Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina football opens Southern Conference play on Saturday afternoon, traveling to Seibert Stadium in Birmingham, Ala., to face the No. 21/22 Samford Bulldogs (2-1) in the league-opener for both squads. Kickoff is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT.
Saturday's game will be broadcast
live on ESPN3 (
cable subscription required). The game can also be heard through the Catamount Sports Network with the Pepsi Tailgate Show airtime at 2:00 p.m. ET. 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 and Samford meet for the 20th time in football with the Catamounts trailing in the series, 3-16. Among the previous meetings are 10 contests in Birmingham with Samford having won nine straight since WCU's lone road series victory back in 1969.
Coming off a school-record tying 77-point and program benchmark 766-yard offensive performance, WCU looks to return two starters to its lineup this weekend. Quarterback
Carlos Davis, who has tossed eight touchdown passes and averages 333.0 passing yards per game through his first two starts, and senior tailback
TJ Jones both missed the Presbyterian game, but have since returned to practice and are gearing up for Saturday.
The Catamounts enter the week ranked second in the NCAA FCS in total offense with an average of 590.7 yards per game including the third-best passing attack (362.0 yds/gm) and 11th-ranked rushing attack (228.7 yds/gm).
Much like WCU, Samford (2-1) has downed both NCAA FCS teams it has faced this season, upsetting then No. 8 Kennesaw State 27-17 in the season-opener before rallying in the final minute last week to down Tennessee Tech in Cookeville, Tenn., 33-28. Sandwiched in between was a 33-0 road loss at No. 2 Georgia, though the SoCon's Bulldogs allowed the fewest points to the SEC's 'Dogs among the first three seasonal opponents.
Transfer quarterback Michael Hiers (NW Mississippi CC) won the starting job out of fall camp for head coach Chris Hatcher and has guided the Bulldogs to a pair of wins. Hiers has completed 65 percent of his passes (60-of-92) for 678 yards with eight scores without tossing an interception. Half of receiver Chandler Smith's receptions (10) have gone for touchdowns (5) this fall while Kendall Watson leads the way with 227 receiving yards on a team-high 16 receptions.
If history holds, points should be plentiful in Saturday's match-up between the Catamounts and Bulldogs as the past 12 meetings since 2010 have seen combined 44-or-more points scored between the two squads with 70-or-more points tallied seven times. The past six meetings held in Birmingham have seen an average combined scoring total of 73 points between the two squads.
Since Chris Hatcher took over the Bulldog program, Samford has scored 30+ points 43 times, with 25 40-point and 11-50-point games. In two seasons in Cullowhee,
Kerwin Bell's Catamount teams have scored 30-or-more points in nine of his 14 games as head coach.
Kickoff from Seibert Stadium is scheduled for 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT on Saturday.
THE CATAMOUNTS IN SOUTHERN CONFERENCE OPENERS:
Since joining the SoCon in 1977, Western Carolina is 23-22 overall in conference openers including an 8-16 mark away from Cullowhee;
WESTERN CAROLINA VS. NATIONALLY RANKED FCS TEAMS:
Since 1983, WCU is just 12-84-3 all-time against nationally-ranked NCAA FCS teams … the Catamounts have dropped six straight against ranked opponents since its last win in 2017 – a 38-34 upset at home over then No. 17 Samford … WCU is just 3-45-2 on the road against nationally-ranked NCAA FCS teams and has lost 45-straight road games against ranked opponents since winning last in 1984 at then No. 12 Furman.
COMMON TIE FOR THE HEAD COACHES – VALDOSTA STATE:
Two former quarterbacks in college, both WCU head coach
Kerwin Bell and Samford head coach Chris Hatcher spent time on the sidelines at Valdosta State, an NCAA Div.-II program in Valdosta, Ga.
Hatcher, who played at VSU from 1991-94, began his coaching career as the quarterback's coach for the Blazers in 1995 before returning as the head coach from 2000-06 ... In seven seasons, Hatcher compiled a 76-12 overall record, six playoff berths, won four Gulf South Conference championships, and guided the Blazers to the 2004 NCAA D-II National Championship, earning AFCA National Coach of the Year;
Bell posted a 27-7 overall record in three seasons at Valdosta State, winning both the Gulf South Conference and the NCAA Division II national championship in 2018.
Game 4: Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022 • 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT
Location: Birmingham, Ala. / Seibert Stadium (6,700)
Records: Western Carolina (2-1) at Samford (2-1)
WCU Football Media Center
Western Carolina Football Game Notes – at Samford
Samford Football Game Notes - vs. Western Carolina
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
TV / Video Stream: ESPN3 (
cable subscription required)
PBP: Curt Bloom; Color: Damian Mitchell; Sideline: Blake Gardner
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
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).
