Cullowhee, N.C. – Stakes remain high for Western Carolina football entering Saturday's rivalry match-up with East Tennessee State scheduled for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Bob Waters Field at E.J. Whitmire Stadium. Playing its final regular-season home game, the Catamounts look to retain possession of "the Rock" traveling trophy in the "Blue Ridge Border Battle," while also keeping their postseason hopes alive and well in the final quarter of the 2023 schedule.
Saturday is Senior Day with all the senior members of the WCU football team, support staff, and spirit squads including cheerleaders, dance team, and the "Pride of the Mountains" Marching Band to be honored between a pregame on-field ceremony and throughout various pauses during the game as the best game day atmosphere in The Southern Conference roars back to life
Western Carolina also enshrines its 34th class into its Athletics Hall of Fame on Saturday as Brenda Johnson Hamilton (women's basketball, 1974-77), Danny Williamson (track & field/cross country coach, 1987-2016), and Gary Ayers (broadcaster, 1985-present). The induction ceremony opens with breakfast at 8:30 a.m., with the program scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. in the third-floor Grand Room in the Hinds University Center. Admission is free and the event is open to the public.
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 Noon. 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.
Western Carolina (6-3, 4-2 SoCon) is ranked 17th in the latest Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and 21st in the AFCA Coaches Poll unveiled back on Monday (Nov. 6). The Catamounts remain heavily involved in postseason conversations with most pundits believing that WCU must hit the eight-win plateau which would require victory in its final two games – Saturday against ETSU and next Saturday, Nov. 18 at VMI.
ETSU (2-7, 1-5 SoCon) has endured an injury-filled roller coaster season that included losing starting quarterback Tyler Riddell and now starting preseason fourth-string QB William Riddle. The Bucs have just one NCAA FCS victory – a 41-10 home win over Wofford - and are are winless away from Greene Stadium in Johnson City, Tenn., in five attempts this season – a skid that has reached eight-straight dating back to last season. And based on opponent records, ETSU has played the 14th toughest schedule at the NCAA FCS level with nine games against teams with a .566 win-percentage.
Entering the weekend, WCU's offense leads the NCAA FCS in output at 490.9 yards per game and with 231 first downs. The Catamounts continue to boast the nation's ninth-best scoring offense (36.8 ppg) and ranks fifth nationally in passing offense (305.0 yds/gm). Though third in the Southern Conference, WCU sophomore QB
Cole Gonzales ranks ninth nationally with 2,418 total passing yards and an average of 268.7 per game. Last week, Gonzales broke the WCU school single-season record with his 23rd passing score, tied for the fourth-most by a player in the NCAA FCS this season while also ranking 10th nationally, responsible for 140 points (15.6 ppg).
Conversely, ETSU has struggled on offense, averaging just 17.6 points per game while ranking seventh in the SoCon with an average of 276.6 yards of total offense per outing. The Bucs have been effective on the ground as the SoCon's third-best rushing attack resides in Johnson City – but have struggled through the air, ranking 121st out of 122 NCAA FCS teams with just 109.1 passing yards per game and are 122nd in total passing efficiency. ETSU has been held below the 100-yard passing mark three times this season including two under 50 passing yards.
One area in which the Bucs have excelled is blocking punts on special teams. The Bucs are tied for the national lead with five blocked punts. ETSU's Teddy Wilson ranks tied for first nationally with four blocked kicks this fall.
Western Carolina and ETSU meet for the 53rd time on the football gridiron with the competitive series standing at 26-25-1 in favor of the Catamounts. WCU snapped a two-game series slide with a walk-off, 20-17, victory last season as
Richard McCollum punched through the game-winning 33-yard field goal as time expired. Six of the last eight series meetings between the Catamounts and Bucs have been decided in one-possession games with the last 10 series meetings split evenly, 5-5.
ETSU has won three of the first five meetings with "the Rock" traveling trophy on the line as Saturday marks the sixth series meeting to play for the rivalry prize.
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Game 10: Saturday, Nov. 11, 2023 • 1:00 p.m.
Location: Cullowhee, N.C. (EJ Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field – 13,790)
Records: ETSU (2-7, 1-5 SoCon) at #21/17 Western Carolina (6-3, 4-2 SoCon)
Live Stats –
WCU Sidearm Stats
'Extra Points' - WCU DIgital Game Day Program - vs. ETSU
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
TV Stream: ESPN+ (
paid subscription required)
PBP: Kyle Rush; Color: Phil Cox
Radio/Audio: Catamount Sports Network
PBP: Gary Ayers; Color / 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).
