Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Western Carolina University

Western Carolina
The Official Home of Catamount Athletics

Schedule

Full
TJ Jones ringing the Victory Bell after Saturday's upset victory over No. 15 Chattanooga.
Catamount Athletics Creative Media

Football

Postgame Notes - vs. #17/15 Chattanooga

Postgame Notes
Western Carolina 32, #15/17 Chattanooga 29
Bob Waters Field at E.J. Whitmire Stadium
Cullowhee, N.C. | Saturday, Nov. 19, 2022
Att: 9,089
 
With the Win…
  • Western Carolina closed out the 2022 season with three consecutive victories, scoring home wins over Wofford and Chattanooga and a road victory at ETSU;
  • Halt a three-game slide for WCU in the overall head-to-head series with Chattanooga, WCU's first series win since 2017 … It also ends a five-game losing skid against the Mocs in Cullowhee with WCU's first home victory in the series since 2008 … the win was just the second by WCU over Chattanooga in the last 13 series meetings;
  • Ends the Catamounts' eight-game slide against nationally ranked NCAA FCS teams, marking WCU's first win over a ranked opponent since defeating Samford at home in 2017;
  • WCU earned its sixth victory of 2022 representing the most victories in a season for WCU since winning seven back in 2017 … the Catamounts finished with a 6-5 overall record, the first record above .500 for WCU since that same 2017 season (7-4);
  • The Catamounts closed the 2022 season with a 4-4 mark in the SoCon for the second-straight season marking the first consecutive .500-or-better league finishes since the 2014 and 2015 campaigns.
 
Post-Game Notes:
  • Over the past two seasons under head coach Kerwin Bell, Western Carolina has a 7-1 overall record in the weeks following its bye week – closing the season 4-1 after the bye in 2021 and posting a 3-0 mark after the off-week in 2022;
  • Western Carolina and Chattanooga were tied at 14 at halftime representing just the second halftime tie for the Catamounts under Kerwin Bell … WCU earned its first victory when heading to the locker room tied, improving to 1-1 under Bell during his tenure in Cullowhee … WCU also earned its second victory of the season – and third under Bell – when trailing going into the third quarter as the Catamounts found themselves down by two, 23-21, headed to the final frame;
  • Needing 310 yards to match the program record for total offense in a single-season entering the game, Western Carolina finished with 316 total yards to eclipse the program record for most total offense … the Catamounts finished the year with 5,339 total yards to edge the 1983 team (5,333) by six yards … WCU's seasonal offensive average dipped below 500 yards, finishing the year with a 485.4 yards per game;
  • Senior RB TJ Jones capped his career with a two-score game, hauling in a 14-yard receiving score and rushing for the game-winning, one-yard touchdown late in the fourth quarter … Jones finished with a season-high 102 all-purpose yards … His eight receptions were a career high with his 66 receiving yards marking the most for him this season – and the second-most of his WCU career … Jones finished with 25 collegiate rushing touchdowns – 12 coming in a Catamount uniform over the past two seasons … He also scored his seventh career receiving touchdown, fourth at WCU and his first of the 2022 season in the upset winning effort;
  • SoCon Freshman of the Year candidate Desmond Reid rushed for a touchdown and caught a touchdown pass, the latter representing the first of his collegiate career … It was the second two-score game of Reid's career, also scoring twice with a pair of rushing TDs earlier this season against Presbyterian;
  • Reid concluded his freshman season with 1,038 all-purpose yards including 826 rushing yards with four TDs and 212 receiving yards out of the backfield … Reid's 826 rushing yards are the second-most by a WCU freshman tailback all-time, trailing just Darrell Lipford's 983 yards as a freshman back in 1974 … Reid's seasonal average per rush of 6.9 yards per carry ranks as the best by a Catamount freshman all-time;
  • Freshman quarterback Cole Gonzales started his second-straight game and ended the season with a 3-1 record as a starting QB … For a second-straight game, Gonzales recorded a career-high 38 pass attempts, completing a career-best 24 passes in the win over Chattanooga … He posted his fourth 200+ yard passing performance in the winning effort;
  • Western Carolina's fourth-quarter two-point conversion pass from Cole Gonzales to Ajay Belanger represented WCU's first successful two-point play this season … WCU was 0-for-1 this season prior to that successful pass;
  • Senior punter Brandon Dickerson punted six times for an average of 45.7 on the game, increasing his seasonal average to 43.7 on the year … He finished with a season-high 274 punting yards in the win;
  • Freshman Hayward McQueen III led the Catamounts with nine total tackles including one tackle for loss … DE K.J. Milner and LB Ed Jones IV were both credited with seven tackles apiece with Milner adding one of WCU's three sacks and a pair of quarterback hurries … In addition to Milner, DL Chris Morgan, and LB Va Lealaimatafao both tallied sacks … Milner finished the season with a team-best six sacks with Morgan recording five on the year;
  • Senior transfer CB Taurus Dotson Jr. bookended the season with interceptions … Dotson opened the season with an interception in the opener at Charleston Southern and closed the season with an interception and an 18-yard return in the finale against Chattanooga;
  • Richard McCollum scored six points in Saturday's win, connecting on three PATs and booting a 34-yard field goal … McCollum finished the season with a team-best 91 points scored, ranking third in the Southern Conference in overall points scored, fourth in points per game (8.3), and the most points scored by kickers in the league this season;
  • McCollum finished the season 17-of-19 (89.5%) on field goals this season … His 17 made field goals rank him tied for fourth in program single-season history, matching Will Horten (17-of-22 in 2018) and Dean Biasucci (17-of-22 in 1984) … For his career, McCollum is now 34-of-40 (85.0%) with his 34 career field goals made ranking him fourth in school history, just one made field goal shy of third-place Ken Hinsley (35, 1995-98);
  • McCollum finished the 2022 season with 207 career points to remain sixth in the program's record books, just five points shy of fifth-place RB Otis McIntosh (212, 1969-71);
  • With an announced attendance of 9,089 for the regular-season finale, Western Carolina finished the season with a Southern Conference-leading average of 9,876, ranked 22nd nationally in the NCAA FCS … WCU edged The Citadel (9,865), with the Bulldogs finishing 23rd nationally in average attendance … It's the third time since 2017 that WCU has led the SoCon in average attendance – and the first time since 2018 when the school finished a program-best 17th nationally.
 
