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Post-Game Notes
Western Carolina 24, Mercer 21
E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field
Cullowhee, N.C. - Saturday, October 10, 2015 Att: 8,479

With the Win ...
- Western Carolina is riding a two-game winning streak, scoring its first back-to-back wins in 2015;
- The Catamounts have won four-straight games at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field dating back to last season … WCU is 3-0 at home in 2015;
- Western Carolina improved to 2-0 all-time in the head-to-head series with Mercer;
- The Catamounts claim their first Southern Conference victory of the season, improving to 1-1 in league play;
- Western Carolina moves above .500 with a record of 3-2;

Post-Game Notes:
- Senior quarterback Troy Mitchell’s 14-yard touchdown pass to tight end Tyler Sexton in the second quarter was Mitchell’s 39th career TD pass … It moved him into a tie for second-place all time at Western Carolina for touchdowns in a career, matching former QB Don Dalton (1966-69);

- Mitchell also recorded a career-long rush in Saturday’s win, scampering 62 yards in helping set-up his eventual touchdown toss to Sexton;

- Redshirt freshman punter Ian Berryman booted a career-long 60 yard punt against Mercer … His previous career-long was 55 yards earlier this season;

- Redshirt senior Karnorris Benson finished Saturday’s game with 54 receiving yards, eclipsing the 2,000-yard career receiving yard mark … Benson is poised to move into WCU’s all-time career top 10, finishing Saturday with 2,024 yards … Benson is just 222 yards shy of 10th-place Wayne Tolleson who had 2,246 career yards from 1974-77;

- Sophomore running back Detrez Newsome’s go-ahead, 22-yard touchdown scamper in the fourth quarter represented his sixth rushing TD of the season, three shy of his career-record set a season ago … Newsome has scored a touchdown on the ground in each of WCU’s five games this season;

- Sophomore quarterback Wes Holcome completed a career-high 10 passes for a career-best 77 yards passing in Saturday’s come-from-behind victory

- Western Carolina held Mercer scoreless in the second half, scoring the game’s final 21 points including 14 in the fourth quarter for the win … It is the first time since Oct. 17, 2009 – a 14-10 win over The Citadel – that WCU held an opponent scoreless in the second half;

- WCU’s defense recorded just the second sack of the season on Mercer quarterback John Russ as ends Tahjai Watt and Avery Worsham combined to bring Russ down in the backfield ... It was the first partial sack for both defensive linemen;

- Defensive back Trey Morgan was credited with a career-high 13 tackles and a career-best tying two pass break-ups on Saturday ... Safety Fred Payne also had a busy day, tallying a career-high 12 stops ... Linebacker Daniel Riddle posted his fifth, double-digit tackle performance of his career while Tyson Dickson finished with 10 tackles - his sixth career double-digit tackle performance.

Miscellaneous Notes:
- Western Carolina's team captains for Saturday evening's game were: junior DB #3 Fred Payne; senior DB #4 Sertonuse Harris; senior QB #10 Troy Mitchell; redshirt sophomore LB #58 Daniel Riddle; and redshirt senior OL#61 Jake Thornton;
- Senior OL #64 Tyler Philpott carried the United States flag and senior LB #17 Damian Whitaker carried the “All You’ve Got” flag;
- Western Carolina won the opening coin toss and elected to defer to the second half … Mercer received the opening kickoff.