Cullowhee, N.C. –  Western Carolina hosts chromatic rival Furman in Southern Conference football action at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field on Saturday afternoon with a 2:30 p.m. kickoff. And the royal color of purple isn't the only thing these two streaking squads share as both boast national rankings entering the highly-anticipated annual meeting on the gridiron.
 
Ranked 14th in this week's AFCA Coaches Poll and eighth in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 to match the program's highest ranking in its NCAA Division I era, the Catamounts entertain Furman, which is ranked third and fourth, respectively, by the pollsters.
 
This year's showdown represents just the fourth game between WCU and Furman when both teams carried numbers next to their monikers – and the highest rankings since the ninth-ranked Catamounts avenged a tie earlier in the season by bouncing their second-ranked rivals from the 1983 NCAA I-AA playoffs in Greenville, 14-7. WCU is 2-1 in match-ups where both teams are ranked, including a 1-0 mark at home.
 
Saturday's SoCon game in Cullowhee has been designated as "Heroes Day," presented by Better Homes and Gardens Real Estate Heritage. WCU Athletics salutes all active military personnel and veterans, as well as all first responders with free admission when presenting proper identification at the ticket booths. It's also Youth Football Day with all area youth football players and cheerleaders ages 12 and under gaining free admission with their uniforms.
 
Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets and gameday parking in advance either in person at the first-floor Athletics Ticket Office in the Ramsey Center, by phone at (828) 227-2401, or online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets. Also, make plans to arrive on campus early ahead of the 2:30 p.m. kickoff to take advantage of a full day of activities on campus.
 
Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live audio from the Catamount Sports Network beginning with the Pepsi Tailgate Show at 3 p.m. Fans across Western North Carolina can hear the broadcast locally on five CSN affiliates frequencies: in Sylva, 105.7 FM and 540 AM WRGC "The River"; 104.9 FM and 1050 AM WFSC in Franklin; Rewind 100.3 FM "Carolina's Greatest Hits" in Asheville; and free through live streaming audio online at CatamountSports.com.
 
Fans can also follow the game with live stats accessible online at CatamountSports.com and with timely in-game updates on Twitter using @Catamounts and @CatamountsFB.
   
The last time a Catamount football team played a game of this magnitude, Apple had just released the Power Macintosh computer; Bill Clinton and Al Gore held the White House and established the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA); Forrest Gump ran its way to the top of the box office; an on-going work stoppage saw the MLB World Series canceled marking the first time the Fall Classic was not played since 1904; and Dale Earnhardt won his seventh – and final – NASCAR championship, matching "The King" Richard Petty.
 
The year was 1994. And two nationally-ranked NCAA Division I-AA – now NCAA FCS – squads clashed in Cullowhee, battling for the "Old Mountain Jug" and to keep pace with Marshall for the eventual SoCon crown. No. 12 Appalachian State slipped past 18th-ranked Western Carolina and escaped Jackson County with the trophy and the Catamounts' hopes for a conference crown with a 12-7 win.
 
Flash forward nearly 30 years and for just the sixth time in stadium history, two nationally-ranked teams square off again on Bob Waters Field at E.J. Whitmire Stadium on Saturday afternoon with the winner gaining the upper hand in the race for the 2023 SoCon football title.
 
Both teams enter the weekend riding winning streaks – WCU with five-straight victories since falling in the opener at Arkansas and four-straight wins for the Paladins since dropping its FBS match-up at South Carolina in week two. The two are both 5-0 against NCAA FCS competition this year. The Catamounts have won eight straight games against NCAA FCS competition including six in a row in SoCon play, while the Paladins boast a nine-game winning streak against conference opponents.
 
And though Furman has held the upper hand over the past 10-to-15 years in the series, the last two contests have been games for the ages. Western Carolina edged Furman 43-42 in the most recent meeting in Cullowhee as QB Rogan Wells hit RB Kenny Benjamin out of the backfield for an 85-yard touchdown as the Catamounts twice erased 11-point deficits to score the win. Last year, WCU came within five yards of digging out of a 24-point fourth-quarter hole as the Paladins held on for a 47-40 win in Greenville.
 
