Cullowhee, N.C. – All eyes of the Southern Conference will be on E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field on Saturday, Sept. 9 as Western Carolina raises the curtain on both its home and league schedule, hosting defending conference champion Samford as the Catamounts look to "White Out Whitmire."
 
That first game of The Southern Conference's 2023 football schedule will also be featured on linear television broadcast as the premier match-up of the day a part of the "Ingles Southern Conference Game of the Week," which was announced this week. The kickoff of WCU's league and home-opening game is scheduled for 2:30 p.m.
 
Nexstar Broadcasting, Inc., Ingles Markets, and the SoCon continue the ongoing broadcast partnership with plans for eight scheduled broadcasts of conference matchups beginning on Aug. 31 and concluding with a Wildcard Saturday selection on Nov. 18. Earmarked and branded as "SoCon Saturday," the games will be broadcast throughout the league's six-state footprint through a network of Nexstar stations.
 
Those Nexstar affiliates with the opportunity to air the Ingle SoCon Game of the Week are: ECBD (Charleston), WMYT (Charlotte), WWCW (Lynchburg/Roanoke), and WYCW (Greenville/Spartanburg/Asheville). Although not a Nexstar station, WMUB (Macon), Mercer University Broadcasting, will also air select contests.

All nine league schools will appear at least once during the eight scheduled seasonal games and will also air concurrently through ESPN+ (paid subscription required) or ESPN3 (cable/satellite subscription required). Chattanooga is slated for three appearances in the package and Furman twice ahead of the wildcard game on Nov. 18.
 
"We're grateful to our partners at Nexstar and Ingles for the opportunity to provide linear broadcasts of football on SoCon Saturdays," SoCon Commissioner Michael Cross said. "The over-the-air coverage will allow FCS football fans to see the exceptional student-athletes and coaches of the SoCon throughout the Southeast."
 
Just missing the rain squalls in Friday morning's workout in helmets and shoulder pads, Western Carolina football is scheduled for its first of two preseason scrimmages on Saturday (Aug. 12). WCU head coach Kerwin Bell and the WCU football team invite all WCU Faculty and Staff to attend the scrimmage at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field. The scrimmage is from 9 a.m. – 11 a.m. and is free and open to the public. The west side (opposite the press box) will be open for spectators with some amenities available including restrooms and Betty's Funnel Cakes selling water, lemonade, sno-cones, and funnel cakes. Any additional questions, please contact the Catamount Ticket Office at (828) 27-2401.
 
 Season tickets and season-long game day parking for Western Carolina's 2023 five-game home schedule are on sale now through the Catamount Athletics ticket office, located on the first floor of the Ramsey Center, by phone at (828) 227-2401, or online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets. Single-game ticket sales for each of the five home dates including the home-opening "White Out Whitmire" match-up with Samford scheduled for Sept. 9 are available now through each of those same outlets.
 
Fans are encouraged to purchase their tickets and game-day parking for the home opener in advance as a large crowd for the highly-anticipated first home game of 2023 is expected.
 
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).
 
Nexstar/SoCon Football Broadcast Schedule (all times Eastern)
Aug. 31 – Tennessee Tech at Furman, 7 p.m.
Sept. 9 – Samford at Western Carolina, 2:30 p.m.
Sept. 16 – The Citadel at Chattanooga, 6 p.m.
Sept. 23 – Mercer at Furman, 1 p.m.
Sept. 30 – Chattanooga at Wofford, 6 p.m.
Oct. 14 – VMI at The Citadel, 1 p.m.
Oct. 21 – ETSU at Chattanooga, 1 p.m.
Nov. 18 – Wildcard selection*, TBA
*Wildcard selections will be made 10-14 days prior to the game date
 
2023 Catamount Football Preseason Practice Schedule:
Sat., Aug. 12 – Scrimmage #1 (Practice #9) – 9:00 am – 11:15 am (full pads)
Sun., Aug. 13 – Team Photo Day, 2 pm; Practice #10 – 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm (helmets)
Mon., Aug. 14 – Practice #11 – 8:30 am – 11:00 am (full pads)
Tues., Aug. 15 – Practice #12 – 8:30 am – 11:00 am (uppers)
Wed., Aug. 16 – Practice #13 – 8:30 am – 11:00 am (full pads)
Thurs., Aug. 17 – No Practice (Off Day)
Fri., Aug. 18 – Practice #14 – 8:30 am – 11:00 am (helmets)
Sat., Aug. 19 – Scrimmage #2 (Practice #15) – 2:30 pm (full pads)
Sun., Aug. 20 – No Practice – Team Building
Mon., Aug. 21 – First Day of Fall Classes at WCU
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (FB.com/CatamountSports, FB.com/WesternCarolinaFootball), Twitter (@catamounts, @CatamountsFB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts, catamountsfb).

Important Dates in Catamount Athletics & Catamount Football:
Friday, Aug. 18 – WCU New Student Convocation (Ramsey Center)
Saturday, Aug. 19 – Catamount Volleyball Exhibition – vs. USC Upstate (Ramsey Center, 6 p.m.)
Sunday, Aug. 20 – Catamount Women's Soccer Home-Opener – vs. Queens (CAC, 1 p.m.)
Monday, Aug. 21 – First day of classes for the fall semester – Cullowhee
Saturday, Sept. 2 – 2023 Catamount Football season opener at Arkansas (4 p.m. ET / 3 p.m. CT)
Tuesday, Sept. 5 – Catamount Volleyball Home-Opener – vs. UNC Asheville (Ramsey Center, 6 p.m.)
Friday, Sept. 8 – The Bob Waters Memorial – Sequoyah National Golf Club – Cherokee, N.C. (9 a.m.)
Saturday, Sept. 9 – 2023 Catamount Football home-opener, vs. Samford (2:30 pm)