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TE Ajay Belanger caught two touchdown passes and recorded an interception on Saturday against Mercer.
Mark Haskett

Football

Postgame Notes - vs. Mercer

Postgame Notes
Mercer 45, #16/10 Western Carolina 38
E.J. Whitmire Stadium  / Bob Waters Field
Cullowhee, N.C. | Saturday, Oct. 28, 2023
Att: 12,154
 
With the Loss:
  • Western Carolina suffered its eighth-consecutive loss in the head-to-head series with Mercer since winning the first two series meetings in 2014 and 2015 … It was also the fourth-straight home loss in the series with the Bears;
  • The Catamounts have dropped consecutive games for the first time since losing three-straight from Oc.t 8 through Oct. 22 in the 2022 season;
  • Relegated WCU head coach Kerwin Bell to .500 in his three seasons in Cullowhee at 15-15 overall … He also dropped to 11-10 in SoCon games;
 
Post-Game Notes:
  • WCU committed a season-worst six turnovers on Saturday, losing three fumbles and tossing three interceptions … the six giveaways eclipsed the five turnovers in the season-opening loss at Arkansas and are the most in a single game for WCU under head coach Kerwin Bell … Saturday's six turnovers were the most for WCU since also committing six turnovers in a 27-24 loss at home to Chattanooga back in 2004 – four interceptions and lost two fumbles;
  • It was the third-straight season that WCU was bitten by the turnover bug against Mercer – last year, the Catamounts committed five turnovers in the road loss to the Bears and WCU also had three turnovers in 2021;
  • Sophomore QB Cole Gonzales had a career day offensively for the Catamounts – he completed a career-best 32 passes, eclipsing his previous high of 29 set in the upset win over No. 7/8 Samford earlier this year … He threw for 388 yards to usurp his previous high of 340 set in the road win at Eastern Kentucky … And he matched his career-high with five touchdown passes originally set in the first half of the home win over Charleston Southern;
  • The 388 passing yards are the 13th-most in a single game by a WCU quarterback;
  • Gonzales has thrown a touchdown pass in seven-consecutive games and in seven of the eight this season with six multiple-TD passing games … He's also thrown a scoring pass in 11-straight NCAA FCS games dating back to last season including 10 multi-TD games during that stretch;
  • With his five TD passes on Saturday, Gonzales now has 21 passing scores this season to move into a tie for second in the school's single-season record book, matching Jeff Gilbert from the 1983 season … Gonzales moved from a tie for seventh into the two-way tie for second and will tie Tyrie Adams (22, 2017) with his next touchdown pass;
  • Gonzales climbed into SIXTH in WCU's career record books with his five TD passes on Saturday, giving him 32 over his first two seasons … He surpassed former QB Lonnie Galloway who threw 30 TD passes from 1990-93;
  • Gonzales has thrown for 2,189 yards this season, eclipsing the 2,000-yard mark in the loss to Mercer … With 2,189 passing yards through eight games, Gonzales already ranks 14th in WCU's single-season record book … With 3,525 career passing yards through the Mercer game, Gonzales by-passed Chad Greene (3,407 yards – 1991-95) to move into 12th on WCU's career passing chart;
  • Senior WR David White Jr. gave WCU its second 100-yard receiver on Saturday, catching five passes for a career-best 116 yards and a score … White Jr. joins Corey Washington who recorded 108 receiving yards against Charleston Southern … White Jr. caught a TD pass in the fourth-consecutive game, securing his ninth career receiving score over the past two seasons at WCU;
  • TE Ajay Belanger made the most of his two receptions against Mercer, both going for touchdowns for his first career multi-TD game and giving him four scores in his career … Belanger is a THIRD Catamount to post a two-TD reception game this season and gives WCU a total of FOUR, two touchdown performances – he joins AJ Colombo who caught a pair of TD passes against Charleston Southern and Censere Lee has accomplished the feat twice – catching two TDs in the road wins at EKU and Chattanooga;
  • Belanger also recorded his first career interception, playing the final play of the first half in the defensive secondary where he picked off the Carter Peevy Hail Mary attempt on the final play of the second quarter;
  • WR Calvin Jones recorded his first touchdown catch of the season, plunging in at the goal line on a 20-yard fourth-quarter score … the TD was the first for Jones since Nov. 20, 2021, when he caught a career-high 10 passes for a career-best 195 yards and a score in the road win at VMI;
  • Two Catamounts made their first career starts on Saturday for WCU's offense … Sophomore Branson Adams started at running back for the injured Desmond Reid and redshirt freshman OL Aaron Sanez filled in at right guard as the Catamounts continued to rotate linemen after injuries to starters Caleb Carter and Derek Simmons;
  • Transfer LB Antoine Williams had his best day as a Catamount, recording his WCU-best 10 tackles including four solo stops and two tackles for five yards of losses … It was his first double-digit tackle performance in Cullowhee – and the FOURTH of his career including three at Austin Peay in the 2022 season … Williams also forced and recovered a fumble against Mercer;
  • Junior DB Andreas Keaton led the Catamounts with a career-best 12 tackles, eclipsing his previous high of nine to record his first double-digit tackle effort … Over the past two weeks, WCU's defense now has THREE double-digit tackle efforts – Va Lealaimatafao (17 vs. Furman), Andreas Keaton (12 vs. Mercer), and Antoine Williams (10 vs. Mercer);
  • Lee Campbell also posted his career-best with nine tackles, eclipsing his previous mark of eight which also came against Mercer in the 2022 meeting … Also posting a career-high in tackles were redshirt freshmen Ken Moore Jr. (4) and Blue Monroe who matched his career-best with two stops and recorded his first career TFL … Rod Gattison was credited with his first career sack on a corner blitz, while also breaking up a single-game career-high three passes … Jayelin Davis recorded 1.5 TFLs for a second-time this season;
  • Redshirt senior PK Richard McCollum scored eight points in Saturday's loss, connecting on five PATs and a 27-yard field goal in the fourth quarter … Currently with 270 career points scored, McCollum remains FOURTH-place in program history for career scoring … McCollum is just EIGHT points shy of third-place (Detrez Newsome, 278 points, 2014-17) and 32 points shy of the program's all-time leader Kirk Roach (302 points, 1984-87);
  • McCollum's 27-yard field goal gives him 42 made field goals for his WCU career (42-of-49, 85.7%) as he maintains possession of THIRD all-time in program history … McCollum trails second-place Dean Biasucci (57-of-70, 1980-83) and all-time leader Kirk Roach (71-of-101, 1984-87).
 
