Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina travels down I-26 to the South Carolina Lowcountry this weekend for its much-anticipated 2022 season opener as the Catamounts visit the Charleston Southern Buccaneers. Kickoff of WCU's first of back-to-back road games to open the schedule is set for Noon.
Saturday's game will be broadcast
on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required) and will also be broadcast on the Catamount Sports Network with airtime of the Pepsi Tailgate Show at 11:00 am. Fans across western North Carolina can hear the game locally on eight 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; 970 AM WYSE in Canton; and Cullowhee on 95.3 WWCU-FM, 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.
Picked fifth in the preseason polls back at the end of July, optimism is high in Catamount Country as memories of the strong finish in 2021 that saw WCU win four of its final five games and post a fourth-place finish in the league. WCU's four victories last year were the most for the Purple & Gold since winning seven in 2017 – and the four SoCon wins were its most in five years after winning five league games back in 2017. That strong finish is coupled with an infusion of talent that bolsters the Catamount roster, spurring expectations across the Cullowhee Valley.
WCU is expected to turn the "Play Fast, Score Faster" offense under second-year coordinator
Kade Bell over to QB
Carlos Davis who is in his third season in Cullowhee. Davis has played in seven games over the past two years with a pair of starts including leading WCU to its first victory under
Kerwin Bell in the 45-31 road win at The Citadel in Charleston. Davis threw for a career-high 401 yards in earning SoCon Offensive Player of the Week accolades while returning tailback TJ Jones amassed 205 total yards including 132 on the ground with a pair of scores and 73 yards and a touchdown through the air in the victory.
Defensively,
Chazmon Scales took over as WCU's defensive coordinator during the offseason after serving as a co-coordinator with Justin Hinds – who was hired by the Chicago Bears as an assistant defensive line coach – a year ago. Much like his counterpart
Kade Bell, Scales is a high-energy coach that inherits a veteran secondary, a bigger defensive line, but a question mark entering the year at linebacker. WCU graduated its top four LB's from a season ago with just
Giovanni Ricciardi and
Skylin Thomas representing the lone returners. A talented group of newcomers including four transfers and one freshman grace the opening weekend two-deep including
EJ Porter,
Va Lealaimatafao,
Ed Jones IV,
Nick Louis, and freshman Hayward McQueen.
First-year special teams coordinator
Chris Norris has among the most veteran group with a pair of accomplished placekickers in
Richard McCollum and
Paxton Robertson, two game-proven punters on the two-deep in Robertson and starter
Brandon Dickerson, and a pair of long-snappers in
Kevin Thompson and
Colby Cross. WCU must replace dependable punt returner
Daquan Patten who graduated after last season and will miss preseason All-American kick returner,
Calvin Jones after he suffered an injury in the spring – but, the Catamounts have several capable skill players to fill the return portion of special teams.
Western Carolina and Charleston Southern meet for the first time on the football gridiron in the anticipated frontend of a nonconference home-and-home as the Buccaneers are slated to come to Cullowhee next fall.
The Catamounts seek their first season-opening victory since 2018 when it downed Newberry in Cullowhee in its first game of the year. WCU must look back to the 2002 Kent Briggs-led squad for the last time it scored a road victory in its season-opening game – a 23-3 victory at Liberty while the Flames were still an NCAA FCS program. WCU closed 2021 with three-consecutive victories away from Cullowhee, looking for a fourth as it tangles with the Buccaneers on Saturday.
Coming off a third-place finish in the Big South Conference a season ago, Charleston Southern was tabbed in a tie for third with Gardner-Webb in the six-team league's preseason poll this year. The Bucs landed three players on the preseason All-Big South squad – leading wide receiver Cayden Jordan, leading tackler LB Garrett Sayegh, and safety Hombre Kennedy. Defensive end Anton Williams was an honorable mention for third-year head coach Autry Denson's squad.
Charleston Southern returns just four players on an offense that averaged 369.7 yards and 24.5 points per game a year ago, while seven starters return on defense. The Buc defense limited opponents to 366.7 yards per game and surrendered 28.9 points per game in 2021.
The Bucs have a very tough schedule in 2022, hitting the road for games at North Carolina State (Sept. 10) and Eastern Kentucky (Sept. 17) following Saturday's opener. CSU also hosts fellow SoCon for Furman on Sept. 24 before opening its five-game league schedule, visiting former Big South member Kennesaw State in late October.
Game 1: Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022 • Noon
Location: Charleston, S.C. (Buccaneer Field – 4,000)
Records: Western Carolina (0-0) at Charleston Southern (0-0)
WCU Football Media Center
Western Carolina Football Game Notes
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
TV / Video Stream: ESPN+ (
subscription required)
Announcers: Killian McClatchey, Jack Delongchamps, and Justin Biegel
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
PBP: Gary Ayers; Color:
Daniel Hooker; Producer: Jeff Bryson
Live Stats Link
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
Cullowhee – 95.3 FM WWCU
Online:
CatamountSports.com
Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (FB.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@catamounts, @CatamountsFB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts).
