Cullowhee, N.C. – Saturday's first football scrimmage for Western Carolina saw the nation's top-returning yardage producer chew up real estate thanks to big plays, while the retooled defense rebounded to claim the second half of the practice session as the Catamounts worked out for right at two hours on a sun-soaked morning on the turf of E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.
 
The Catamount defense won 13 of the 20 series including forcing a missed 37-yard field goal attempt near Saturday's midpoint. The offensive unit scored five touchdowns, tacking on five successful PATs and a field goal to ultimately combine for 38 points – right at last year's seasonal average of 37.5 points per game, fourth in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision.
 
"I thought that it was a really good first scrimmage. I thought that we competed really hard," said WCU head football coach Kerwin Bell following Saturday morning's practice. "The offense started out on fire with some big plays, but I thought the defense settled in there in the second half of the scrimmage and played sound football. It came down to a very competitive battle there on the last few drives."
 
WCU's explosive started the scrimmage strong, scoring touchdowns on four of its first five possessions. Two of the scores came on third-down plays with a third occurring on a fourth-down pass just outside the red zone. The quick-strike ability of the Catamounts was on display as the longest drive was just seven plays to accompany marches of just three, six, and two plays, respectively, each ending in the purple grass.
 
The Catamount offense added scores with what would be a career-long 53-yard field goal by kicker Paxton Robertson and closed the day with a methodical march guided by redshirt freshman Taron Dickens that ended with a jump ball TD pass in the right corner of the endzone to freshman James Randle. The frosh wideout spurred the final drive with a 41-yard reception on a third-and-long situation.
 
Four quarterbacks split the reps working with the first, second, and third team units. Collectively, WCU's signal callers finished 27-for-59 (46%) with five touchdown passes and no interceptions. There weren't any turnovers in Saturday's workout and very few penalties.
 
Presumptive starter Cole Gonzales only saw two drives in the scrimmage, finishing 4-for-4 for 125 yards and a pair of touchdown passes. His early drives were aided by the strong running of returning starter Branson Adams. Dickens amassed a scrimmage-high 150 yards through the air, finishing 6-for-12 as he matched Gonzales with two TDs.
 
Second-year QB Bennett Judy was 7-for-18 for 103 total yards through the air including a 67-yard touchdown pass, while transfer Jefferson Boaz posted team-highs for completions (10) and attempts (25) while throwing for 70 yards.
 
Six running backs split the reps with QB's Dickens and Boaz also recording rushes. The offense unofficially rushed for 287 yards, not including negative plays on quarterback sacks. Adams carried the pill six times for 39 yards including a long of 13 yards. Two backs reached double-digit carries as local product Joshua Collins led the team with 12 rushes for 39 yards while another western North Carolina product – Watagua County's Jaiden Bond – rushed 11 times for a scrimmage-high 54 yards. Returning redshirts Markel Townsend and Marlin Cochran rushed for 43 and 27 yards, respectively.
 
With outside questions this preseason centering around how the Catamounts would replace their top two receivers from a season ago who combined for 80 catches, 1,311 yards, and 14 TDs, the wide receiver room answered with strength in numbers. A combined 16 different players including receivers, tight ends, and running backs caught passes on Saturday for 448 yards and five touchdowns.
 
Redshirt freshman James Tyre hauled in a scrimmage-best four passes for 86 yards including a 67-yard score, while Randle caught three for 59 yards and capped the day with his TD reception. Speedy RB Corey Reddick Jr. caught a pair of passes out of the backfield including a 29-yard TD. Jai Boyd caught two passes for 75 yards highlighting the two-play scoring drive by shucking a would-be tackler and racing 68 yards for a touchdown. Highly touted returning redshirt freshman Santana Fleming showed his ability to blow the top off a defense with a 77-yard pitch-and-catch for a touchdown.
 
All told WCU saw four true freshmen record receptions including Collins, Randle, Matthew Keener, and Jemarious Reaves.
 
Among the tight ends, Jake Young, Brayden Blackmon, and David Hulbert each caught passes for 12, 8, and 5 yards, respectively.

By the numbers, the aggressive Catamount defense won the day in terms of the number of possession stops by thwarting drives 13 times. After the initial surge by the offensive unit – TDs on four of the first five drives – the unit only allowed points on three of the next 14 overall including two touchdowns and a long field goal.
 
A total of 35 defenders were credited with defensive stats on Saturday. Among the notable stat lines, redshirt freshman linebacker Jeno Junius Jr. finished with a scrimmage-high seven tackles including a half tackle for loss on a combined sack. Freshman defensive lineman Adrian Stone posted 1.5 sacks among his two stops while transfer defensive backs Amarian Robinson and Tyquez Royal collected a pair of pass breakups apiece to lead the side.
 
