Spartanburg, S.C. – Freshman placekicker Marcus Trout split the uprights on a career-long 34-yard game-winning field goal with just 23 seconds remaining in regulation as Western Carolina rallied for a hard-fought 23-21 Southern Conference road victory over the Wofford Terriers on Saturday afternoon at Gibbs Stadium.
 
And though WCU's third-straight seasonal victory and fifth-consecutive win in the head-to-head series against the Terriers were crucially important for the Catamounts, who move to 2-0 in SoCon play, it almost seemed like a secondary headline to the other story line that unfolded in the Sparkle City.
 
Western Carolina redshirt sophomore QB Taron Dickens shone brightly against the tenacious Terrier defensive plan as he connected on an NCAA Football record 46 consecutive pass attempts before his first incompletion, finishing with a program-record 53 completions on 56 attempts, setting another NCAA record with a 94.6 completion percentage in the winning effort.
 
A product of Miami, Fla., Dickens finished 10-for-10 in the first quarter for just 57 total yards and a TD. He was an impressive 17-for-17 in the second quarter for 126 yards to finish the first half 27-for-27 for 183 yards at the break. Dickens added a 15-for-15 effort in the third quarter for 42 consecutive pass completions going to the fourth. Driving to start the final frame, Dickens connected on four additional consecutive completions before his 47th pass attempt was broken up at the goal line while looking to feed TE Brayden Blackmon.
 
Dickens passed for 378 yards and three touchdowns, each going to redshirt freshman WR James Tyre, who likewise had a career day, while rushing for a team-best 44 yards to finish with 422 total yards of offense. Tyre caught a career-best 13 passes to lead 10 different Catamount receivers with receptions, eclipsing the 100-yard mark for a second-straight week with a career-best 102 yards and the trio of scores.
 
Much maligned this season, the Catamount defense limited the Terriers to just 241 yards of total offense, including just 32 rushing yards, 14 points, and only eight first downs on Saturday afternoon. The efficiency helped WCU hold a commanding 38:46 to 21:14 edge in time of possession as the Purple & Gold ran 56 more offensive plays from scrimmage than Wofford, 93-to-37.
 
Jordan Thompson finished with a team-high eight tackles with half a tackle for loss, while fellow linebacker Hayward McQueen Jr. and safety Samaurie Dukes credited with four tackles apiece. Ken Moore Jr. had three tackles, including one of two WCU sacks, with Justin Wallace collecting the other as part of a two tackle effort.
 
After the Catamounts stalled after just three plays on their opening possession, Wofford (0-5, 0-2 SoCon) struck quickly with a four-play drive that included an incomplete pass and a pair of rushes before quarterback Jayden Whitaker hit running back Ihson Jackson-Anderson out of the backfield for a 49-yard touchdown. The Terriers improvised on the point after, converting a two-point play to grab the early 8-0 first-quarter lead.
 
Western Carolina responded with its first of four double-digit play scoring drives as Dickens marched the offense 85 yards in 14 plays, connecting with Tyre on a short two-yard touchdown pass after his scramble towards the goal line resulted in a fumble out of bounds.
 
WCU grabbed its first lead of the day late in the second quarter as Dickens again hooked up with Tyre on a five-yard score on the 13th play of a 73-yard drive for the 14-8 lead. The Catamounts looked to add to that advantage before the break, but saw a drive stall inside the final minute. On the ensuing punt, Isaiah Scott alluded a couple of tackle attempts and raced 66 yards for the punt return touchdown to send the teams to the locker room with the Terriers in front, 15-14.
 
Neither team gained much traction for much of Saturday's third quarter. WCU forced a three-and-out on Wofford's opening possession, only to see its 12-play march halted on a fourth-down sack. The Terriers moved into field goal range only to see a 32-yard attempt miss to keep it a one-point game. Dickens and the Catamounts responded with an 11-play scoring drive that ended in the hands of Tyre in the back of the endzone for a 20-15 Catamount edge.
 
The cushion was short-lived, though, as Wofford struck for its longest play of the season as Whitaker hit speedy freshman Ivory Aikens on an 83-yard strike with 30 seconds remaining in the third quarter as the hosts carried a 21-20 lead into the final frame.
 
Pressing for the go-ahead score early in the fourth, the Catamounts marched into scoring position to set up Marcus Trout for a 32-yard field goal attempt. However, the line-drive attempt was deflected at the line of scrimmage and fluttered into the endzone, short of the goalposts.
 
Clinging to the one-point lead, Wofford compiled one of its best drives of the day, moving 46 yards in nine plays to the WCU 29-yard line. Just out of field goal range, the Terrier offense stayed on the field only to see Justin Wallace wrestle Whitaker down for the drive-ending sack and a turnover on downs, giving the Catamounts possession with 10:25 to play.
 
Dickens guided a methodical 16-play drive, converting a trio of third downs and a crucial fourth-down conversion on a pass to freshman TE Josiah Thomas along the way. Then later, facing another fourth-down situation at the Wofford 10-yard line and the game clock having dwindled inside the final 60 seconds, Kerwin Bell and the Catamounts opted for the go-ahead 29-yard field goal attempt. However, a delay of game penalty pushed the special teams unit back five yards for the rookie kicker. Trout, though, swung through and punched the eventual game-winner through the uprights from 34 yards out for the 23-21 advantage.
 
WCU ultimately sealed the win on the following kickoff. Stephen Brantley's boot sailed to the goalline, where Isaiah Scott looked for his second big special teams play. Hemmed in at the middle of the field, Scott looked to bounce it outside to the far sideline. However, Julian Quintero recovered to deliver the knockout blow on a tackle from behind, jarring the football loose, and Armond Anderson pounced on it to seal the victory.
 
For Wofford, Whitaker finished 10-of-18 for 209 passing yards and two scores to Aikens and Jackson-Anderson, who tallied 97 and 50 receiving yards, respectively. Four Terriers finished with double-digit tackles, led by Darius Malcolm with 17 stops, followed by Jalen Rambert (13), Wyatt Ward (13), and Eli Campbell (10). Wofford had four sacks as part of 13 tackles for loss defensively.
 
Western Carolina (3-3, 2-0 SoCon) plays its lone October home game next Saturday, Oct. 11, returning to the friendly confines of E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field as the best game day atmosphere in the SoCon springs back to life ahead of the "Battle for Purple Supremacy," as WCU hosts chromatic rival, Furman. Next Saturday's game has been dubbed "Heroes Day," and WCU will celebrate its long-standing relationship with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians on EBCI Day. Kickoff is scheduled for 2:30 p.m. BUY TICKETS NOW
 
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