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Taurus Dotson Jr., celebrates WCU's first interception of the season.
Mark Haskett

Football

Postgame Notes - at Charleston Southern

Postgame Notes
Western Carolina 52, Charleston Southern 38
Buccaneer Field
Charleston, S.C. | Saturday, Sept. 3, 2022
Att: 3,922
 
With the Win...
  • Western Carolina opened the season with a victory for the first time since 2018 when it downed Newberry, 33-26 … WCU scored its first ROAD win to open a seasonal schedule since 2002;
  • WCU has won five of its last six games over the past two seasons and has scored four-consecutive road wins – at The Citadel, at Wofford, and at VMI in 2021 and the road win at Charleston Southern to start 2022;
  • WCU head football coach Kerwin Bell earned his 98th career victory, his fifth with the Catamounts.
 
Post-Game Notes
  • WCU quarterback Carlos Davis accounted for 461 yards of total offense in the win over Charleston Southern, the most yards by an individual in the NCAA FCS to date this season … Davis threw for a career-high 433 yards and added 28 rushing yards … It was the second, 400-yard passing game for Davis in his career – both coming in the South Carolina Lowcountry against The Citadel (2021) and Charleston Southern (2022);
  • The 433 passing yards by Davis marked just the 10th, 400-yard passing game in WCU football history … His 433 yards are tied for the second-most in a single-game in program history, matching QB Don Dalton who threw for 433 yards against Emory & Henry back in 1969;
  • Davis tossed a WCU record six touchdown passes going to six different players – five wide receivers and one running back … His six TD passes are currently tied for the most by a quarterback in the NCAA FCS this season … He threw four TD passes in the first half to match the program record for TD tosses in a single half of football;
  • Western Carolina finished with 616 yards of total offense in Saturday's win, the second-most by a school in the NCAA FCS to date this season (Gardner-Webb, 642 yards);
  • WCU's 28 completions were spread between nine different receivers … Among those nine, five were playing in their first games for WCU – TE Ajay Belanger (5-58 yds), David White (3-63 yds, TD), RB Jalynn Williams (3-25 yds, TD);
  • WCU's offense score points on its first possession in both halves – converting a 42-yard field goal on its first possession of the season and then Carlos Davis finding David White Jr. for a 53 yard score on the second play of its first third-quarter drive;
  • WR Raphael Williams finished Saturday's game with a team-best 10 receptions for 112 yards and a touchdown … It was his fourth, double-digit receptions game and the sixth time in his WCU career that he's eclipsed the 100-yard receiving mark;
  • WR Toler Keigley recorded his first career touchdown on his first career reception in Saturday's victory over Charleston Southern … Keigley finished with two catches for 36 total yards … WR Censere Lee also tallied a score on his first career reception on a career-long 72 yard strike from Carlos Davis;
  • RB Jalynn Williams amassed 94 yards in his WCU debut while his backfield counterparts TJ Jones (92 yards) and Desmond Reid (77 yards) right behind him in all-purpose yards gained … Reid tallied WCU's only score on the ground with his first career rushing TD on a 43-yard scamper;
  • Western Carolina's defense recorded six sacks of the Buccaneer quarterbacks in Saturday's season-opener … It was the most sacks by WCU in a single-game since posting six sacks against VMI back on Sept. 22, 2018 … the defense forced three fumbles with one takeaway and recorded on interception on a pick by transfer Taurus Dotson Jr.;
  • Among the 25 players credited with tackles on Saturday, nine players were playing their first games for the Catamount defense … Two newcomers at linebackers – transfers EJ Porter and Ed Jones IV were among the leaders, Porter with seven tackles and Jones had two sacks among his six stops … Transfer safety Mateo Sudipo also had six stops with two tackles for loss including a sack with returner Andreas Keaton also posting six tackles;
  • Catamount kicker Richard McCollum scored a team-best 10 points in the season-opening road win at Charleston Southern … McCollum recorded WCU's first points on the season with a 42-yard field goal on the squad's first drive of the year … McCollum has connected on 14-consecutive field goals dating back to March 2021 … he also connected on all seven PAT attempts … Dating back to last season, McCollum has hit connected on 63-consecutive PATs from Feb. 20, 2021 through the 2021 fall season (42-of-42) and 7-for-7 to start 2022 ... the WCU school-record is 65-consecutive PATs made by Ken Hinsley, 1995-98;
  • Punter Brandon Dickerson booted his fifth career punt of 50 yards with a 58 yarder at CSU, averaging 48.3 yards over three punts.
 
Miscellaneous Notes:
  • WCU's captains for Saturday's game were RB #0 TJ Jones … DB #1 Cameron McCutcheon … DE #6 KJ Milner and P #38 Brandon Dickerson;
  • Charleston Southern won the opening coin toss and elected to defer to the second half … WCU received the opening kickoff.
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Players Mentioned

Carlos Davis

#5 Carlos Davis

QB
6' 3"
Redshirt Sophomore
Brandon Dickerson

#38 Brandon Dickerson

P
5' 11"
Sophomore
Richard McCollum

#89 Richard McCollum

K
5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore
Andreas Keaton

#21 Andreas Keaton

S
6' 2"
Freshman
Toler Keigley

#14 Toler Keigley

WR
6' 1"
Freshman
TJ Jones

#0 TJ Jones

RB
5' 11"
Junior
Raphael Williams

#2 Raphael Williams

WR
5' 10"
Redshirt Freshman
Cameron McCutcheon

#4 Cameron McCutcheon

DB
6' 3"
Senior
David White Jr.

#7 David White Jr.

WR
6' 4"
Junior
Ajay Belanger

#11 Ajay Belanger

TE
6' 3"
Junior
Desmond Reid

#1 Desmond Reid

RB
5' 8"
Freshman
Censere Lee

#10 Censere Lee

WR
5' 11"
Freshman

Players Mentioned

Carlos Davis

#5 Carlos Davis

6' 3"
Redshirt Sophomore
QB
Brandon Dickerson

#38 Brandon Dickerson

5' 11"
Sophomore
P
Richard McCollum

#89 Richard McCollum

5' 9"
Redshirt Sophomore
K
Andreas Keaton

#21 Andreas Keaton

6' 2"
Freshman
S
Toler Keigley

#14 Toler Keigley

6' 1"
Freshman
WR
TJ Jones

#0 TJ Jones

5' 11"
Junior
RB
Raphael Williams

#2 Raphael Williams

5' 10"
Redshirt Freshman
WR
Cameron McCutcheon

#4 Cameron McCutcheon

6' 3"
Senior
DB
David White Jr.

#7 David White Jr.

6' 4"
Junior
WR
Ajay Belanger

#11 Ajay Belanger

6' 3"
Junior
TE
Desmond Reid

#1 Desmond Reid

5' 8"
Freshman
RB
Censere Lee

#10 Censere Lee

5' 11"
Freshman
WR