saturday afternoon at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.

The loss was the seventh-straight for the Catamounts in the head-to-head series with Samford, and was the fifth-straight home defeat for WCU since a Homecoming win over The Citadel in 2009.

WCU sophomore tailback Michael Johnson rushed for a career-high 117 yards and classmate Jacoby Mitchell hauled in his team-leading fifth touchdown reception as bright spots for the Catamount offense which struggled with five turnovers, including four interceptions.

"This was a very disappointing loss," said Catamount head coach Dennis Wagner. "I think physically, we just got beat up all day on both sides of the football. I thought Samford did a great job. They established the running game, we couldn't slow it down and missed a lot of tackles. Offensively, we dropped a lot of balls, made poor throws, poor decisions."

Samford (3-3, 1-2 SoCon) broke open a 7-0 game with 24 straight points in the second quarter, capped by a 59-yard interception return for a touchdown as time expired in the opening half.

Two plays after senior Angelo Brown blocked a 47-yard Cameron Yaw field goal attempt with 18 seconds left in the first half, true freshman quarterback Brandon Pechloff was picked off by senior Jamael Lett who raced 59 yards up the right sideline for the score, handing the Bulldogs a 31-0 halftime edge.

Lett finished with two interceptions on the night, with Thomas Broussard and Tae Lewis adding picks for the Bulldogs.

In the second half, the two teams played to an even, 7-7, tie with Samford stretching its lead to 38-0 on Evans' third scoring scamper from seven yards before the Catamounts were able to light the scoreboard early in the fourth. Johnson broke off a 41-yard rush before back-up quarterback Zac Brindise found a wide-open Mitchell down the left sideline for a 25-yard scoring strike, capping the 66-yard drive.

All told, Western Carolina was out-gained 502-to-247 in total offense as the Catamounts only managed 83 yards through the air on 9-of-33 passing with the four picks. Five different receivers caught passes for WCU including a team-best three by Deja Alexander, while tight end Taylor Spangler made his first reception since 2008 after missing last year with a leg injury.

Trailing just 7-0 midway through the first quarter, Western Carolina (2-4, 1-2 SoCon) had a golden opportunity to get on the scoreboard after junior Torez Jones snared a deflected pass intended for Samford's Chris Cephus and returned it 34 yards to give the offense the ball at the Bulldog 24 yard line.

However, the Catamounts could only manage two yards off the Bulldog defense and the 39-yard field goal attempt sailed wide left, keeping WCU off the scoreboard.

Senior defensive back Mitchell Bell matched his career-high while sophomore linebacker Rock Williams established his career-best, both with a game-high 14 tackles in the loss. Williams added one tackle for loss while Bell forced a fumble.

Evans' 131 yards on the ground pushed the senior over the 4,000-yard career rushing mark for the Bulldogs. Starting quarterback Connor Lowery threw for 167 yards on 13-of-28 passing with the one interception and a touchdown pass. Dustin Taliaferro added 23 yards through the air on four completions. A total of 12 different receivers caught passes for the Bulldogs in the win.

Western Carolina next plays at Wofford with kickoff in Spartanburg, S.C., set for 1:30 pm.