Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina looks for back-to-back victories in Southern Conference play as the Catamounts travel to Five Star Stadium in Macon, Ga., to face the Mercer Bears this Saturday, March 20. Kickoff in the Ingles SoCon Game of the Week is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
Saturday's game will be broadcast on the Nexstar affiliates with a special 30-minute pregame show airing at 3:30 p.m. Three stations – WYCW (Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville), WMYT (Charlotte), and WMUB (Mercer) – will carry the broadcast, which can also be seen on ESPN+ (paid subscription required). WSPA's sports director Pete Yanity and former Wofford All-American lineman Jared Singleton have the call.
 
The game can also be heard on the Catamount Sports Network with a 3 p.m. air time ahead of the kickoff just after 4 p.m. with the "Voice of the Catamounts" Gary Ayers (pxp), Daniel Hooker (analyst), Greg McLamb (sideline), and Jeff Bryson (producer) on the call.  Fans across western North Carolina can hear the game locally on eight CSN affiliates: 105.7 FM and 540 AM WRGC "The River" in Sylva; 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 Saturday's game through live stats from Mercer, available with links online at CatamountSports.com.
 
Western Carolina snapped an eight-game slide that included six consecutive losses in 2020-21 with last week's 21-14 home win over The Citadel. SoCon Offensive Player of the Week RB Donnavan Spencer amassed 265 yards of offense, including a career-best 220 yards rushing with two scores and 45 receiving yards. WCU's defense thwarted late Bulldog drives and blocked a PAT on special teams in earning the victory. Senior LB Ty Harris tallied his 13th career double-digit tackle game – and the fourth-straight of the season – with a team-best 13 tackles. Harris leads the SoCon with 9.8 tackles per game and a 12.3 league average.
 
Spencer vaulted to third in the SoCon in rushing after last Saturday's explosion, which was nearly his second-straight game over the century mark after running for 98 yards against VMI. The Charlotte, N.C., native is averaging 85.7 yards per game this season – a stat that jumps to 103.7 yards per game against league foes.
 
Mercer (1-5, 1-2 SoCon) is coming off a 41-14 road loss at league-leading VMI last Saturday in Lexington, Va., mustering just 170 yards of total offense against the Keydets – 70 rushing and 100 passing. The Bears, who, like WCU, played three games in the fall portion of the schedule, have one victory on the season – a 42-28 win over The Citadel. Picked sixth in both preseason polls, the Bears were the only conference school not represented on the preseason all-conference teams.
 
Offensively this season, Mercer ranks ninth in the SoCon in total yards with 272.7 yards per game, just behind WCU at 281.6. The Bears have a balanced attack, ranking seventh in SoCon in rushing at 138.2 yds/gm and eighth passing at 134.5 yds/gm. Quarterbacks in redshirt junior Harrison Frost and freshman Carter Peevy have accounted for 807 passing yards and eight TDs, including three to freshman Ethan Dirrim. Redshirt sophomore Deondre Johnson, who has seen action in four of Mercer's six games this season, remains one of the Bears' most dynamic play-makers with 252 total yards (111 rushing, 141 receiving).
 
Without tailback Tyray Devezin, who rushed for 926 yards in 2018 and 1,002 in 2019, the Bears ground game has been by committee. Appalachian State graduate transfer Nakendrick Clark has shouldered most of the load with 168 yards on 42 carries.
 
The Bears have two of their top 10 scoring performances historically against the Catamounts, including a 59-point outburst back in 2018 in the most recent meeting in Macon. The two teams combined for 105 total points (MER, 59-46) and 1,282 total yards of offense – 710 by Western Carolina and 572 by the Bears.
 
WESTERN CAROLINA AT MERCER – SERIES HISTORY:

• Western Carolina trails Mercer in the all-time series, 2-4, having dropped four-straight games since winning the first two meetings on the gridiron ... WCU is 1-2 both in Macon and in Cullowhee in the series ... the Bears won their fourth-straight over WCU in the 2019 season-opener in Cullowhee;
• Both overall offense and points have been plentiful in the first six series meetings, with the two teams combining for 412 total points since 2014 – an average of 68.7 points scored between the two teams ... WCU has averaged 31.5 points per game against the Bears while Mercer is scoring at a 37.2 point per game clip against the Catamounts.

 
SATURDAY'S BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Game 8: Saturday, March 20, 2021 – 4 p.m.
Location: Macon, Ga. (Five Star Stadium – 10,800)
Records: Western Carolina (1-6, 1-2 SoCon) at Mercer (1-5, 1-2 SoCon)
Television: Nexstar / ESPN+ (PxP: Pete Yanity; Analyst: Jared Singleton) – 3:30 p.m. air time
Afflilates: WYCW (Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville), WMYT (Charlotte), WMUB (Mercer)
Video: ESPN+ (paid subscription required)
Radio: Catamount Sports Network (PxP: Gary Ayers; Analyst; Daniel Hooker; Sideline: Greg McLamb; Producer: Jeff Bryson) – 3 p.m. air time
 
Game Day Information at Mercer's Five Star Stadium:

• Face coverings must be worn on campus in outdoor settings whenever at least six-feet of physical distancing cannot be maintained;
• Gatherings must be kept to groups of 10 or fewer individuals;
• All individuals inside Five Star Stadium must wear a face covering unless they are actively eating or drinking.

 
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