Cullowhee, N.C. – Riding a season-long four-game winning streak, Western Carolina football hits the road for two of the next three weeks beginning this Saturday, Oct. 18, as the Catamounts venture down I-26 to face The Citadel Bulldogs in Southern Conference play in Charleston, S.C.
 
WCU enters the week as one of just two remaining unbeaten teams in league play at 3-0, half a game behind first-place No.16 /20 Mercer (5-1, 4-0 SoCon), which is idle until Oct. 25, when it hosts VMI in Macon, Ga. The Bulldogs (3-3, 2-1 SoCon) have won two-straight since being shut out by the Bears back on Sept. 20, earning victories at Chattanooga and last week over Valdosta State.
 
Kickoff from Johnson Hagood Stadium is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be broadcast on ESPN+ (paid subscription required). Fans across western North Carolina can listen to the game on the Catamount Sports Network with coverage beginning with the Pepsi Tailgate Show at 1 p.m., with WCU Hall of Famer Gary Ayers, Jeff Bryson, and Daniel Hooker on the call. Four network affiliates on seven frequencies across the mountains are set to carry the CSN broadcast, including longtime affiliates 105.7 FM and 540 AM WRGC in Sylva; 104.9 FM and 1050 AM WFSC in Franklin; WISE Sports Radio 1310 AM in Asheville; and 103.9 FM and 1250 AM WBRM BIGFOOT Country in Marion and the I-40 corridor.
 
Live stat links and online audio from CSN are available through CatamountSports.com, with in-game updates provided on Twitter / X, using the handles, @Catamounts and @CatamountsFB.
 
Opening Kick:
Two teams riding winning streaks enter Johnson Hagood Stadium on Saturday afternoon, as the visiting Catamounts have won four straight since a three-game slide to start the season. At the same time, The Citadel has back-to-back victories for the first time since upending VMI and Samford in consecutive games in late October of 2024.
 
WCU looks to match its longest consecutive game win streak under head coach Kerwin Bell – a five-game run set back in 2023 that spanned from Sept. 9 against nationally-ranked Samford through an Oct. 7 victory between nationally-ranked foes in a 52-50 road win at Chattanooga. That stretch included a 49-14 road win at The Citadel.
 
Noting Western Carolina Entering the Week:

• The Catamounts boast the SoCon's top-scoring offense (36.1 ppg), tied for 14th nationally in the NCAA FCS … WCU ranks eighth overall in the NCAA FCS in total offense with a SoCon-leading 486.0 yards per game average, which includes the country's second-best passing attack at a SoCon-leading average of 335.9 yards per game … After last week's 302 combined rushing yards, WCU advanced to 64th nationally in rushing offense at 150.1 yards per game, fifth-best in the conference … WCU is also one first down off the national lead, second in the nation with 175 first downs gained in 2025;
• With three interceptions last week against Furman, the Catamount defense has climbed into a tie for third nationally with nine team interceptions, tied with ETSU for the SoCon lead and just two picks off the national pace set by Tarleton State (11) … WCU ranks third in the SoCon in sacks with 15, trailing national leader Mercer (24.0) and Furman (20.0, t-4th) – WCU is tied for 37th at 2.14 sacks per game;
• The Catamounts advanced into a tie for third nationally in turnovers gained with 14 – five fumble recoveries and nine interceptions … the team is tied for 24th nationally in turnover margin at +0.57 – 14 gained, 10 lost;

 
Noting a Few Catamount Individuals Entering the Week:

• WCU quarterback Taron Dickens has a SoCon-best 1,607 passing yards through just four games this season, averaging a league-best 401.8 yards per game … And though he is not officially on the NCAA FCS stats page, Dickens would rank ninth nationally in total passing yards despite being at least two games behind the FCS leaders … Dickens also has a league-best 17 passing TDs, tied for the third most in the nation;
• Redshirt sophomore WR James Tyre leads the SoCon with 457 receiving yards and is tied for the lead with six receiving scores, tied for seventh nationally … Tyre is tied for 30th nationally in receiving yards;
• Entering the weekend, Western Carolina has had 16 different players record receptions with 10 posting double-digit catches … A total of 13 different Catamounts have scored receiving touchdowns as the Catamounts have 23 scores through the air on the year … the 23 passing TDs are just 10 shy of the school single-season record set in 2023 with 33 aerial scores;
• With a SoCon-best three interceptions, DB Hasaan Sykes – who was an honorable mention for the Stats Perform FCS National Defensive Player of the Week honor last week – ranks tied for seventh nationally with a trio of picks through six games played;
• DB Ken Moore Jr., gave WCU its third SoCon Player of the Week honor last week, two belonging to QB Taron Dickens, as Moore collected a TFL and two interceptions, including one returned 64 yards for a score.

About Saturday's Opponent – The Citadel:
The Bulldogs are 3-3 overall on the season and 2-1 in SoCon play, but have just one home victory this season – last week's home win over NCAA Division II Valdosta State. The Citadel has a pair of 38-0 home losses to No. 1 North Dakota State to open the year and to SoCon-leading Mercer this season. Two of the three wins for the Cadets have come in league play on the road – 40-13 at Samford and 28-10 at Chattanooga.
 