The 2021 meeting set a series record for combined points scored in a WCU-Furman game (85), only to be usurped by the encore in 2022 (87). Saturday marks the 51st all-time head-to-head meeting with the Paladins winning 35 and Catamounts claiming 13.
 
Saturday's match-up pits the SoCon's top-scoring offense – WCU at 41.8 points per game, fourth nationally – against the league's top-scoring defense – Furman surrendering just 22.3 points per game to the opposition. The Catamounts enter the weekend leading the nation in total offense, one of just two teams nationally to average over 500 yards of offense per game at 531.8 yards per game.
 
The top two league squads in both rushing and rushing defense in terms of yardage will battle it out on the turf as WCU's top rushing offense (222.0 yds/gm) challenges Furman's top rushing defense (100.5 yds/gm) that has held three opponents to under 100 yards on the ground including back-to-back games. The Paladins rank second in the SoCon in ground production at 177.5 yards per game, while the Catamounts have held opposing offenses to just 117.0 yards per outing to rank second in the conference.
 
Furman brings a veteran team to Cullowhee as 17 of its 22 combined starters on offense and defense listed on its two-deep are either redshirt seniors or graduate students. The Paladins are experienced, having made the NCAA FCS Playoffs twice in the past four seasons. Conversely, seven of WCU's 22 are either sophomores or redshirt sophomores, with just nine seniors or graduates on its projected two-deep.
 
The Paladin offense is spearheaded by a graduate QB in Tyler Huff who was little-used but highly effective a season ago, completing seven of his 10 pass attempts with three touchdowns. Furman rode the legs of RB Dominic Roberto, a preseason first-team All-SoCon tailback, who ran 25 times for 252 yards with a pair of scores in the win.
 
As a true freshman, WCU's Cole Gonzales nearly led the Catamounts back in relief a season ago, finishing 12-of-16 for 253 yards and two touchdowns, averaging over 20 yards per completion. Receivers Censere Lee and Raphael Williams combined for 13 of WCU's 30 catches, three touchdowns, and 266 of the squad's 462 passing yards.
 
With all the focus on the offenses, one can't overlook the two defensive units that have had their moments both in last year's meeting and 2023. WCU's top three tacklers from last year's road game at Furman – Va Lealaimatafao, Andreas Keaton, and Hayward McQueen Jr. – are all back this year while the Paladins return their top 10 tacklers from the game a season ago led by Evan DiMaggio (10 tackles) and preseason first-team selections CB Travis Blackshear (7 tackles, TFL) and S Hugh Ryan (4 tackles, INT).
 
On special teams, WCU's Richard McCollum hit 2-of-3 field goal attempts with one blocked last year, while Furman's Wayne Anderson Jr., opened a 17-point third-quarter scoring barrage for the Paladins with a 97-yard kickoff return for a TD out of the halftime locker room.
 
One of the top three games in the NCAA FCS nationally on Saturday, kickoff from Cullowhee is again scheduled for 2:30 p.m. on ESPN+ (paid subscription required).
   
Game 7: Saturday, Oct. 21, 2023  •  2:30 pm
Location: Cullowhee, N.C. (Whitmire Stadium – 13,790)
Records: #3/4 Furman (5-1, 3-0 SoCon) at #14/8 Western Carolina (5-1, 3-0 SoCon)

Live Stats – WCU's Sidearm Stats

BROADCAST INFORMATION:
TV Stream: ESPN+ (subscription required)
PBP: Kyle Rush; Color: Jason Patterson
 
Radio/Audio: Catamount Sports Network
PBP: Gary Ayers; Producer: Jeff Bryson
 
CSN Affiliates:
Sylva – 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC
Franklin – 104.9 FM / 1050 AM WFSC
Asheville – Rewind 100.3 WTMT-HD2
Online: CatamountSports.com
 
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).