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WR Raphael Williams (2) caught eight passes for 122 yards for the Catamounts in the season-opener against EKU.
Ashley Evans, WCU Communications and Marketing

Football

Postgame Notes - vs. Eastern Kentucky (Sept. 4, 2021)

Postgame Notes
Eastern Kentucky 31, Western Carolina 28
E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field
Cullowhee, N.C. | Saturday, Sept. 4, 2021
Att: 9,647
 
With the loss...
  • Represents the third-straight defeat for the Catamounts dating back to the spring of 2021 – and the first under first-year head coach Kerwin Bell … It's also the third-straight year that WCU has opened the football season with a loss;
  • Ended a streak of four-straight WCU first-year head coaches winning their debut on the Catamount sidelines dating back to 2002;
  • WCU dropped its second-consecutive game against EKU in the series – both coming in consecutive games to end the fall of 2020 and open the fall of 2021 … WCU has lost two-straight in the series, matching the longest drought against the Colonels all-time.
 
Post-Game Notes
  • Tusculum transfer RB T.J. Jones accounted for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the season-opener against Eastern Kentucky, rushing for 115 and a two-yard third quarter touchdown run, while adding 31 receiving yards including an 18-yard receiving score … Jones rattled off a 46-yard rush on the first carry of his WCU career on the Catamounts' second drive of the season;
  • Graduate transfer QB Rogan Wells made his Catamount debut going 24-for-44 for 275 yards with a touchdown pass and two interceptions … He also rushed for 67 yards and a score … Wells now has 85 career TD passes in his fifth season, while his rushing score gave him 28 in his collegiate career;
  • Transfer redshirt freshman WR Raphael Williams led eight players with receptions, hauling in eight catches for 122 yards against EKU;
  • WCU had a 100-yard rusher (TJ Jones) and a 100-yard receiver (Raphael Williams) for the first time since 2018 at Mercer when Donnavan Spencer rushed for 137 yards and both he (110 yds) and Daquan Patten (103 yds) eclipsed the century mark in receiving yards;
  • Grad transfer LB Kareem Taylor led the Catamount defense with 10 tackles, six of which were solo … Fellow transfer LB Ivan Hogans just missed double-digit tackles with nine stops including a team-best two tackles for loss …
  • Freshman safety Andreas Keaton had eight tackles in the contest including an interception for the team's first takeaway of the year, adding a pass breakup;
  • As a team, WCU finished 2-for-3 in field goals as Richard McCollum connected on field goals from 26 and 34 yards in the first quarter … Paxton Robertson was called upon in a Herculean effort attempting a career-long 56-yard field goal with one second left in the game – the kick fell short falling about five feet in front of the goal post … Robertson had nailed a career-long 52-yard at EKU last fall on his first collegiate attempt … Robertson's attempt would have been the second-longest field goal in program history – Kirk Roach hit a pair of 57-yard boots in the 1987 season to set the school benchmark;
  • McCollum matched a career-best with two made field goals to cap WCU's first two drives of the season, connecting from 26 and 34 yards to give WCU a 6-0 lead in Saturday's season opener … He added a pair of PATs to score eight points for the Catamounts … It's the third-time in McCollum's career that he connected on two field goals in the same game;
  • Redshirt fifth-year senior Daquan Patten played Saturday just two days after his father, and former Catamount and 12-year NFL veteran, David Patten passed away … Patten matched his career-high with 37 punt return yards including a long return of 28 yards;
  • 18 different Catamounts played their first game for the Purple & Gold on Saturday against EKU.
 
Miscellaneous Notes:
  • WCU's captains for Saturday's game were redshirt fifth-year senior WR #6 Daquan Patten, graduate transfer QB #11 Rogan Wells, junior CB #13 Ronald Kent, Jr., and fifth-year DL #99 Ricky Palao … WCU won the pregame coin toss and elected to receive the opening kickoff;
  • Western Carolina paused for a pregame moment of silence in memory and honor of Assistant Coach John Peacock, who passed away on Aug. 19 … and for football student-athlete alum and 12-year NFL veteran David Patten – father of WCU fifth-year senior Daquan Patten, who tragically passed away on Thursday before the season-opener;
  • WCU wore a black sticker on their helmets with the initials "JP" and the word "GRIND" underneath in honor of Peacock … Plans are to wear the stickers for each game this season;
  • WCU wore its new white Nike uniforms – white jerseys over white pants with purple helmets – for the "White Out Whitmire" promotion … EKU wore its maroon jerseys over maroon pants;
  • A total of 9,647 fans attended the 2021 season-opener in Cullowhee – WCU's largest attendance since the Family Weekend game against Gardner-Webb back on Oct. 5, 2019 – 11,865 … Saturday was WCU's first game without COVID capacity restrictions since the 2019 season.
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Players Mentioned

Donnavan Spencer

#20 Donnavan Spencer

RB
5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
Ronald Kent Jr.

#13 Ronald Kent Jr.

CB
5' 10"
Junior
Richard McCollum

#89 Richard McCollum

K
5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore
Ricky Palao

#99 Ricky Palao

DL
6' 2"
Fifth Year
Daquan Patten

#86 Daquan Patten

WR
5' 6"
Redshirt Fifth Year
Paxton Robertson

#46 Paxton Robertson

K
6' 0"
Freshman
Andreas Keaton

#21 Andreas Keaton

S
6' 2"
Freshman
TJ Jones

#0 TJ Jones

RB
5' 11"
Junior
Ivan Hogans

#1 Ivan Hogans

LB
6' 2"
Fifth Year
Raphael Williams

#2 Raphael Williams

WR
5' 10"
Redshirt Freshman
Kareem Taylor

#9 Kareem Taylor

LB
6' 0"
Graduate Student
Rogan Wells

#11 Rogan Wells

QB
6' 4"
Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

Donnavan Spencer

#20 Donnavan Spencer

5' 10"
Redshirt Senior
RB
Ronald Kent Jr.

#13 Ronald Kent Jr.

5' 10"
Junior
CB
Richard McCollum

#89 Richard McCollum

5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore
K
Ricky Palao

#99 Ricky Palao

6' 2"
Fifth Year
DL
Daquan Patten

#86 Daquan Patten

5' 6"
Redshirt Fifth Year
WR
Paxton Robertson

#46 Paxton Robertson

6' 0"
Freshman
K
Andreas Keaton

#21 Andreas Keaton

6' 2"
Freshman
S
TJ Jones

#0 TJ Jones

5' 11"
Junior
RB
Ivan Hogans

#1 Ivan Hogans

6' 2"
Fifth Year
LB
Raphael Williams

#2 Raphael Williams

5' 10"
Redshirt Freshman
WR
Kareem Taylor

#9 Kareem Taylor

6' 0"
Graduate Student
LB
Rogan Wells

#11 Rogan Wells

6' 4"
Graduate Student
QB