Miscellaneous Notes:
  • WCU's captains for Saturday's game were senior S #0 Jaylen Floyd … senior DB #1 Cameron McCutcheon … senior P #38 Brandon Dickerson and senior LS #55 Kevin Thompson;
  • Western Carolina won the opening coin toss and deferred to the second half … Chattanooga received the opening kickoff;
  • Western Carolina honored 12 football senior players in a special pregame ceremony -- 12 WCU players recognized were P Brandon Dickerson, CB Taurus Dotson Jr., DB Jaylen Floyd, TE Talon James, DE Timothy Jamison, RB TJ Jones, DL Joaquin Layno, PK Richard McCollum, DB Cameron McCutcheon, DE KJ Milner, LS Kevin Thompson, and OL Dalton Tomlison;
  • At halftime, Western Carolina recognized its 2022 Athletics Hall of Fame class that was enshrined on Saturday morning … the class included Skip Nelloms (baseball, 1985-87), Steve Lott (women's golf head coach, 1998-2010), and the 1995-96 Catamount men's basketball team;
  • WCU also recognized WCU Athletics Hall of Famer and program's all-time leading scorer Kirk Roach who was inducted into the Southern Conference's Hall of Fame in 2022.
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Brandon Dickerson

#38 Brandon Dickerson

P
5' 11"
Senior
Jaylen Floyd

#0 Jaylen Floyd

S
5' 9"
Graduate Student
Talon James

#85 Talon James

TE
6' 4"
Redshirt Junior
Timothy Jamison

#94 Timothy Jamison

DL
6' 4"
Junior
TJ Jones

#0 TJ Jones

RB
5' 11"
Senior
Joaquin Layno

#60 Joaquin Layno

DL
5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
Richard McCollum

#89 Richard McCollum

K
5' 9"
Redshirt Junior
Cameron McCutcheon

#1 Cameron McCutcheon

CB
6' 3"
Fifth Year
K.J. Milner

#6 K.J. Milner

DL
6' 4"
Senior
Chris Morgan

#93 Chris Morgan

DL
6' 0"
Sophomore
Kevin Thompson

#55 Kevin Thompson

LS
5' 10"
Junior
Va Lealaimatafao

#8 Va Lealaimatafao

LB
6' 1"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Brandon Dickerson

#38 Brandon Dickerson

5' 11"
Senior
P
Jaylen Floyd

#0 Jaylen Floyd

5' 9"
Graduate Student
S
Talon James

#85 Talon James

6' 4"
Redshirt Junior
TE
Timothy Jamison

#94 Timothy Jamison

6' 4"
Junior
DL
TJ Jones

#0 TJ Jones

5' 11"
Senior
RB
Joaquin Layno

#60 Joaquin Layno

5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
DL
Richard McCollum

#89 Richard McCollum

5' 9"
Redshirt Junior
K
Cameron McCutcheon

#1 Cameron McCutcheon

6' 3"
Fifth Year
CB
K.J. Milner

#6 K.J. Milner

6' 4"
Senior
DL
Chris Morgan

#93 Chris Morgan

6' 0"
Sophomore
DL
Kevin Thompson

#55 Kevin Thompson

5' 10"
Junior
LS
Va Lealaimatafao

#8 Va Lealaimatafao

6' 1"
Junior
LB