Miscellaneous Notes:
  • WCU's captains for Saturday's game were LB #8 Va Lealaimatafao, OL #70 Christian Coulter, OL #74 Tyler Smith, and DL #90 Marlon Alexander … DL #99 Ronald Wilson carried the American flag during the team's entrance on Saturday;
  • Saturday's Homecoming Day crowd of 12,154 was the 25th largest in E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field history … It's the third Top 25 crowd in Cullowhee this season;
  • WCU wore its purple jerseys over its gold pants on Saturday marking the seventh-time over the past three seasons the Catamounts have gone with that combo … WCU dropped to 3-4 in the purple/gold look;
  • Mercer won the opening coin toss and elected to defer … WCU received the opening kickoff.
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Players Mentioned

Branson Adams

#22 Branson Adams

RB
5' 9"
Sophomore
Marlon Alexander

#90 Marlon Alexander

DL
6' 0"
Graduate Student
Ajay Belanger

#11 Ajay Belanger

TE
6' 3"
Senior
Lee Campbell

#33 Lee Campbell

S
6' 0"
Sophomore
Caleb Carter

#75 Caleb Carter

OL
6' 3"
Junior
AJ Colombo

#0 AJ Colombo

WR
5' 8"
Sophomore
Christian Coulter

#70 Christian Coulter

OL
6' 5"
Senior
Jayelin Davis

#19 Jayelin Davis

DE
6' 0"
Senior
Rod Gattison

#2 Rod Gattison

CB
6' 0"
Senior
Cole Gonzales

#9 Cole Gonzales

QB
6' 0"
Sophomore
Calvin Jones

#3 Calvin Jones

WR
5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
Andreas Keaton

#21 Andreas Keaton

S
6' 2"
Junior

Players Mentioned

Branson Adams

#22 Branson Adams

5' 9"
Sophomore
RB
Marlon Alexander

#90 Marlon Alexander

6' 0"
Graduate Student
DL
Ajay Belanger

#11 Ajay Belanger

6' 3"
Senior
TE
Lee Campbell

#33 Lee Campbell

6' 0"
Sophomore
S
Caleb Carter

#75 Caleb Carter

6' 3"
Junior
OL
AJ Colombo

#0 AJ Colombo

5' 8"
Sophomore
WR
Christian Coulter

#70 Christian Coulter

6' 5"
Senior
OL
Jayelin Davis

#19 Jayelin Davis

6' 0"
Senior
DE
Rod Gattison

#2 Rod Gattison

6' 0"
Senior
CB
Cole Gonzales

#9 Cole Gonzales

6' 0"
Sophomore
QB
Calvin Jones

#3 Calvin Jones

5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
WR
Andreas Keaton

#21 Andreas Keaton

6' 2"
Junior
S