Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina football returns to action following its bye week this weekend, traveling to The Citadel on Saturday afternoon for a Southern Conference match-up with the run-oriented Bulldogs at Johnson Hagood Stadium. Kickoff from the South Carolina Lowcountry is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.
 
Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with Kevin Fitzgerald and Jason Kempf on the call.
 
The game will also be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network with an air time of the Pepsi Tailgate Show at 1:00 p.m. Fans across western North Carolina can hear the game locally on seven CSN affiliates: in Sylva, 105.7 FM and 540 AM WRGC "The River"; 104.9 FM and 1050 AM WFSC in Franklin; WISE Sports Radio 1310 AM and 102.9 FM in Asheville; and 970 AM WYSE in Canton, with live streaming audio online at CatamountSports.com.
 
Fans can also follow the game with live stats accessible online at CatamountSports.com with timely in-game updates on Twitter using @Catamounts and @CatamountsFB.
 
Expected to be as healthy as the squad has been in several weeks, Western Carolina continues to seek its first victory of the season – and the first under head coach Kerwin Bell, who likened the much-welcomed bye week as the mid-point and a turning point for the 2021 season.
 
"As I told the team, I'm calling that 0-6 start 'last season'. Now, we're on to a new season with our remaining schedule. We've got a five-game season. Let's take all the things that we've learned since June, all of the things we learned in our first six games and how we've gotten better because of it and how we're trusting each other because of what we've been through," said Bell. "We've had some success, been able to do some good things. But we just haven't closed the deal; we haven't finished it, trusted each other in crucial situations. It's time now in these five games for us to learn from those mistakes, take everything that we've learned. We're a better football team now than we were when we started this thing, now let's go prove that."
 
Up first in the proverbial five-game schedule is The Citadel Bulldogs, a team that is looking to end a two-game slide in conference play after reclaiming the Silver Shako in the "Military Classic of the South" over archrival VMI to open October. The triple-option, ground-and-pound offensive attack of the Bulldogs leads the Southern Conference at over 277 yards per game – tied for third in the NCAA FCS. The run game is keyed by quarterback Jaylan Adams who ranks second in the league with an average of 104.7 rushing yards per game.
 
"They're a very physical football team," said Bell of The Citadel. "They're going to run it at you; they're going to test to see if you're assignment perfect, so we've got to be really good on defense. And then on offense, we've got to come out of our shell a little bit and go score some points and stay away from the turnovers."
 
Conversely, Western Carolina boasts the SoCon's second-best passing attack at 266.3 yards per game with starting QB Rogan Wells ranking second in the league in passing (223.0 yds/gm) and total offense (278.8 yds/gm). His backup Carlos Davis, who started WCU's last game against Mercer, has thrown for 220-plus yards with three TDs in his last two appearances. Five different Catamount receivers have caught touchdown passes led by Raphael Williams with four scores. The Bulldog defense ranks seventh in the SoCon against the pass, surrendering 234.3 yards through the air per game with 10 touchdowns.
 
Kickoff is scheduled for 2:00 pm on Saturday in Charleston.

Western Carolina vs. The Citadel – All-Time Series History:
• Western Carolina and The Citadel meet for the 46th time on the football gridiron on Saturday ... WCU trails The Citadel, 18-26-1, snapping a two-game slide with a 21-14 victory last spring in Cullowhee ... the Catamounts are seeking back-to-back series wins over The Citadel for the first time since 2010 (W, 24-13) and 2009 (W, 14-10);
 
• WCU trails in games played in Charleston 7-14 and has lost three of the last four trips to Johnson Hagood Stadium ... the Catamounts are 11-12 in Cullowhee overall.
 

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Game 7: Saturday, Oct. 23, 2021  •  2:00 p.m.
Location: Charleston, S.C. (Johnson Hagood Stadium – 11,427)
Records: Western Carolina (0-6, 0-3 SoCon) at The Citadel (2-4, 1-2 SoCon)

WCU Football - 2021 Media Center
 
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
TV / Video Stream: ESPN+ (paid subscription required)
PBP: Kevin Fitzpatrick; Color: Jason Kempf
 
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
PBP: Gary Ayers; Color: Daniel Hooker; Producer: Jeff Bryson
 
CSN Affiliates:
Sylva – 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC
Franklin – 104.9 FM / 1050 AM WFSC
Asheville – WISE Sports Radio 102.9 FM / 1310 AM
Canton – WYSE Sports Radio 970 AM
Online: CatamountSports.com
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports) and Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountsFB).