Charleston, S.C. – Taron Dickens threw for 369 yards and five touchdown passes to four different players as Western Carolina claimed its fifth-straight seasonal victory, escaping Johnson Hagood Stadium with a 45-38 Southern Conference victory over The Citadel Bulldogs on Saturday afternoon.
 
With the victory, the Catamounts move into a tie with Mercer (5-1, 4-0) atop the SoCon standings heading down the stretch in the league run. WCU is idle this week with is scheduled bye week, while the Bears host VMI on Oct. 25.
 
Dickens finished 28-of-33 through the air, tossing two touchdown passes to Malik Knight, who finished with five receptions for 103 yards. James Tyre hauled in seven receptions for a career-best 112 yards and his seventh receiving TD of the season, with Josiah Thomas and Dominic Dutton scoring through the air. All told, eight different players recorded receptions, seven of which posted multiple catches.
 
Markel Townsend ran for 90 yards on 15 touches and a score in the winning effort, with Dickens tacking on 25 rushing yards from scrimmage. Tailback Patrick Boyd Jr., caught four passes for 48 yards out of the backfield.
 
The Citadel (3-4, 2-2 SoCon) tallied four rushing scores, two by quarterback Quentin Hayes and one by Cobey Thompkins, with Beau Herrington adding a score for the home squad. Thompkins also threw for 111 yards, including a  61-yard scoring strike to open the game as the Bulldogs opened with a 7-0 lead.
 
WCU responded as Dickens hit Knight on a 14-yard scoring strike to even the game before Hayes handed the Bulldogs the one-score edge back inside the final minute of the first quarter, 14-7.
 
Midway through the second quarter, Dickens orchestrated an 11-play, 70-yard capped by a five-yard TD pass to Josiah Thomas in the back of the endzone to again knot the game at two scores apiece. The Cadets then capitalized on the game's lone turnover as a Dickens pass deflected off the hands of the intended receiver and floated to Drew Nyangweso for the first interception of the season for the Catamount signal caller.


The Bulldogs took possession at the Catamount 20-yard line, but the WCU defense bowed its back and held the hosts to a 42-yard Ben Barnes field goal that gave The Citadel its final lead of the day.
 
Over the final two minutes of the opening half, Western Carolina tacked on a pair of scores, including a Markel Townsend seven-yard touchdown run and a 25-yard field goal by Marcus Trout to carry the 24-17 lead into the halftime locker room.
 
Dickens drove the Catamounts 73 yards on the first possession of the second half, hitting James Tyre on a nine-yard touchdown to push the lead to two scores, 31-17. But the Bulldogs would not go away as Beau Herrington scored on a 12-yard rush to put the finishing touches on a 10-play, 75-yard drive with 5:31 remaining in the third quarter.
 
With the game back within one score, 31-24, The Citadel seemingly swung momentum by forcing the Catamounts into a fourth-and-long situation just shy of midfield. Lined up to punt, Stephen Brantley and the special teams unit executed a perfect fake punt with TE Isaac McLellan taking the direct snap and rumbling 22 yards to extend the drive. On the ensuing play, Dickens went over the top to Malik Knight for a 37-yard TD strike and a 38-24 Catamount lead with time dwindling in the third quarter.
 
The Citadel (3-4,  2-2 SoCon) continued to fight back, though, closing to within one score twice over the final 15 minutes.
 
QB Quentin Hayes scored an eight-yard touchdown rush at the 12:21 mark to make it a one-possession game before Dickens pushed it back to 14 14-point margin with a touchdown pass to Dominic Dutton with three minutes to play. Coby Thompkins capped a 75-yard drive with a 20-yard scoring rush to make it 45-38. WCU wide receiver Painter Richards-Baker recovered the ensuing onside kick attempt, and Markel Townsend put the game on ice with a 38-yard scamper, sliding down to allow WCU to kneel out the remaining time on the clock for the victory.
 
Three Catamounts posted double-digit tackle games, with linebacker Jordan Thompson finishing with a career-high 12 tackles with one for a loss, with Ken Moore Jr. and Samaurie Dukes credited with 10 stops apiece. Thompson posted his third double-digit tackle effort of the season, while Dukes had his second, and Moore Jr. collected a career-high. Sean Moore had five tackles, including one for loss with half a sack, combining with Jackson Banks to drop the Bulldog QB. Hayward McQueen Jr. was credited with a tackle for loss before exiting the game in the first quarter with an injury.


 
Western Carolina (5-3, 4-0 SoCon) goes into its bye week before returning to action on Nov. 1, with a road trip to Chattanooga at Finley Stadium.
 
Catamount head coach Kerwin Bell will be live on location at Catamount Jaxe (114 Market Street) in Cullowhee on Monday (Oct. 20) for "Catamount Football Weekly," presented by Stanberry Insurance. "Catamount Football Weekly" airs at 6 p.m. on the Catamount Athletics YouTube Channel and official Facebook page.
 
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).