Cullowhee, N.C. – Five home dates, one first-time opponent, and a familiar face on the opposing sideline in a Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) matchup highlight Western Carolina's 2022 football schedule officially announced today by second-year head coach Kerwin Bell.
 
Opening on Labor Day weekend in Charleston, S.C., on Sept. 3 against Charleston Southern and culminating by hosting league-foe Chattanooga on Saturday, Nov. 19, WCU's 11-game 2022 schedule features three-consecutive nonconference opponents before playing eight-straight Southern Conference games with a late October bye week.
 
Season tickets for the 2022 home schedule are set to go on sale at 10 a.m. on Tuesday, March 15. There will be several changes taking place this season, so please plan accordingly to ensure you have a fantastic game day experience. Some of these changes include the Catamount football team switching home sidelines, moving from the West side to the East or press box side of E.J. Whitmire Stadium, as well as moving to a paid parking model for most on-campus parking options. Read more about the stadium changes for the 2022 season here.
 
 
It'll be the first time WCU and CSU meet on the football gridiron when the Catamounts hit the South Carolina Lowcountry to raise the curtain on the 2022 season in the first of consecutive weekends on the road. The following week, Western Carolina squares off against former Catamount football player and assistant coach Geoff Collins in its lone FBS match-up in week two, traveling to Bobby Dodd Stadium in Atlanta on Sept. 10 to play Georgia Tech. The Catamounts and Yellow Jackets have met five previous times on the football gridiron, most recently in 2011.
 
WCU's final regular-season nonconference game is scheduled for Sept. 17 when the Presbyterian Blue Hose come to Cullowhee for the 20th all-time series meeting – and first since 2015. WCU holds a slim, 10-9, series lead.
 
The Catamounts open Southern Conference play on the road in Birmingham, Ala., against the Samford Bulldogs on Sat., Sept. 24 to close the first month of the season. A week later, WCU begins the home portion of its league schedule by hosting VMI on Sat., Oct. 1 for the Family Weekend game followed by back-to-back away games at Mercer (Oct. 8) and Furman (Oct. 15). The Catamounts twice erased 11-point deficits to rally for the 43-42 victory over its chromatic rival in Cullowhee last November.
 
The Citadel invades Cullowhee on Sat., Oct. 22 on Heroes Day ahead of the squad's late-October bye week. Bell earned his first victory at WCU over the Bulldogs in Charleston last October, 45-31.
 
Western Carolina's annual Homecoming game is set for Sat., Nov. 5 against the Wofford Terriers, who the Catamounts downed 41-21 a year ago in Spartanburg, S.C. The squad's sixth road game of the season is the annual gridiron grudge match against defending SoCon champion ETSU in the Blue Ridge Border Battle set for Greene Stadium in Johnson City, Tenn., on Saturday, Nov. 12 before concluding the regular season against Chattanooga (Nov. 19) on Senior Day.
 
Since 2014, Western Carolina has ranked among the Top 30 in all of NCAA FCS football for home attendance seven times including four among the Top 25. WCU has also been in the top four in the SoCon in attendance seven times, twice pacing the league in 2017 and 2018. Last season, the Catamounts ranked 25th nationally and third in the SoCon in home attendance at Whitmire Stadium / Waters Field.
 
After closing 2021 with victories in four of its final five games, Western Carolina is poised to open its 15-practice spring drills – the first under Bell – on Tues., March 15 with the annual Spring Game anticipated on-campus in Cullowhee on Saturday, April 9 at Noon. Practice dates and times are all subject to change.
 
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).
 
