Cullowhee, N.C. – A top-three Southern Conference showdown awaits Western Carolina football as the second-place Catamounts travel the gorge this weekend to face the third-place Chattanooga Mocs on Saturday afternoon at Finley Stadium / Davenport Field. Both teams enter the league matchup in the Scenic City riding multigame win streaks, including a five-game unbeaten streak for the Catamounts and a three-game run by UTC.
 
Since opening 0-3, the Catamounts have earned five-straight wins, including a road victory at Campbell and four in a row in SoCon play over Samford and Furman at home and road tallies in South Carolina at Wofford and The Citadel. And speaking of the Cadets, it was a 28-10 Chattanooga home loss against the Bulldogs on the final weekend of September that has seemingly jump-started the Mocs. UTC has won three straight since that 18-point defeat, earning a seven-point victory over VMI (21-14), a four-point rally over 'Rail Rival' ETSU (42-38) after its bye week, and last week's commanding 49-13 tally at Samford.
 
Saturday's kickoff from Finley Stadium is scheduled for 4 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 3 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 of the top four scoring teams in the Southern Conference meet on Saturday. WCU leads the conference at 33.4 points per game, while the Mocs are fourth, averaging 29.4 points per game thanks to back-to-back 40-point efforts. The Catamounts are averaging 489.6 yards per game on offense this season, a mark that has risen to 560 yards per game over the last five games since the return of QB Taron Dickens. During its current three-game run, the Mocs have averaged 431 yards of total offense per game to improve their seasonal average to 383.8 yards per game, fourth in the SoCon.
 
The two teams have found different routes to their solid offensive efforts this season. The Catamounts boast the top passing attack in both the NCAA FCS and the SoCon, averaging 340 yards per game, which includes the second-most passing TDs (28). Conversely, Chattanooga carries the SoCon's second-best rushing offense at 207.1 yards per game, 13th in the nation.
 
Defensively, Chattanooga has surrendered an average of 400 yards of offense per game, sixth in the SoCon, while WCU has allowed an average of 454.3 total yards per game. Both teams are surrendering right at 180 rushing yards per game.
 
Saturday's true test will be which defensive unit can slow the opposing offense's strength. While both teams strive for balance, all signs point to the UTC ground game against the aerial attack of the Catamounts.
 
Noting Western Carolina Entering the Week:
- Western Carolina ranks FIFTH in the NCAA FCS in total offense at 489.6 yards per game, which includes a national-leading passing attack … WCU enters the week going 240-of-334 for 2,720 total yards in eight games for the nation-leading average of 340.0 yards per game … WCU usurped Monmouth (337.3 yds/gm) in passing yardage, which has led the nation most of the season;
 
- WCU's .719 seasonal completion percentage is second in the country – and WCU is the only team among the Top Five in completion percentage with 300 or more pass attempts;
 
- WCU's 28 passing touchdowns rank the Catamounts second in the country behind Monmouth (29) – while the 28 scores are already the THIRD most in program history, trailing the record 33 from 2023 and 30 from 2022 … WCU has tossed 24-or-more passing TDs in each of the seasons under head coach Kerwin Bell;
 
- Through just FIVE games played, QB Taron Dickens ranks NINTH nationally with 1,976 passing yards, though he is at least two games in arrears of most of the QBs on the list … He has averaged 395.2 passing yards per game since his return – a mark that currently fails to meet NCAA minimums (75% of games played) BUT would lead the nation by roughly a 40-yard average;
 
- Dickens is tied for second nationally with 22 touchdown passes this season, second only to Monmouth's Derek Robertson (27), though Dickens has two fewer games played … His 22 TD passes rank him tied for SECOND in the WCU single season record books, matching Tyrie Adams (22 in 2017) and trailing all-time leader Cole Gonzales (28 in 2023) by just six … In just over two seasons – 14 career games played – Dickens has 35 career touchdown passes, already sixth on WCU's career ledgers;
 
- Despite LEADING the nation, WCU's highest-ranked receiver is redshirt sophomore James Tyre, 35th nationally with 569 receiving yards – second in the SoCon – and third with an average of 71.1 receiving yards per game … Tyre is tied for the SoCon lead with seven touchdown receptions, tied for sixth nationally … Malik Knight is fifth with 502 receiving yards, sixth in the league at 62.8 receiving yards per game;
 
- Defensively for the Catamounts, transfer linebacker Jordan Thompson leads the Catamounts – and ranks fourth in the SoCon – with 65 tackles, including 35 solo stops and 30 assists with seven tackles for loss … CB Hasaan Sykes has a league-leading three interceptions and S Ken Moore Jr., has two picks;
 
About Saturday's Opponent – Chattanooga:
Chattanooga's sluggish start to the season could easily be attributed to its strength of schedule through the opening month of the season. UTC's first four opponents boast a seasonal record of 27-7 to date, 20-6 coming from NCAA FCS opponents. Tennessee Tech and Tarleton State of the FCS both remain undefeated and nationally ranked, as UTC boasts a Top 30 nationally-ranked schedule.
 
Chattanooga's resurgent offense is led by Gainesville, Fla., product and Bowling Green transfer Camden Orth. The signal caller has completed 108-of-191 passes for 1,413 yards (353.3 yds/gm) with 12 TDs and seven interceptions. He adds 339 rushing yards and four scores, second on the team. The Mocs' ground attack is led by Justus Durant and Wofford transfer Ryan Ingram, who had a career-high 159 yards against WCU with the Terriers. Durant has 565 total yards, second in the SoCon at 70.6 yards per game with three TDs, while Ingram is eighth with 51 yards per outing, including 381 total yards and five scores.
 
UTC has 17 rushing scores on the season with 12 through the air. Jamarii Robinson (247 yards) has a team-best four TD catches, while Markell Quick leads the team with 374 receiving yards.
 
Defensively, Zion Rutlege leads the Mocs – and is third in the SoCon – with 66 total tackles, averaging 8.3 per game with three TFLs. Amanuel Dickson has a team-high five tackles for loss with three players posting two sacks apiece as a part of 11 as a team and six players each with one interception.
 
Western Carolina vs. Chattanooga – All-Time Series:
Despite trailing in the all-time series with the Chattanooga Mocs, 20-30, Western Carolina has won three straight head-to-head meetings dating back to 2022 – though those three victories have come by just a combined NINE points. WCU won last year, 38-34, in Cullowhee, and scored a walk-off Richard McCollum field goal to win 52-50 in the most recent meeting in Chattanooga. The Catamounts started their current streak with a three-point, 32-29 home victory in 2022.
 
WCU's current three-game streak matches three consecutive wins back in 2000-02 and is the fourth time the Catamounts have won three-straight in the series. The longest consecutive win streak for the Catamounts over the Mocs is four, from 1991 through 1994 – a mark that Bell and Company look to match this weekend.
 
Up Next for Western Carolina:
After the tough road trip to the Scenic City and Moccasin Bend this weekend, the Catamounts return home to the friendly confines of E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field for back-to-back home dates against league-leading Mercer (Nov. 8) and mountain-rival ETSU (Nov. 15), with the traveling trophy "the Rock" up for grabs in the latter.
 
Single-game tickets for the Nov. 8 Homecoming game and the Nov. 15 rivalry match-up for "the Rock" traveling trophy against ETSU are on sale now at CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets or by phone by calling (828) 227-2401.
 
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).