Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina football looks to halt a two-game seasonal slide and end a three-game drought that dates to last year's regular-season finale when it visits a familiar foe on Saturday evening, facing No. 22 Elon at Rhodes Stadium in the first series meeting in over a decade. The kickoff of the nonconference matchup between the Catamounts and Phoenix is scheduled for 6 p.m. at Rhodes Stadium.
WCU and Elon renew an in-state series that began in 1933 and spanned multiple conference affiliations and iterations including the North State Intercollegiate Conference – or Old North State Conference – and the Carolinas Conference before most recently sharing membership in the Southern Conference from 2003-2013.
Fans can stream Saturday's game through FloSports (
flosports.tv,
paid subscription required) with the broadcast set to air locally in the Piedmont on WMYV-TV, My48 covering Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem.
Coverage is also available through the Catamount Sports Network beginning with the Pepsi Tailgate Show at 5 p.m. ahead of the 6 p.m. kickoff. Fans across Western North Carolina can listen to the game locally on five CSN affiliate frequencies: in Sylva on 105.7 FM and 540 AM WRGC, "The River" (WRGC.com); 104.9 FM and 1050 AM WFSC, "Franklin's First Voice" in Franklin (1050WFSC.com); and 1310 AM WISE Sports Radio in Asheville (wisesportsradio.com).
Live streaming audio is available online at CatamountSports.com.
Fans can additionally follow Saturday's game with
live stats accessible online at CatamountSports.com with timely in-game updates on TwitterX following @Catamounts and @CatamountsFB.
Saturday's meeting is the first between WCU and Elon on the football gridiron since 2013 in Cullowhee when the Catamounts used a Troy Mitchell to Karnorris Benson touchdown pass inside the final 10 seconds to tie the game before Richard Sigmon split the sticks with the game-winning field goal, 27-24. That victory halted a pair of lengthy droughts for WCU including ending a 33-game losing skid against NCAA Division I competition and a 26-game slide in SoCon play.
The Catamounts and Phoenix meet for the 44th time in a series that dates back to 1933. WCU trails in the series 17-24-2, with the 2013 meeting halting a seven-game series slide. The Purple & Gold head to the Piedmont looking to snap a four-game losing skid in Elon with its last road victory in 2004. WCU has dropped 15 of the 20 road meetings in the series with just four wins and heads into a stadium where Elon has won 10 of its last 11 games overall.
The Phoenix also represents a second-straight WCU opponent from the Coastal Athletic Association (CAA). WCU has faced four current 16 teams that call the CAA home, holding a 20-29-2 record in those meetings.
Western Carolina (0-2) looks to regain some of its offensive mojo that saw the Catamounts post videogame-like numbers a season ago and open 2024 with a solid upset bid at then-nationally-ranked North Carolina State. For just the third time under head coach
Kerwin Bell, WCU was held without an offensive touchdown last week against Campbell with the 16 points marking the third-fewest scored. The Fighting Camels stymied WCU's prolific offense, limiting the Catamounts to just 287 total yards while forcing five turnovers – four interceptions and a lost fumble.
While the offense struggled last week, the Catamount defense continues to show improvements from a year ago. WCU has already tallied 16 tackles for loss – second in the SoCon and tied for eighth in the NCAA – with three sacks and three interceptions. WCU had just 10 picks a season ago and averaged 5.3 tackles for loss per game with 59 TFL in 11 games.
Safety
Samaurie Dukes enters the weekend fourth in the SoCon with a 9.0 tackle per game average, coming off a career-high 12 total stops last week against Campbell.
Elon (1-1) – which returned to the national rankings at No. 22 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 media poll – opens its home schedule on Saturday after consecutive trips to Durham. The Phoenix dropped its season-opener at ACC-foe Duke, held to a field goal in a 26-3 loss. Last week at North Carolina Central, Elon posted 439 yards of total offense including 237 passing and 202 on the ground, and tallied three interceptions.
The Phoenix offense is led by veteran QB Matthew Downing who is in his seventh collegiate season at his fourth school. The Alpharetta, Ga., native began at the University of Georgia in 2018 before spending 2019-21 at TCU. He then played four games at Louisiana Tech in 2022 before transferring to Elon where he enters his second season.
Downing is flanked by freshman RB TJ Thomas Jr. who enters the weekend after rushing for a career-best 163 yards, earning both CAA Rookie and the Stats Perform FCS National Freshman of the Week honor. Thomas is averaging 96.5 yards rushing per game, tops among rookies in the NCAA.
Under sixth-year head coach Tony Trisciani, Elon was picked sixth in the CAA after finishing 6-2 in 2023, tied for fourth in the league, and just a game out of the three-way tie for first place.
Up Next for Catamount Football:
Western Carolina continues its two-game nonconference road swing against nationally-ranked competition next week, taking its longest NCAA FCS road trip as the Catamounts travel to Missoula, Mont., to face perennial Big Sky power – and last year's national runner-up – the Montana Grizzlies. Kickoff on Saturday, Sept. 21, is scheduled for 3 pm ET / 1 pm MT.
Familiar Face in the WCU-Elon Match-Up:
Former Catamount running back Nate Harris is on the Phoenix coaching staff guiding the very position he played from 2009-11 in Cullowhee … Harris is a 2012 graduate of WCU and earned his Master's degree from Elon … Harris amassed nearly 2,000 all-purpose yards in his Catamount career including 1,281 yards on kickoff returns, 468 rushing yards, and 227 yards receiving … Saturday represents the first meeting between Harris and his alma mater.
Game 3: Saturday, Sept. 14, 2024 • 6 p.m
Location: Elon, N.C. (Rhodes Stadium – 13,100)
Records: RV/RV Western Carolina (0-2) at RV/#22 Elon (1-1)
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
TV: My48, WMYV-TV – Greensboro, High Point, Winston-Salem
Video Stream: FloSports (
subscription required) -
Click HERE
PBP: Taylor Durham; Color: Khirey Walker; Sideline: Hannah Bradey
Live Stats Link
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
PBP: Daniel Hooker; Color: Jeff Bryson
CSN Affiliates:
Sylva – 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC
Franklin – 104.9 FM / 1050 AM WFSC
Asheville – 1310 AM WISE Sports Radio
Online:
CatamountSports.com
Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports) and Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountsFB).