Western Carolina Catamount Football 2022 Schedule:
Sat., Sept. 3 – at Charleston Southern – Charleston, S.C.
Sat., Sept. 10 – at Georgia Tech – Atlanta, Ga.
Sat., Sept. 17 – PRESBYTERIAN – CULLOWHEE
Sept., Sept. 24 – at Samford * – Birmingham, Ala.
Sat., Oct. 1 – VMI * (Family Weekend) – CULLOWHEE
Sat., Oct. 8 – at Mercer * – Macon, Ga.
Sat., Oct. 15 – at Furman * – Greenville, S.C.
Sat., Oct. 22 – THE CITADEL * (Heroes Day) – CULLOWHEE
Sat., Oct. 29 – Bye Week
Sat., Nov. 5 – WOFFORD * (Homecoming 2022) – CULLOWHEE
Sat., Nov. 12 – at ETSU * (Blue Ridge Border Battle) – Johnson City, Tenn.
Sat., Nov. 19 – CHATTANOOGA * (Senior Day) – CULLOWHEE
 
* - Denotes Southern Conference game
 

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New for Western Carolina Football in 2022:

• Catamount Football Home Sideline
  • The Catamount football team is switching sidelines this upcoming season, moving to the east/press box side of E.J. Whitmire Stadium. Returning season ticket holders may request the same seats as last season, or they may choose to purchase in a different location.
• Season Ticket Information
  • There are a variety of season ticket packages available. Adult chairback season tickets are $136, adult reserved bench/bleacher tickets are $126, and adult general admission tickets are $71. Youth and WCU faculty/staff rates are also available. The Western Builders Family Section is just $201 and includes 2 adult and 2 youth (12 and under) season tickets.
  • Additional premium ticket options are available by calling the Catamount Club at 828-227-3047.
  • Football season tickets and game day parking passes may be purchased by visiting CatamountSports.com or by calling the WCU Athletic Ticket Office at 828-227-2401. Fans may also visit the ticket office located on the first floor of the Ramsey Center during the week between the hours of 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
  • The deadline to renew season tickets is June 1, 2022.
  • Single-game tickets will go on sale in August.

• Parking
  • Beginning this season, parking lots near E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field will be paid lots on home football game days.
  • Parking lots will open at 8 a.m. on game day and alcohol will be permitted 3.5 hours before the start of the game until kickoff.

 

• Catamount Club Parking
  • Catamount Club members who purchase season tickets have an opportunity to purchase a season parking pass for $25. Members may purchase one pass every four season tickets purchase (one pass per 1-4 season tickets purchased, two passes per 5-8 season tickets purchased, etc.) If you wish to purchase more than one Catamount Club season parking pass, please contact the Catamount Club office. The season parking pass will be good for one of the following lots:
    • Creek (Lot 9C), Stadium (Lot 10), Fieldhouse (Lot 12), Belk (Lot 14), and Camp Lab (Lot 4A).
    • Additional information on selecting your reserved space will be shared in the coming months.
    • RV Lot parking passes are available on both a season and individual game basis through the Catamount Club. For more information, please contact the Catamount Club office.
• General Parking
  • Individual game day parking passes are also available for purchase now for $10 per game. There is a limited number of spaces in each lot, so we encourage fans to purchase in advance. If lots are not sold out, parking passes will be available to purchase on game day, on a first-come-first-served basis. Fans do not need to purchase season tickets to purchase parking in these lots. Individual game day parking includes the following lots:
• North Baseball Parking Deck & South Baseball Lot, H.F. Robinson Administration (HFR Lot), ADA Parking in the Field House Lot 12, and Van Accessible ADA Parking in Field House Lot 12. Those patrons utilizing ADA parking will also need to provide an accessible parking tag on game day. For those parking in the North Baseball Parking Deck, please note that grills and/or tents are NOT permitted.

 

• Reminder about Clear Bag Policy
  • Please be reminded that Western Carolina Athletics has implemented a Clear Bag Policy for all home events on campus including football games at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.

 
To purchase season tickets or parking beginning on Tues., March 15, visit CatamountSports.com and click on TICKETS; select football season tickets & parking. You will be directed to our new athletics ticketing page and once there, take the following steps to set-up your account. Fans can also call the Catamount Ticket Office at (828) 227-2401 for additional information or to purchase season tickets.