Another transfer in linebacker Wesley Scott was impressive, credited with five tackles including two for loss with a sack, while Cory Hennings and returning SoCon All-Freshman team selection Ken Moore Jr. had four tackles apiece and added a quarterback hurry on a blitz. Freshman Na'Koma Simpson-Nealy combined on a tackle for loss among his three stops. WCU returners Lee Campbell, CJ Williams, Hayward McQueen Jr., Jordy Lower, Curtis Fann Jr., and Jhamari Pierre-Louis each recorded two tackles apiece among the heavy rotation of players.
 
Among the specialists, Robertson booted the 53-yard field goal and tacked on one extra point, while transfer Christan Lowery hit three PATs. Returning Catamount legacy placekicker Corbin Shirley split the uprights on his two point after attempts. In addition to holding on the placekicks, punter Stephen Brantley unofficially averaged over 41 yards per punt during the pre-practice special teams drills. Aided by a 62-yard kick-and-roll that was downed at the three-yard line, freshman Maddox Cowart averaged right at 50 yards per kick on his three attempts. Snappers Colby Cross and Walter Gibson split reps on Saturday.
 
Preseason camp continues on Sunday as the Catamounts will pause in the early afternoon to put on the full game uniforms for the first time in 2024 for the team photos before holding a helmet-only workout set for 3 p.m. Next week, a pair of fully-padded practices, one in uppers, and a helmet-only session await the squad with practices scheduled for each day except Thursday. Next Saturday (Aug. 17), the team will hold its second preseason scrimmage with an updated 1 p.m. start.
 
"It's like I told our football team (after the scrimmage), this next week is crucial. We know where we're at as a football team two weeks in, but this next week is crucial for us to make that jump. Next Saturday, we want to see our guys a lot better, our units a lot better. And to do that, we've really got to focus in on this next week of practice, make the corrections on things we made mistakes on today."
 
Catamount head football coach Kerwin Bell will join WCU's three other fall sports head coaches – Karen Glover (VB), Chad Miller (WSOC), and Jesse Norman (XC) - for the 2024 Catamount Fall Sports Preview Facebook LIVE event, on-location from Catamount Jaxe (114 Market St.) in Cullowhee on Wednesday, Aug. 14. Fans can see the show on the official Catamount Athletics Facebook page (fb.com/catamountsports) beginning at 6 p.m.
 
Both season and single-game tickets for the five home dates in #CatamountCountry remain on sale now through the WCU Athletics Ticket Office, located on the first floor of the Ramsey Center, or by phone at (828) 227-2401. Fans can also purchase tickets and game day parking in advance online at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets.
 
 
2024 Catamount Football Preseason Practice Schedule:
Sun., Aug. 11 – Team Photo Day, 2 pm; Practice #11 – 3:00 pm – 5:30 pm (helmets)
Mon., Aug. 12 – Practice #12 – 8:30 am – 11:00 am (full pads)
Tues., Aug. 13 – Practice #13 – 8:30 am – 11:00 am (uppers)
Wed., Aug. 14 – Practice #14 – 8:30 am – 11:00 am (full pads)
Thurs., Aug. 15 – No Practice (Off Day)
Fri., Aug. 16 – Practice #15 – 8:30 am – 11:00 am (helmets)
Sat., Aug. 17 – Scrimmage #2 (Practice #16) – Updated 1:00 pm (full pads)
Sun., Aug. 18 – No Practice – Team Building
Mon., Aug. 19 – First Day of Fall Classes at WCU 
 
Each of WCU's preseason football practices is open to the public. It is respectfully requested that spectators observe from the stadium seating area and avoid being either on the field or the sidelines for safety. Practice times are subject to change.

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:
Wed., Aug. 14 – Catamount Fall Sports Preview, Facebook LIVE from Catamount Jaxe – (6 pm)
Fri., Aug. 16 – WCU New Student Convocation (Ramsey Center, 5 pm)
Sun., Aug. 18 – Catamount Women's Soccer Home-Opener – vs. UNC Asheville (7 pm)
Mon., Aug. 19 – First day of classes for the fall semester – Cullowhee
Fri., Aug. 23 – Catamount Volleyball Exhibition – vs. Gardner-Webb (Ramsey, 6 pm)
Thurs., Aug. 29 – 2024 Catamount Football season-opener at NC State (Raleigh, 7 pm)
Fri., Sept. 6 – The Bob Waters Memorial – Sequoyah National Golf Club (Cherokee, N.C.)
Sat., Sept. 7 – 2024 Catamount Football home-opener, vs. Campbell (1 pm, updated)