Cullowhee, N.C. – Jalynn Willams rumbled for a pair of short rushing touchdowns including the game-winning score late in the third quarter and kicker Paxton Robertson split the sticks on a pair of first-quarter field goals as Western Carolina ground out a gritty 21-17 Southern Conference-opening victory over Wofford on Saturday afternoon at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.
 
The Catamounts' fourth-consecutive head-to-head victory over Wofford evened the all-time series in games played in Cullowhee at 12-12. The win also came without spectators in the stadium as university leaders made the difficult decision that the game would be played as scheduled but would be contested without spectators as recovery efforts around the region.
 
Williams made the most of his first game action since 2022, toting the rock just three times but twice finding paydirt to match his career-best for rushing scores established in 2022 also against the Terriers. Williams finished with 10 yards on his three touches as the Catamounts rushed for a season-best 218 yards. Branson Adams set the tone with a team-best 84 yards on 13 carries with QB Cole Gonzales and Corey Reddick Jr. both finishing in the 60s with 65 and 60 yards, respectively.
 
Gonzales spread the ball around to 11 different receivers in the winning effort, finishing 29-of-39 (74%) for 257 yards. AJ Colombo led the way with seven receptions while Reddick Jr. tallied out of the backfield.
 
Starting in place of redshirt freshman Amari Odom, Wofford QB Pauly Seeley threw for 209 yards and a touchdown on 18-of-39 passing. He added 32 rushing yards on seven carries. Terrier tailback Ryan Ingram ran for 87 yards on 12 rushes with Dylan Djete (5-for-34 yds) and JT Smith (4-for-68) leading the Terrier receivers.
 
Western Carolina (2-3, 1-0 SoCon) twice drove into the red zone with double-digit play drives in the first quarter but was held to two Paxton Robertson field goals of 21 and 25 yards, respectively, and a 6-0 lead after a quarter of play.
 
The Terriers capped a 10-play, 84-yard drive with a JT Smith 10-yard scoring rush that put the guests ahead by a point just a little over three minutes into the second quarter despite WCU's statistical dominance over the opening 18 minutes of play. Roughly four minutes later, Williams made his season debut in the red zone, powering five yards into the purple endzone to make it 12-6 in favor of the Catamounts. On the ensuing two-point try, Colombo – who is a shifty escape artist with the ball in his hands – reversed field after Wofford sniffed out the unbalanced line formation, alluding tackle to push WCU in front by seven points.
 
Wofford (2-3, 1-3 SoCon) closed the opening half with another 10-play scoring drive that was aided by a roughing the passer penalty and culminated with a Sheeley TD toss that sent the teams to the locker room even at 14 apiece.
 
Second-half scoring was at a premium as the two defenses traded salvos while looking for the knock-out blow. Wofford kicker Devery Cagle put the Terriers in front 17-14 early in the third quarter after capping the opening drive of the final two frames with a 31-yard field goal. The Catamounts landed the final offering at the 4:02 mark of the third quarter, though, as power-back Jalynn Williams rode over a Terrier defender to keep his body off the turf as he leaned and stretched to break the plane for what proved to be the winning score.
 
The two teams combined for just 139 yards in the final frame – 90 by the Catamounts and just 49 by the Terriers. But the game remained in the balance until the final offensive series for the visiting squad.
 
WCU saw a grueling and time-consuming 11-play drive stall in no-man's land with Robertson just missing a 53-yard field goal attempt that would have lengthened the lead. Down four, Wofford took over with 96 seconds remaining looking for the winning tally. After consecutive positive-yard plays including a 15-yard first-down run by Seeley, the Catamounts then forced three straight incompletions with CJ Williams deflecting a would-be drive-continuing attempt on the defense's final snap.
 
Linebacker Antarron Turner established his career-high with a team-leading nine tackles, one more than he was credited for in his performance from the opening home date against Campbell. Hayward McQueen Jr. was second with seven total tackles including half a stop for a loss and Wesley Scott finished with five tackles.
 
Fann Jr. forced the only fumble by Wofford with Mateo Sudipo coming out of the ensuing scrum with the football for the takeaway. Williams collected three of WCU's eight pass breakups.
 
Saturday's game was played evenly as both squads converted eight third downs apiece and the time of possession was within three minutes apart. WCU outgained the Terriers 475-to-355 yards including a 218-to-139-yard differential on the ground. Wofford attempted a pair of fourth-down trick plays, earning a first down on a fake punt but was snuffed out on a would-be two-point try.
 
Western Carolina is scheduled to host the backend of a two-game homestand next Saturday, Oct. 12, welcoming The Citadel (2-4, 0-3 SoCon) to Whitmire Stadium / Waters Field for a 2:30 p.m. kickoff against the Bulldogs. Ahead of the season, the Oct. 12 game was designated as "Heroes Day" – a game day promotion that means a little more across western North Carolina in the wake of the destruction caused by Hurricane Helene.
 
Next Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with audio from the Catamount Sports Network beginning at 2:30 p.m.
 
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