Post-Game Notes

Samford 66, Western Carolina 28

Seibert Stadium

Birmingham, Ala. – Oct. 6, 2018

Att. – 3,178

With the Loss…

• Western Carolina fell to 3-13 in the all-time series against Samford including a 2-9 mark since the Bulldogs joined the Southern Conference in 2008;
• The Catamounts remained winless against Samford in Birmingham since 1969, suffering its eighth-straight defeat on the road in the series;

Post-Game Notes

• Western Carolina fumbled on three of its first four offensive possessions on Saturday afternoon at Samford with the Bulldogs converting each into touchdowns;
• WCU's defense intercepted Samford QB Devlin Hodges three times on Saturday afternoon, the most INTs by the Catamounts since also picking off three last year against The Citadel (Nov. 4, 2017);
• Seeing his most extensive action of the season, redshirt freshman QB Will Jones set career highs in most every offensive category … Jones finished 22-of-41 for 210 yards with two touchdown passes and a pair of interceptions … He also rushed a career-high eight times for 46 yards and scored his first career rushing TD … Jones was also credited with a reception on a would-be trick play by the offense, catching a throw-back from Jordan Mathis;
• Redshirt senior RB Corey Holloway scored his 13th career rushing touchdown on Saturday afternoon … For Holloway, it was his first rushing TD since Oct. 28 against Furman last season … Sophomore WR Kenny Benton recorded his first career touchdown, taking a forward pitch from Will Jones in the backfield and scoring from three yards out early in the fourth quarter;
• Sophomore TE Owen Cosenke hauled in a 21-yard touchdown reception in the final minute of the first half … the TD reception was his fifth of the season … Cosenke has caught TD passes in a team-best four-straight games;
• Redshirt sophomore RB Donnavan Spencer recorded a career-long 49-yard rush on Saturday, the longest play from scrimmage for WCU in the road loss … Spencer's previous career-long run was 46 yards earlier this season at Gardner-Webb;
• WCU's defense recorded two sacks on Saturday afternoon giving the squad 18 through five games on the year … the Catamounts finished last season with 21 total sacks in 12 games;
• Senior LB Mitchell Chancey reached double-digit tackles for the fifth-straight game to start the season, finishing with a career-high 15 tackles to lead a trio of Catamounts in double-figures … Sophomore LB Ty Harris finished with his career-best 14 tackles in his first double-digit tackle performance while DB Michael Murphy was a third defender with a career-high in tackles with 14 total stops;
• Redshirt senior punter Ian Berryman matched a career-high with 10 punts in Saturday's loss at Samford, matching his previous high set at Tennessee back in 2015 … Berryman downed three of the 10 punts inside the Bulldogs' 20-yard line … Of his 21 punts on the season, Berryman has downed eight inside the opposition's 20-yard line.

Miscellaneous Notes

• WCU's game captains on Saturday were its season team captains: senior RB #7 Corey Holloway, senior DB #29 Marvin Tillman, senior OL #63 Zach Weeks, and senior P #83 Ian Berryman;
• Western Carolina WR #86 Tyran Reynolds carried the American flag and DL #49 Nate Link carried the “All You Got” flag when the Catamounts took the field on Saturday;
• Samford won the opening toss and elected to defer to the second half … WCU received the opening kickoff.