Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Western Carolina University

Western Carolina
The Official Home of Catamount Athletics

Schedule

Full
Jordy Lowery (16) with his scoop-and-score on the blocked field goal that provided the insurance points for WCU in the road win at No. 22 Elon.
Mark Haskett

Football Daniel Hooker, Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations

Postgame Notes - at No. 22 Elon

Postgame Notes
RV/RV Western Carolina 24, No. 22 Elon 17
Rhodes Stadium
Elon, N.C. | Saturday, Sept. 7, 2024
Att: 5,104
 
With the Win:
  • Western Carolina scored its first victory of the 2024 season, halting a two-game seasonal slide and halting a string of three straight losses that dated back to last season;
  • The Catamounts have won back-to-back series games against Elon, coupled with the three-point overtime win in Cullowhee back in 2013 … It also snapped a four-game series slide for the Catamounts in series ROAD games played at Elon, marking WCU's first victory at Elon since 2004 – and just the second victory at Rhodes Stadium which opened back in 2001;
  • Gives the Catamounts a 17-87-3 record against nationally-ranked NCAA FCS competition – and a FIFTH win in the last SIX meetings against ranked FCS opposition – and just the fifth ROAD win against a NCAA FCS ranked team (5-48-2);
 
Post-Game Notes:
  • Western Carolina was missing several starters in its road win at No. 22 Elon – on offense, OL Derek Simmons … on defense, LB Hayward McQueen and S Samaurie Dukes, both of which dressed and participated in pregame but were game time decisions to be sidelined;
  • Western Carolina snapped a string of seven-straight quarters – the fourth quarter at NC State, all four quarters at home against Campbell, and the first two quarters at Elon – without a touchdown with Branson Adams' one-yard touchdown run in the third quarter in the road win at Elon … WCU bookended the seven-quarter stretch with TD rushes by Adams at NC State and Elon;
  • WCU scored on a blocked field goal for the second-straight week – though this week was a blocked attempt of an opponent field goal attempt by Ken Moore Jr., while the week prior it was a WCU field goal try that was blocked with the subsequent loose ball fumbled and scored by Edwin Moore Jr.;
  • The blocked field goal attempt by Ken Moore Jr., was the first blocked placekick by a Catamount since Jayden Paulding blocked a field goal against ETSU back on Nov. 9, 2019;
  • Western Carolina won the turnover battle at Elon, recording an interception and a fumble recovery – and did not give the ball away in the win … It was just the SIXTH game since 2021 under head coach Kerwin Bell that the Catamounts did not turn the football over (2024: 1; 2023: 3; 2022: 1; 2021: 1);
  • Cole Gonzales accounted for 268 yards of total offense at Elon including 254 yards passing and 14 total yards rushing … He scored his second career rushing touchdown on a six-yard dive into the end zone;
  • Gonzales moved into seventh place on WCU's career total offense chart now with a total of 5,233 yards, eclipsing Don Dalton (5,142 yards from 1966-69) … Gonzales remains fourth with 41 career touchdown passes, just two shy of tying Mike Pusey (43, 1977-79) … He also remains ninth on the school's career passing yards ledger with 4,776 career yards, just 323 shy of eighth-place Ronnie Mixon (5,099 yds, 1979-82);
  • Gonzales was held without a passing touchdown for the second-straight game … It's the first time since becoming the starter that he's gone consecutive games without tossing a TD pass … In 22 career games, Gonzales has just seven games without a passing TD;
  • AJ Colombo averaged 10.0 yards per punt return at Elon, returning five punts for 50 total yards;
  • Punter Stephen Brantley tallied a season-long 56-yard punt at No. 22 Elon, averaging 42.4 yards per kick with a CAREER-HIGH seven punts … He downed a season-best four punts inside the Elon 20-yard line, also marking his most in a single game over the last two seasons;
  • Starting in place the team's leading tackler Samaurie Dukes, redshirt freshman Bo Simpson-Nealy posted a career-high seven tackles that included a team-best and career-high six solo stops;
  • Redshirt senior Mateo Sudipo jumpstarted Western Carolina by collecting his first career interception, bracketing a receiver and jumping the route at the goal line to thwart a would-be scoring drive at the end of the first quarter;
  • The Catamounts recorded a total of 8.0 tackles for loss at Elon … Coupled with the nine TFLs in the season-opener at NC State and seven against Campbell, the Catamounts have 24.0 tackles for loss this season – second in the SoCon (Mercer, 30.0) and tied for eighth in the NCAA FCS;
 
Miscellaneous Notes:
  • WCU's captains for Saturday's game were redshirt senior DL #6 Curtis Fann Jr.; senior DL #8 Jaquarius Guinn; redshirt senior OL #72 Blake Whitmore; and redshirt junior OL #75 Caleb Carter … redshirt sophomore WR #4 De'Andre Tamarez carried the American flag during the team's entrance;
  • WCU wore its white jerseys over gold pants marking the third of four-consecutive weeks that the Catamounts will wear their white jersey … It was the seventh time under Kerwin Bell that WCU wore the white/gold look, winning its second-straight to see its record go to 3-4;
  • Elon won the opening coin toss and deferred to the second half … Western Carolina received the opening kickoff.
Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

Branson Adams

#2 Branson Adams

RB
5' 9"
Junior
Caleb Carter

#75 Caleb Carter

OL
6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
AJ Colombo

#0 AJ Colombo

WR
5' 8"
Junior
Ken Moore Jr.

#0 Ken Moore Jr.

CB
5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
Bo Simpson-Nealy

#21 Bo Simpson-Nealy

DB
5' 10"
Redshirt Freshman
Mateo Sudipo

#1 Mateo Sudipo

S
6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
Blake Whitmore

#72 Blake Whitmore

OL
6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
Stephen Brantley

#95 Stephen Brantley

P
6' 2"
Sophomore
Samaurie Dukes

#3 Samaurie Dukes

CB
5' 10"
Junior
Curtis Fann Jr.

#6 Curtis Fann Jr.

DL
6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
Cole Gonzales

#9 Cole Gonzales

QB
6' 0"
Junior
Jaquarius Guinn

#8 Jaquarius Guinn

DL
6' 2"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Branson Adams

#2 Branson Adams

5' 9"
Junior
RB
Caleb Carter

#75 Caleb Carter

6' 3"
Redshirt Junior
OL
AJ Colombo

#0 AJ Colombo

5' 8"
Junior
WR
Ken Moore Jr.

#0 Ken Moore Jr.

5' 10"
Redshirt Sophomore
CB
Bo Simpson-Nealy

#21 Bo Simpson-Nealy

5' 10"
Redshirt Freshman
DB
Mateo Sudipo

#1 Mateo Sudipo

6' 1"
Redshirt Senior
S
Blake Whitmore

#72 Blake Whitmore

6' 2"
Redshirt Senior
OL
Stephen Brantley

#95 Stephen Brantley

6' 2"
Sophomore
P
Samaurie Dukes

#3 Samaurie Dukes

5' 10"
Junior
CB
Curtis Fann Jr.

#6 Curtis Fann Jr.

6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
DL
Cole Gonzales

#9 Cole Gonzales

6' 0"
Junior
QB
Jaquarius Guinn

#8 Jaquarius Guinn

6' 2"
Senior
DL