Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Western Carolina University

Western Carolina
The Official Home of Catamount Athletics

Schedule

Full
WCU's defense with a gang tackle against The Citadel.
Ashley Evans, WCU Communications and Marketing

Football

Postgame Notes - vs. The Citadel

Postgame Notes
Western Carolina 21, The Citadel 14
E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field
Cullowhee, N.C. | Saturday, March 13, 2021
Att: 980
 
With the win...
  • Western Carolina claimed its first victory of the season, halting a six-game seasonal slide … the win also ended an eight-game winless drought … the win was WCU's first since the home victory in overtime against ETSU in the "Blue Ridge Border Battle" on Nov. 9, 2019;
  • The Catamounts ended a four-game losing skid against Southern Conference that included the final league game of 2019 and the first three of the spring 2021 season;
  • WCU also halted a two-game slide in both the overall series with The Citadel and in home games in Cullowhee against the Bulldogs;
  • Gave Mark Speir his 33rd career win at WCU, fourth in WCU program history … Speir is now just six victories shy of third-place Tom Young (39 wins, 1946-55).

Post-Game Notes
  • Senior RB Donnavan Spencer rushed for a career-best 220 yards in Saturday's home win, the eighth-best single-game rushing performance by a Catamount running back all-time … Spencer's 220 yards represent the 15th 200-yard game in program history … It was Spencer's fifth 100+ yard rushing performance in his career;
 
  • Spencer's 220 rushing yards against The Citadel represent the second-best individual rushing performance in the NCAA FCS this season, just behind Brian Snead of Austin Peay who ran for an FCS-best 227 yards in a game.
 
  • Spencer rushed for two touchdowns against The Citadel, the fourth-time in his career that he had multiple rushing scores in the same game … It was also the second-time in his career that he had posted two rushing TDs against The Citadel, also accomplishing it back in 2018 … Spencer now has 17 career rushing touchdowns, just five shy of WCU's all-time career Top 10;
 
  • Adding 45 receiving yards, Spencer led WCU with a career-high 265 all-purpose yards – 18 yards more than his previous high of 247 yards established in 2019 in a road win at VMI – 137 rushing yards and 110 receiving yards;
 
  • Freshman RB Mikai Stanley ran for a career-best 65 yards in Saturday's win, scoring a touchdown on the ground for a second-straight week;
 
  • WR Raekwon Heath caught a career-best four passes to lead the Catamounts while Luke Sutton tied his career-high for a third time with a pair of receptions;
 
  • WCU's offense rushed for a season-high 281 yards in the win over The Citadel and for the first-time in the 2020-21 season, finished with more yards than its opposition – 367-to-341 … WCU's 281 rushing yards were its most since running for 423 yards against Chattanooga on Sept. 28, 2019 … the 341 yards by The Citadel were the fewest allowed by the Catamount defense this season;
 
  • Senior LB Ty Harris paced the Catamount defense with 13 tackles on Saturday, his fifth double-digit tackle performance of the season – and fourth-consecutive this season … Harris now has 13 career double-digit tackle games … Harris now has 280 career tackles, just 26 tackles shy of 13th in school history (Steve Yates, 306 from 1971-74);
 
  • Among the Catamount defenders tallying career-highs against The Citadel were Micah Nelson (9 tackles), Darrius Bell (8 tackles), Tre Jolly (7 tackles), while Aaron Gethers (4 tackles) and Jaquarius Guinn (3 tackles) both matched their career bests … Jolly added a career-best 1.5 tackles for loss on sacks and recovered a fumble that was forced by Willie Hampton.

Miscellaneous Notes
  • WCU's captain for the game was senior LB #27 Trevor Childers … The Citadel won the opening coin toss and elected to defer to the second half … WCU received the opening kickoff;
 
  • #15 Will Jones carried the United States flag and #2 Aaron Gethers carried the "All You Got" flag in Saturday's pregame run out.
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Darrius Bell

#92 Darrius Bell

DE
6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
Trevor Childers

#27 Trevor Childers

LB
6' 1"
Senior
Ty Harris

#37 Ty Harris

LB
6' 1"
Senior
Will Jones

#15 Will Jones

QB
6' 4"
Redshirt Junior
Micah Nelson

#30 Micah Nelson

SPUR
6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
Donnavan Spencer

#20 Donnavan Spencer

RB
5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
Aaron Gethers

#2 Aaron Gethers

CB
5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
Jaquarius Guinn

#91 Jaquarius Guinn

DT
6' 2"
Freshman
Willie Hampton

#10 Willie Hampton

LB
6' 1"
Redshirt Junior
Raekwon Heath

#19 Raekwon Heath

WR
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
Mikai Stanley

#22 Mikai Stanley

RB
6' 2"
Freshman
Luke Sutton

#88 Luke Sutton

WR
5' 8"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Darrius Bell

#92 Darrius Bell

6' 2"
Redshirt Freshman
DE
Trevor Childers

#27 Trevor Childers

6' 1"
Senior
LB
Ty Harris

#37 Ty Harris

6' 1"
Senior
LB
Will Jones

#15 Will Jones

6' 4"
Redshirt Junior
QB
Micah Nelson

#30 Micah Nelson

6' 3"
Redshirt Freshman
SPUR
Donnavan Spencer

#20 Donnavan Spencer

5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
RB
Aaron Gethers

#2 Aaron Gethers

5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
CB
Jaquarius Guinn

#91 Jaquarius Guinn

6' 2"
Freshman
DT
Willie Hampton

#10 Willie Hampton

6' 1"
Redshirt Junior
LB
Raekwon Heath

#19 Raekwon Heath

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
WR
Mikai Stanley

#22 Mikai Stanley

6' 2"
Freshman
RB
Luke Sutton

#88 Luke Sutton

5' 8"
Freshman
WR