Cullowhee, N.C. – Taron Dickens threw for a career-high 431 yards and tossed five touchdowns including three to De'Andre Tamarez, the last coming inside the final seven minutes of the fourth quarter as Western Carolina came from behind to upset No. 25/18 Chattanooga 38-34 on Saturday afternoon in a crucial Southern Conference game at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.
 
Tamarez capped a six-play, 85-yard drive with his third score of the day to put the Catamounts ahead at the 6:56 mark of the final frame. Dickens avoided multiple UTC defenders and scrambled to the right where he fired towards the right corner of the end zone. Tamarez circled back to the football, snaring the pass away from a Chattanooga defensive back for the score.
 
Later on what proved to be the game's final possession that started inside the final two minutes, UTC backup quarterback Luke Schomburg, who started in place of Chase Artopoeus, moved the Mocs to the WCU 18 yard line. But Ken Moore Jr. effectively ended the game by jumping an out route for the Catamounts' third interception of the day to complete the upset.
 
Dickens finished 34-for-48 in his first collegiate start in place of the injured Cole Gonzales, the SoCon's Preseason Offensive Player of the Year. He completed passes to 12 different receivers – and even added an eight-yard reception of his own on a deflected pass. The Miami, Fla., product overcame two early turnovers – an interception and fumble – to toss TD passes of 15, 32, 3, 11, and 8 yards in guiding the Catamounts to the win.
 
Dickens added a team-best and career-high 41 rushing yards to finish with 480 total yards  in the winning effort.
 
AJ Colombo caught a team-high six passes for 37 yards including an 11-yard third-quarter touchdown, while three of the five catches for Tamarez went for scores in tallying 59 receiving yards. Zion Booker and Branson Adams both finished with four catches apiece with Booker tallying a team-best 68 yards, while Isaiah Johnson caught three passes for 67 yards and a score.
 
Schomburg threw two touchdown passes on 14-of-31 passing for 314 yards but was intercepted three times. Chris Domercant made the most of his three receptions, totaling 101 yards with a TD, while Javin Whatley had five catches for 91 yards and added 33 kick return yards for a team-best 124 yards of total offense. Reggie Davis caught a 37 yards touchdown pass and Justus Durant scored on the ground.
 
Chattanooga (5-4, 4-2 SoCon) jumped out to a two-score lead in the first quarter as Domercant hauled in the Shomburg pass before Leroy Harris III returned a Dickens fumble 75 yards for a defensive tally for a 14-0 lead. The Catamounts got on the board early in the second quarter when Christian Lowery capped an eight-play drive with a 34 field goal in his return after missing four games with injury. He would finish with eight total points.
 
Midway through the second quarter, Dickens drove the Catamounts 86 yards in 11 plays to the end zone with a 15-yard pass to freshman WR Isaiah Johnson to make it a four-point game 14-10. Following a quick three-and-out, the Catamounts were driving for the go-ahead score with Dickens slinging a pass to Zion Booker for a nine-yard gain – but ended with a fumble at the goal line that was recovered for a touchback.
 
The Mocs capitalized by driving 80 yards to reclaim its two-score lead, 21-10, inside the final two minutes before halftime.
 
With the Catamounts set to receive the second-half kickoff, Dickens orchestrated a nine-play scoring drive to again close the gap to four. On third and 10 from the 32-yard line, Dickens found Tamarez in the left flat on a screen pass. The Overtown, Fla., product weaved his way back to the right side of the field, picking up blockers on his way to paydirt and a 21-17 halftime score.
 
A WCU penalty at the end of the first half moved the second-half kickoff up to the 50-yard line where Chattanooga successfully executed an on-side kick to steal the first possession of the second half. The Catamount defense rose to the occasion, though, limiting UTC to the first of two Jude Kelley field goals from 47 yards out and a 24-17 lead.
 
Two possessions later, Tamarez caught his second of three touchdown passes to cap a 60-yard drive that was spurred by a 27-yard Johnson reception and a subsequent roughing the passer penalty. Dickens connected with Tamarez to tie the game at 24.
 
Jordy Lowery gave the Catamounts the football back two plays later with a leaping interception. Dickens and the offense cashed it in on an 11-yard score to Colombo giving WCU its first lead of the day, 31-24. But two deep passes by Schomburg of 47 and 37 yards – the latter finding the end zone – knotted the game at 31.
 
Midway through the fourth quarter, Kelley split the uprights from 44 yards out to put the Mocs back in front, 34-31, before Dickens led WCU back down the field where he connected with Tamarez for the third time to ultimately provide the final tally, setting up Ken Moore Jr. for the game-sealing interception inside the final minute.
 
Moore Jr., Lowery, and Mateo Sudipo each secured an interception to match WCU's trio of giveaways. Blue Monroe and Edwin Moore Jr. combined on the one sack for the Catamounts as the home squad was limited to a season-low three tackles for loss despite playing in the UTC backfield much of the afternoon on defense. Samaurie Dukes finished with a team-high six tackles while Moore Jr. and Monroe were credited with five apiece.
 
Western Carolina (5-4, 4-1 SoCon) returns to action next Saturday, Nov. 9, traveling to Johnson City, Tenn., to face mountain-rival East Tennessee State in the annual gridiron grudge match, the "Blue Ridge Border Battle" with the traveling trophy, "the Rock," again up for grabs. Kickoff from William B. Greene Stadium is scheduled for Noon.