Cullowhee, N.C. – Nationally-ranked squads collide on the football gridiron Saturday afternoon in the Scenic City with the winner remaining unbeaten and atop the Southern Conference standings. No. 17/11 Western Carolina plays the backend of a two-game league road swing when the Catamounts travel to Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn., to face the No. 20/24 Chattanooga Mocs. Kickoff is scheduled for 4 p.m.
 
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.
 
Saturday's game has been billed as the FedEx Ground FCS Game of the Week by Stats Perform FCS.
 
Both teams carry 4-1 seasonal records into Saturday's meeting, and both are unbeaten in SoCon play through the opening weeks of the regular season. The Mocs are 3-0 with wins over The Citadel, Wofford, and at then No. 17 Samford and WCU 2-0, upending both of the league's Bulldogs with victories over then No. 7/8 Samford and at The Citadel. UTC's one loss came in the opener at North Alabama while the Catamounts dropped their first game of the season at SEC-foe, Arkansas.
 
The two squads both carry four-game winning streaks into Saturday's match-up. WCU has claimed seven-straight against NCAA FCS competition including five-in-a-row in conference play after ending 2022 with three-straight league wins including downing a ranked Chattanooga squad in Cullowhee to end the season.
 
The SoCon's top-scoring offense – Western Carolina (39.2 ppg) – visits the league's best-scoring defense – Chattanooga (20.2 ppg) in a crucial conference matchup. WCU boasts the nation's top offensive unit, averaging an FCS-leading 528.0 yards per game while also featuring the SoCon's best defense in limiting foes to 339.6 yards per game, just ahead of second-place Chattanooga at 345.6 yards per game.
 
Two of the top running backs in the SoCon will be featured in Saturday's matchup. WCU's Desmond Reid – a two-time SoCon Offensive Player of the Week and September's SoCon Offensive Player of the Month – leads the conference and ranks fourth nationally with a 127.2 yards per game average. His 10 rushing touchdowns also pace the league. Chattanooga's preseason first-team All-SoCon running back Ailym Ford ranks second in the SoCon at 71.6 yards per game with three scores on the ground. He's flanked by Gino Appleberry who likewise has visited the endzone three times, averaging 51.3 yards per game.
 
One of the bigger differences in the Mocs team this year is UCLA transfer QB Chase Artopoeus. He has thrown for 1,307 yards – second in the SoCon to preseason offensive player of the year Michael Hiers – with nine TD passes and a QB rating of 153.8 – the latter two second only to WCU's Cole Gonzales (11 TDs, 182.4 QBR – the best in the NCAA FCS to date this season).
 
Chattanooga's defense presents perhaps the biggest challenge for WCU's high-octane offense to date this season. The Mocs boast the league's preseason defensive player of the year in defensive lineman Jay Person and September's SoCon Defensive Player of the Month in linebacker Alex Mitchell. UTC also has the highest-graded interior run defender in Marlon Taylor, according to PFF College.
 
The Mocs lead the SoCon with 15 sacks this season while WCU's offensive line has surrendered just three – tied for the fewest in the league with the run-oriented offense of The Citadel.
 
Saturday marks the 49th all-time meeting between WCU and UTC in football with the Catamounts trailing 18-30 all-time including just seven victories in 23 trips to the Scenic City in series history. The Catamounts look to halt a two-game slide against UTC at Finley Stadium, last winning on the road in 2017 with a convincing 45-7 victory.
 
WCU and Chattanooga have met nine times with at least one team carrying a national ranking into the game with the Catamounts winning five of those matchups. Saturday represents the very first meeting between the Catamounts and Mocs where both teams are among the national Top 25 polls. It's also WCU's first ranked-vs.-ranked game since 2017 – then No. 22 WCU at No. 5 Wofford in Spartanburg, S.C.
 
Kickoff this Saturday is at 4 p.m. in Chattanooga, Tenn., as the Mocs celebrate Homecoming and Hall of Fame day.

IN THE NEWS - Related Game-Week Stories:
From HEROSports - Western Carolina Looks to Keep Momentum Going at Chattanooga
From HEROSports - FCS Week 6 Predictions
From The Analyst - FCS Football Week 6 Preview  
Game 6: Saturday, Oct. 7, 2023 • 4:00 pm
Location: Chattanooga, Tenn. (Finley Stadium – 20,660)
Records: Western Carolina (4-1, 2-0 SoCon) at Chattanooga (4-1, 3-0 SoCon)

Live Stats - UTC's Sidearm Stats 

BROADCAST INFORMATION:
TV Stream: ESPN+ (subscription required)
PBP: Chris Goforth; Color: Scott McMahon; Sideline: Dave Keylon
 
Radio/Audio: Catamount Sports Network
PBP: Gary Ayers; Color: Daniel Hooker; 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).