Cullowhee, N.C. – Entering the weekend in second place in the highly competitive Southern Conference, Western Carolina football travels to Samford and Pete Hanna Stadium in Birmingham, Ala., on Saturday afternoon with a lot riding on the 2024 regular-season finale in what could be a history-making day in the shadows of Red Mountain.
The Catamounts head into Saturday still with a shot at claiming a share of the program's first-ever SoCon football crown while also maintaining a hold on an extremely solid seasonal resume as WCU looks to halt a 41-year hiatus of advancing to the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs. This year's squad also has the chance to post consecutive seven-win seasons while also securing the most conference victories in a single season in program history.
To accomplish any of the aforementioned goals, though, WCU must do something that hasn't been done by a Catamount football team since 1969, some 55 years ago – and that's score a victory over Samford on the road in Birmingham, Ala.
Western Carolina (6-5, 5-2 SoCon) faces an upset-minded Samford (4-6, 3-3 SoCon) squad that is coming off its second NCAA FCS Top 25 victory a week ago when the Bulldogs toppled 19th-ranked Chattanooga. The 'Dogs also handed the SoCon's postseason automatic qualifier Mercer its lone loss in league play – though WCU hopes its purple-clad brethren Furman can post its second-straight upset in defeating No. 7 Mercer.
A WCU win – which would halt a 10-game slide in the series history – coupled with a Mercer loss at home on Saturday to the Paladins would leave both teams tied at 6-2 in the Southern Conference and would result in a shared regular-season crown. Catamount football has never won a SoCon championship since joining the league in 1976.
The Catamounts have also never won six league games in a year, reaching five SoCon victories a combined 13 times without getting over the proverbial hump to six.
Either way, a Catamount victory over Samford would be the seventh win for the squad – representing a fifth, 7-win season over the last 11 years. It would also add another quality win to its ledger as the Bulldogs have a pair of FCS Top 25 wins and were also among the national rankings earlier in the season.
WCU has battled through both a tough schedule – currently ranked as the 28th toughest in the Massey ratings – and has done so while maintaining its elite offensive status with two different quarterbacks. Redshirt freshman
Taron Dickens is slated to make just his fourth career start at Samford, his second coming away from Cullowhee.
Averaging 471.2 yards per game, the Catamounts currently rank fourth in the NCAA in total offense. At the time of his injury, WCU's QB1
Cole Gonzales was leading the nation in total offense at 344.38 yards per game – a mark that would continue to pace the NCAA if he met the percentage of games played. Through the air, Gonzales was averaging 317.88 passing yards per game, again a mark that would rank second in the NCAA at present.
Even with the loss of one of the nation's top offensive producers, the Catamounts keep on keeping on.
Since being thrust into the spotlight as the starter for the SoCon's top offensive unit, redshirt freshman
Taron Dickens has answered the bell. In his debut, all he did was earn Stats Perform FCS National Freshman of the Week and SoCon Offensive Player of the Week honors after amassing 472 yards of total offense including 431 passing and five touchdowns. All told in his three starts, Dickens has completed 74 percent of his passes (88-of-119) with eight touchdowns while averaging nearly exactly what Gonzales was through the air at 319.3 passing yards per game.
The SoCon's top two passing attacks will be on display as Western Carolina enters the weekend leading the league – and the NCAA FCS – at 329.2 yards per game. Samford is second in the conference and 22nd nationally with a 248.6 yards per game average.
Much of the focus on Samford's resurgence in the second half of the season centers around quarterback Quincy Crittendon. Through 10 games, the junior from Decatur, Ala. – just under 90 minutes due north of Birmingham – has accounted for 20 touchdowns including 17 passing scores against nine interceptions and three rushing touchdowns. Crittendon passed for 340 yards and a score with a second TD on the ground in the upset victory over No. 19 UTC, collecting the SoCon's Offensive Player of the Week honor earlier this week.
The Bulldogs are averaging just 89.4 rushing yards per game with two backs – Damonta Witherspoon and Micah Kelly – splitting most of the reps around Crittendon. Samford's 17 passing scores have been spread between eight different players with E. Jai Mason (5) leading the way while averaging 40 receiving yards per game on 46 catches. DJ Rias has one more reception (47) with three TDs and an average of 46 receiving yards per game, while Brendan Jenkins has 42 receptions with a team-best 52.2 receiving yards per game – ninth in the SoCon – and has matched Rias with three scores.
Defensively, preseason All-American linebacker Noah Martin has backed up the billing by ranking third in the SoCon in total tackles with 100 including 48 solo stops and seven for loss. The 'Dogs rank third in the conference with 28 sacks on the season thanks to a resurgent front seven – so much like the ETSU road game, protecting Dickens is paramount for WCU.
The Catamount defense counters with the third-most tackles for loss in the conference at 75 including 19 sacks, while also ranking second in the league – third nationally – with 18 combined interceptions as a team.
Western Carolina looks for its second-straight victory over the Bulldogs after upsetting the No. 7/8 Bulldogs in Cullowhee 30-7 in the league opener last season. The Catamounts halted a five-game series slide with last year's victory and WCU has won just three of the last 10 meetings against Samford dating back to 2014. The Catamounts also seek their first road victory over Samford since the first-ever meeting back in 1969, having lost in its last 10 trips to Birmingham, the "Pittsburgh of the South."
Saturday's game will be
broadcast on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required) with live audio coverage through the Catamount Sports Network. The airtime of the Pepsi Tailgate Show is 2 p.m. ET / 1 p.m. CT ahead of the 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT kickoff. Fans across Western North Carolina can listen to the game locally on five 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); and in Asheville on
1310 AM WISE Sports Radio (wisesportsradio.com). Live streaming audio from CSN is also available
online at CatamountSports.com.
Fans can additionally follow Saturday's game with links to live stats accessible online by
clicking HERE with timely in-game updates on TwitterX following @Catamounts and @CatamountsFB.
- - - - - - - - - -
Game 12: Saturday, Nov. 23, 2024 • 3 p.m. ET / 2 p.m. CT
Location: Birmingham, Ala. (Pete Hanna Stadium)
Records: -/RV Western Carolina (6-5, 5-2 SoCon) at Samford (4-6, 3-2 SoCon)
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Video Stream: ESPN+ (subscription required) / Watch ESPN
PxP: Blake Gardner
Analyst: Damian Mitchell
Sidelines: Christina Chambers
Live Stats Link (StatBroadcast)
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
PxP: Gary Ayers
Analyst: Daniel Hooker
Producer: 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
Online:
CatamountSports.com
