Cullowhee, N.C. – Bragging rights, late-season momentum, and a traveling trophy are up for grabs on Saturday afternoon when Western Carolina travels over Sam's Gap to visit the defending Southern Conference champion ETSU Buccaneers at Greene Stadium as the "Blue Ridge Border Battle" is rekindled. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
Saturday's rivalry match-up will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required). The game can also be heard through the Catamount Sports Network with the Pepsi Tailgate Show airtime at Noon. 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.
   
Western Carolina (4-5, 2-4 SoCon) looks to put the clamps on a four-game road winless drought which comes on the heels of having won four-straight road games dating back to last season and including the season-opening victory at Charleston Southern. The Catamounts also seek their first victory over ETSU away from Cullowhee since 2003 – a 28-21 win at the Memorial Center or otherwise remembered as the Mini-Dome – though the series did lay dormant from 2004 through 2015 before being rekindled at Bristol Motor Speedway in 2016, a 34-31 ETSU victory in the Bucs' return to the SoCon.
 
For just the fifth time in the 52-game series history, the traveling trophy that accompanies the "Blue Ridge Border Battle" will be up for grabs with the Buccaneers seeking to retain "the Rock" for the third-straight year after a one-year stay in Cullowhee following the Catamounts' 23-20 overtime victory back in 2019.
 
Through 51 previous series meetings entering  Saturday – the second-most played rivalry series in WCU's football history only trailing the series with Appalachian State (78 games) – the all-time series between WCU and ETSU couldn't be any closer – 25 wins, 25 losses, with a lone tie coming in a 7-7 contest back in 1955. And though the Bucs have won two straight, the last 10 series meetings have also been split down the middle at five wins, five losses apiece.
 
Western Carolina continues to pace the conference in offense, averaging a league-best 505.3 yards per game – ranked third in all of the NCAA FCS this season. The Catamounts average a conference-leading 25.9 first downs per game and are tied for second in scoring – ironically enough with ETSU at 33.2 points per game, tied for 26th nationally.
 
Quarterback Carlos Davis continues to pace the league in total offense, just shy of 300 yards per game at 294 with the second-most passing yards per game, averaging 262.4 yards through the air per game. SoCon Freshman of the Year candidate RB Desmond Reid is fourth in the conference in rushing average at 87.8 yards per game and is riding back-to-back, 100-yard rushing efforts headed to the hills of eastern Tennessee on Saturday as WCU faces a Buccaneer defense that is surrendering just over 400 yards of offense per game (402.9 yds/gm, 7th).
 
Defending its second conference title since 2018 has not been easy for ETSU (3-6, 1-6 SoCon) and first-year head coach George Quarles. Despite boasting the league's top running back in Jacob Saylors, the Buccaneers have just three victories with wins over Mars Hill, Robert Morris, and VMI in conference play, and are mired in a three-game slide coming off the late-season bye-week.
 
Saylors leads the SoCon in rushing this season and has scored 15 total touchdowns, 14 of which have come on the ground. Entering the week, his 1,102 yards rank as the fifth-most by a back this season in the NCAA FCS with his 122.4 rushing yard per game average ranking him sixth just ahead of Chattanooga's Ailym Ford, whom WCU will face next week in the regular-season finale.
 
Finding a way to ground Saylors will be key for the Catamounts on Saturday as in three previous meetings, Saylors has amassed 525 rushing yards on 46 carries with five scores, averaging 175 rushing yards per game against the Purple and Gold with an astounding 11.4 yards per carry average.
Much maligned this season, WCU's defense enters the week ranked an improved fifth in the SoCon statistics, surrendering 392.2 yards per game with just 187.1 allowed on the ground. The Catamounts have managed to hold five of their previous opponents to 101-or-fewer rushing yards including limiting the new-look Wofford offense to just 80 yards rushing a week ago.
 
ETSU has scored 40-plus points in each of its three wins and has posted 40-plus in its last two outings, falling in shootouts to Samford at home, 55-45, and most recently at Wofford, 48-41.
 
Saturday's game has been billed as Heroes Day for ETSU, and the Buccaneers will honor their 14 seniors in a special pregame ceremony.
 
Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 

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Game 10: Saturday, Nov. 12, 2022  •  1:00 pm
Location: Johnson City, Tenn. (Greene Stadium – 7,694)
Records: Western Carolina (4-5, 2-4 SoCon) at ETSU (3-6, 1-6 SoCon)

Live Stats thru StatBroadcast 

BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Video Stream:  ESPN+ (subscription required)
PBP: Keith Brake; Color: Mark Hutsell
 
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).