Cullowhee, N.C. – One more time in the 2024 regular season, the best gameday atmosphere in the Southern Conference roars to life this weekend as Western Carolina closes its home schedule by hosting the Keydets of the Virginia Military Institute on Saturday afternoon at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field. Kickoff between the Catamounts and VMI is scheduled for 1 p.m.
 
Heading into the weekend, limited tickets for Saturday's home finale remain with fans encouraged to purchase tickets and game day parking in advance online at CatamountSports.com.
 
Saturday's game day is chock-full of activities as Western Carolina celebrates its 2024 Hall of Fame Day, honoring its three newest inductees in Matt Cook (men's golf), Jennifer Gardner (women's basketball), and Olympian Manteo Mitchell (men's track & field). WCU will also honor the senior members of its football program in pregame, as well as its spirit squads and the "Pride of the Mountains" Marching Band in-game.
 
Catamount Athletics and WCU will also celebrate and honor the history and tradition of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians and the long-standing relationship with the University on EBCI Day. Festivities include a special pregame tailgate with Principal Chief Michell Hicks participating in the pregame coin toss.
 
Originally scheduled for earlier this season but postponed because of Hurricane Helene, Western Carolina University celebrates its Family Weekend on Saturday. And finally, WCU welcomes all area youth football and cheerleaders to Saturday's game with free admission with their uniform or jersey.
  Western Carolina (5-5, 4-2 SoCon) looks to keep its glimmer of playoff hopes alive by avenging last year's three-point road loss to the Keydets that effectively thwarted WCU's chances of ending the 40-year drought since the 1983's run to the national championship. The Catamounts are eyeing five conference wins for just the 13th time since 1976 and continue a path to try and secure a program-best six SoCon victories for the first time ever that would keep the possibility of postseason alive.
 
The Catamounts are expected to again turn to redshirt freshman QB Taron Dickens who has passed for 726 yards this season total including 664 yards in his last two starts. Six of his seven TD passes have come since being inserted into the starting lineup for the ailing Cole Gonzales, who was on his way to an unprecedented season before the injury suffered at Mercer.
 
WCU was held to its second-lowest passing output last week in the tough road loss at now nationally-ranked ETSU, finishing with just 233 yards – second only to the 172 from the early-season loss to Campbell. The Catamounts continue to lead both the NCAA FCS and the SoCon through the air, though, at 330.3 yards per game – nine yards ahead of the second-place Abilene Christian (321.3).
 
Seven different Catamounts have scored receiving touchdowns this year – five of which have multiple scores led by De'Andre Tamarez with a team-best five, just ahead of AJ Colombo with four. Dickens accounted for both of WCU's ground scores against the Buccaneers a week ago, WCU's sixth multiple-rushing TD game as a team.
 
Western Carolina's fourth-ranked offense (464.9 yards per game) will challenge the VMI defense which ranks 88th nationally, surrendering 404 yards per game and 95th in scoring defense (32.0 ppg).
 
The Catamount defense was held to just three tackles for loss at ETSU – and for the first time this season failed to record a sack. The ball-hawking secondary did come away with a team single-game-best four interceptions as Jordy Lowery secured his team-leading four of the season. Also posting picks were Samaurie Dukes (2), Zayveon Wells (2), and Bo Simpson-Nealy (1).
 
VMI (1-9, 1-5 SoCon) could not capitalize on its positive momentum from its first victory of the season back on Nov. 2 – a 21-17 home win over the Furman Paladins in Lexington, Va. The Keydets hosted No. 10/13 Mercer last week, and despite keeping the game relatively close early – 3-0 after one quarter and 17-0 at halftime – the Bears blanked VMI 34-0 behind QB Whitt Newbauer.
 
Much like Western Carolina as it were, VMI has made some moves at the quarterback position. But, either way, second-year head coach Danny Rocco has looked, he's faced with youth at the position. True freshman Brady Hammonds has passed for 485 yards and two TDs but five interceptions, while Chandler Wilson – who's expected to get the start on Saturday – has seen action in seven games with just shy of 400 yards and two TDs against three picks.
 
Hunter Rice leads the Keydet ground game, ranking fifth in the SoCon at 60.4 yards per game and fourth with 698 total all-purpose yards. He enters the game just five yards shy of 2,000 in his VMI career and has tallied five of VMI's seven rushing scores to give him 28 in his Keydet career – second all-time in their record books behind Thomas Haskins (50, 1993-96). In two meetings against WCU, he rushed for 168 yards and five touchdowns on 30 carries.
 
Western Carolina owns the all-time series with the Keydets, winning 25 of the previous 30 meetings in the head-to-head series (25-5) that lay dormant for a dozen years when VMI left the SoCon. Of those 25 wins, 14 have come in Cullowhee in the 15 all-time meetings (14-1). The Keydets have managed to split the series over the past four games, halting a 17-game win streak by WCU back in the 2020 win – VMI's first in Cullowhee – and last year's season-ending upset of the Catamounts on post in Lexington.
 
Saturday's game will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live audio coverage through the Catamount Sports Network. Airtime of the Pepsi Tailgate Show is Noon ahead of the 1 p.m. kickoff. Fans across Western North Carolina can listen to the game locally on SEVEN affiliate frequencies: in Sylva on 105.7 FM and 540 AM WRGC, "The River" (WRGC.com) and 104.9 FM and 1050 AM WFSC, "Franklin's First Voice" in Franklin (1050WFSC.com); in Asheville on 1310 AM WISE Sports Radio (wisesportsradio.com); and again this week, in Marion, N.C. on Bigfoot Country 103.9 FM and 1250 AM (bigfoot1039.com). Live streaming audio is also available at CatamountSports.com.
 
Fans can additionally follow Saturday's game with live stats accessible online by clicking HERE with timely in-game updates on TwitterX following @Catamounts and @CatamountsFB.
 

---

 
Game 11: Saturday, Nov. 16, 2024  •  1:00 p.m.
Location: Cullowhee, N.C. (Bob Waters Field at E.J. Whitmire Stadium)  
Records: VMI (1-9, 1-5 SoCon) at -/RV Western Carolina (5-5, 4-2 SoCon)
  
BROADCAST INFORMATION: 
Video Stream: ESPN+ (subscription required) / Watch ESPN
PxP: Kyle Rush
Analyst: Daniel Hooker
 
Live Stats Link 
  
Radio: Catamount Sports Network 
PxP: Gary Ayers
Producer / Analyst: Jeff Bryson
  
CSN Affiliates: 
Sylva – 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC – wrgc.com
Franklin – 104.9 FM / 1050 AM WFSC – 1050wfsc.com
Asheville – 1310 AM WISE Sports Radio – wisesportsradio.com
Marion – 103.9 FM / 1250 AM Bigfoot Country (bigfoot1039.com)
Online: CatamountSports.com 
 
Click HERE to Listen to the Catamount Sports Network (CSN)