CULLOWHEE, N.C. – With autumn hues painted across one of the most picturesque backdrops for college athletics, the best gameday atmosphere in the Southern Conference again roars to life this weekend as Western Carolina returns to the friendly confines of Bob Waters Field at E.J. Whitmire Stadium to host The Citadel. The kickoff of WCU's annual Heroes Day game, presented by Better Homes & Garden Real Estate Heritage, is scheduled for 2 p.m.
 
WCU and the Cata­mount Nation salute all military personnel – both active and veterans – all civil servants and emergency management personnel including police, fire, and EMS as part of Heroes Day. 
 
Catamount Athletics and Veterans Services of the Carolinas (VSC) have partnered for Heroes Day on Saturday. AVG is holding a 1.5 mile march around campus at 10 a.m. Saturday for Veterans Suicide Awareness and will have a tailgate in the stadium lot and table inside Gate 1 to raise awareness. The organization will help lead the "Cat Walk" from the Bardo Center to the Ramsey Center and will provide flags from each branch that will accompany the Catamount on to the field.

Active military, veterans, and first responders receive free admission with a valid ID. Also, Catamount Nation be sure to be in your seats by 1:35 p.m. as the All Veteran Group will be parachuting the game ball into the stadium prior to kickoff. 

Tickets for Saturday's conference match-up are available in advance through the Athletics ticket office located on the first floor of the Ramsey Center; by calling (800) 34-GOWCU; or online with the option to print from home through CatamountSports.com. The ticket booth at Gate 1 at the stadium also opens at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday for walk-up sales on game day. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets and game day parking in advance to avoid lines on game day.
 
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on ESPN+ (cable subscription required) with Kevin Gehl and John Mount Shoop on the call. The game can also be heard through the Catamount Sports Network with the Pepsi Tailgate Show airtime at 1:00 p.m. Fans across western North Carolina can hear the broadcast 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.
 
WCU opens the home stretch in league play in which three of its final four regular-season games will be played in Cullowhee, beginning Saturday with the 2022 HEROES DAY game against The Citadel. Following next week's bye, the Catamounts are at home for Homecoming on Nov. 5 with the regular-season finale against Chattanooga on Nov. 19.
 
The Catamounts are 2-0 at home this season with wins over Presbyterian on Sept. 17 and VMI on Oct. 1.
 
Western Carolina's defense leads the SoCon in sacks entering the weekend with 25 total for 154 yards of losses – the 25 sacks are tied for the second-most in the NCAA FCS this season. Twelve different Catamount defenders have recorded at least half a sack this year led by linebacker EJ Porter's 4.5 sacks, just ahead of defensive end KJ Milner with 4.0 sacks.
 
Saturday's matchup features the top-ranked passing offense in the SoCon in the Catamounts with an average of 341.9 yards per game against the lowest-ranked passing offense in the league in The Citadel. The Bulldogs average 92.0 yards per game through the air and have a total of six passing touchdowns on the season. The Catamounts have two games this season (at Charleston Southern, vs. Presbyterian) with six passing touchdowns. 
 
The Catamount offense enters Saturday's game with 3,689 yards of total offense. To break the school record of 5,333 yards, the Catamounts need to average 411 yards of total offense in their final four games. WCU currently averages 527 yards of offense per game.
 
Censere Lee was listed as an honorable mention for the FedEx Ground FCS National Freshman of the Week announced by Stats Perform after he caught five passes for 164 yards and two touchdowns at Furman last weekend. This marks the second straight week a Catamount newcomer was listed as Samaurie Dukes claimed the same honor after he finished with a career-high nine tackles including four solo stops in the road loss at 12th-ranked Mercer.
 
Western Carolina and The Citadel meet for the 47th time on the football gridiron on Sat­urday. The Catamounts trail in the all-time series 19-26-1 overall – but have a chance to even the series in games played in Cullowhee in the 24th meeting in Jackson County with The Citadel holding a slim, 12-11, edge. WCU looks for its third-straight series win for the first time since 2001-03.
 
SPECIAL EVENTS PREGAME AND IN-GAME:
 
Ingles Concert Series – Carolina Soul Band performing between Stadium Lot and Ramsey Center from noon-1:30 pm
The Carolina Soul Band is composed of dedicated musicians that will take you on an exciting journey through the musical history of Motown, Beach, and Soul Music!

The 1972 Catamount football team will be honored at the end of the first quarter. The team was ranked as high as No. 3 nationally in the Associated Press College Division Poll and finished 8th nationally in WCU 's first season as an NCAA Division II Independent.
Kickoff is scheduled for just after 2:00 p.m. on Saturday in Cullowhee.