Through six games this season, The Citadel ranks sixth in the SoCon, averaging right at 20 points per game on offense, while ranking seventh in surrendering an average of 22.7 points per contest. Last in passing offense at just 84 yards per game, the Bulldogs boast the SoCon's best rushing attack at 214.2 yards per game – 12th in the NCAA FCS. The 'Dogs have 35 tackles for loss, including 13 team sacks – four by Chris Benton – and four interceptions spread between four different players.
 
The Citadel has used a two-headed quarterback system this season, with Cobey Thompkins and Quentin Hayes both ranking among the SoCon's Top 10 in rushing with 271 and 264 yards on the ground, respectively. The running back tandem of Garrison Johnson Sr. and Sebastien Boyle has combined for seven of the squad's 10 rushing TDs.
 
The Bulldogs were picked eighth in the nine-team SoCon preseason poll, just behind Wofford and a spot ahead of its military rival, VMI. Five cadet-athletes landed on the preseason All-SoCon squad with four – OL Mike Bartilucci, LB Je'Mazin Roberts, DB Cale Matthews, and P James Platte – each earning first-team plaudits, while return specialist Braylon Knauth landed on the second team.
 
The Citadel has had two SoCon Players of the Week this season – graduate WR Javonte Graves-Billups and junior DB Bradlee Jones.
 
A 1998 graduate of The Citadel and a local legend in the South Carolina Lowcountry, the Bulldog football program is under the direction of third-year head coach Maurice Drayton, who has three of his seven victories at his alma mater this season. The Moncks Corner, S.C., product orchestrated a five-win improvement from year one to year two. All told, Drayton has spent 12 years on the football staff, from a graduate assistant to defensive coordinator and head coach.
 
Western Carolina vs. The Citadel – All-Time Series:
Dating back to 1972, Western Carolina trails The Citadel, 21-27-1, overall, in the head-to-head series, with just nine wins in the 23 previous meetings in Charleston (9-14) … Though the last 10 meetings have been split evenly, 5-5, Western Carolina has won four of the previous five in the series, including two straight – 30-16 last year in Cullowhee and 49-14 in the most recent meeting in Charleston. The Catamounts have outscored The Citadel, 94-to-45, in the previous two meetings at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
 
Common Ground – SoCon's Two Campbell Trophy Semifinalists:
The Southern Conference's only two semifinalists for the prestigious 2025 William V. Campbell Trophy – college football's premier scholar-athlete award – will share the field on Saturday as Western Carolina defensive lineman Micah Nelson and The Citadel offensive lineman Mike Bartilucci square off. The SoCon duo are among 180 players nationally from all NCAA divisions and the NAIA, which includes 45 nominees from the NCAA FCS.
 
Familiar Face:
Former Western Carolina LB Giovanni Ricciardi (pronounced rich-CHAR-dee) enters his second season in the South Carolina Lowcountry, closing his collegiate eligibility in 2024 as a linebacker for the Bulldogs, and is in his first year as a defensive assistant working with the defensive line.
 
Ricciardi saw action in 38 games between 2020 and 2023 for the Purple & Gold, much of which came as a defensive reserve and a key special teams contributor. He finished with 13 career tackles with a sack in 2022 in a home win over Presbyterian.
 
A product of Clemmons, N.C., and West Forsyth High, Ricciardi was selected to the SoCon Academic Honor Roll four times as a Catamount, and twice named Fall Academic All-SoCon. As a junior in 2023, Ricciardi was named to the National Football Foundation (NFF) Hampshire Honor Society and earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District plaudits.
 
Up Next for Western Carolina:
Following Saturday's road jaunt to the Holy City, the Catamounts enter their seasonal bye week, idle next Saturday, Oct. 25, before the four-game SoCon homestretch run that is split evenly between home and the road with two games apiece. WCU next travels to the Scenic City, Chattanooga, Tenn., to open November play with a showdown with the Mocs on Saturday, Nov. 1, at 4 p.m. at Finley Stadium.
 
 
Broadcast Options for Saturday at The Citadel:
 
Game 8: Saturday, Oct. 18, 2025  •  2 p.m.
Location: Charleston, S.C. (Johnson Hagood Stadium – 11,427) 
Records: Western Carolina (4-3, 3-0 SoCon) at The Citadel (3-3, 2-1 SoCon)
 
Live Stats Link
  
BROADCAST INFORMATION: 
Video Stream: ESPN+ (subscription required) – Watch ESPN (link)
PxP: Dave Weinstein; Analyst: Lavaedeay Lee; Sideline: Matison Little 

Listen LIVE: 
Radio: Catamount Sports Network 
PxP: Gary Ayers; Analyst: Daniel Hooker; Producer: Jeff Bryson 
  
CSN Affiliates: 
Sylva – 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC 
Franklin – 104.9 FM / 1050 AM WFSC 
Asheville – 1310 AM WISE Sports Radio
Marion – 103.9 FM / 1250 AM WBRM

Online: CatamountSports.com  - Click HERE to Listen to CSN
 
Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (FB.com/CatamountSports; FB.com/catamountsportsnetwork) and Twitter (@catamounts, @CatamountsFB).