Jahleel Anderson and Caleb Fisher - at VMI

Football 11/22/2025 11:45:00 PM Daniel Hooker, Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations

Postgame Notes - at VMI (11/22/25)

Postgame Notes
Western Carolina 48, VMI 6
Alumni Memorial Field / Foster Stadium
Lexington, Va. | Saturday, Nov. 22, 2025
Att: 3,588

With the Win:

Western Carolina secured sole possession of second place in the 2025 Southern Conference final standings … It was the second-straight runner-up finish for the Catamounts in the league standings, and the fifth time finishing second since joining the league in 1976;
Western Carolina completed a third-straight seven-win season, marking the first time in program history … It also put the finishing touches on WCU's fourth-straight winning record at season's end – 7-5 in 2025; 7-5 in 2024; 7-4 in 2023; and 6-5 in 2022 … It's WCU's longest string of winning seasons since winning four-straight from 1976-79 (6-4 in 1976; 6-4-1 in 1977; 6-5 in 1978; and 6-5 in 1979);
The Catamounts posted a second-straight season with a program-best six Southern Conference victories, this after having never won more than five games in league play before last fall;

Post-Game Notes:

Through the end of the 2025 regular season, WCU ranked 18th nationally with 65,917 fans through the gates in six home dates in Cullowhee. the most in the SoCon … WCU ranked 20th nationally with an average of 10,986 fans, tops in the Southern Conference – edging out The Citadel (21st nationally, 10,652 average);
Western Carolina's offense finished with 519 yards of total offense at VMI on Saturday, marking a third-straight 500+ yard performance … the Catamounts finished with 346 passing yards and 173 combined rushing yards against the Keydets … It was WCU's seventh 300+ yard game this season;
WCU finished the regular season ranked THIRD in the NCAA FCS in total offense with an average of 493.3 yards per game … the Catamounts were SECOND in the nation in total offensive yards gained at 5,920 yards through 12 games, just 64 yards in arrears of first-place Monmouth (5,984 yards) … WCU's offense LED THE NATION with 929 total plays through the regular season;
WCU has passed for over 3,000 yards in five-straight seasons, each under head coach Kerwin Bell … Catamount football has eclipsed the 3K passing mark now SIX times in program history … For just the second time in program history – coming in back-to-back seasons – the 2025 Catamounts, threw for more than 4K yards, passing for a school single-season record 4,268 yards, the SECOND-MOST in SoCon history (4,320 by Samford, 2018);
Western Carolina averaged 355.7 passing yards per game to LEAD THE NCAA FCS through the regular season – the Catamounts also led the FCS in pass attempts (505), pass completions (353), passing yards (4,268 – the only team to eclipse 4,000 yards), and passing touchdowns (44);
The Catamounts finished the regular season 10th nationally in scoring offense with an average of 38.6 points per game, second in the Southern Conference (Mercer, 39.5 ppg) … With 463 total points scored, WCU finished seventh nationally in scoring through the conclusion of the regular season;
WCU's single-season record 44 passing touchdowns LED the NCAA through the end of the regular season, two more than second-place Monmouth (42) … the Catamounts' previous benchmark was 33 TD passes in 2023 … WCU's 44 touchdown passes are a Southern Conference single-season record, usurping Samford (40, 2022);
Western Carolina's offense LED THE NATION with 317 combined first downs on the season, seven more than second-place Monmouth (310) … WCU's 317 first downs rank tied for sixth in SoCon history, matching Appalachian State (317, 2005);
Catamount QB Taron Dickens threw for 330 yards at VMI, his seventh game of 300+ passing yards this season … He tossed three touchdown passes against the Keydets, giving him 38 on the season to break the Southern Conference single-season record of 36 held by former Samford QBs Michael Hiers (2022) and Devlin Hodges (2016) … Dickens broke WCU's previous benchmark held by Cole Gonzales with 28 TD passes in 2023;
Dickens had FOUR of the Top 13 individual passing games in the NCAA FCS this season (582 yds, vs. Samford; 551 yds, vs. Mercer; 427 yds, at Campbell; 426 yds, vs. ETSU);
Dickens finished the year with an NCAA FCS leading and WCU school single-season record 3,508 passing yards through just nine games played, averaging an NCAA FCS best 389.8 passing yards per game, 45 yards more than the second-place QB in the subdivision;
Dickens scored his first rushing touchdown of the season in the road win at VMI as he accounted for four TDs against the Keydets … Dickens has three career rushing scores, scoring twice on the ground in 2024;
Over 18 career games, Dickens threw for 5,063 career passing yards, 10th in WCU's all-time career record books, and just one of 10 Catamount QBs to eclipse 5K career yards … His 51 career passing touchdowns rank TIED FOR SECOND in program history, matching Cole Gonzales (51, 2022-24) … He is also just one TD pass shy of the SoCon's Top 10 (52, BJ Coleman, UTC from 2009-11);
WCU scored three rushing touchdowns against VMI, matching the season-best effort in bookending the season with a trio of ground scores – also scored three rushing TDs against Gardner-Webb … WCU's 16 seasonal rushing scores have been spread between EIGHT different players with two – Markel Townsend (6) and Camury Reid (4) with multiple scores ... It's the 15th straight season that WCU has double-digit scores on the ground (7 in 2010)
For a second-straight game, a combined nine different Catamount receivers caught passes at VMI … TE Brayden Blackmon caught a team-best six passes – one shy of his career-high – for a career-best 64 yards and his second receiving TD of the year …
WR James Tyre finished the regular season with a SoCon-leading and team-best 68 receptions, the SIXTH-most on WCU's single-season record books … Tyre also finished second in the SoCon with a team-leading 832 receiving yards, just off WCU's Top 14 leaders list … ;
Tyre finished the year ranked tied for 10th in the NCAA FCS with 68 receptions and was ranks 33rd nationally with 832 receiving yards … Tyre was 42nd national with an average of 69.3 receiving yards per game … His counterpart, WR Malik Knight finished tied for 47th with his 774 receiving yards, 57th nationally with 64.5 yards per game;
Tyre was tied for fourth in the NCAA FCS in receiving touchdowns (11), one shy of matching the program record – 12 by Karnorris Benson (2013) and Eric Rasheed (1983) – to finish second in the record books … a combined 15 different Catamounts recorded receiving touchdowns this season with five players recording three-or-more receiving scores;
LB Jordan Thompson led WCU with 11 total tackles, his FIFTH double-digit tackle effort this season … Thompson finished the regular season with a team-best 93 total tackles with seven tackles for loss and two sacks;
WCU combined for four quarterback sacks at VMI, matching the team's single-game best this season – four against Samford and four against the Keydets … WCU's four sacks on Saturday were credited to four different players – DB's Hasaan Sykes and Marseille Taylor,, and defensive linemen Jackson Banks and Caleb Bradford;
Redshirt freshman Na'koma Simpson-Nealy recorded his first career interception on Saturday at VMI … It gave the Catamounts a 12th seasonal interception, double-digit picks in back-to-back years – and double-digit interceptions for just the fifth time in the past 10 seasons;
Western Carolina used a second true freshman kicker this season as PK #60 Bryan McCollum made his WCU debut, scoring 12 total points … McCollum kicked two field goals of 24 yards (1st quarter) and 29 yards (3rd quarter), and was a perfect 6-of-6 on PATs in his collegiate debut.

Miscellaneous Notes:

Western Carolina's team captains for Saturday's game: redshirt senior DE #1 Caleb Fisher; fifth-year senior DE #2 Micah Nelson; senior DB #3 Samaurie Dukes; and senior LB #5 Hayward McQueen Jr.;
Long-snapper #56 Mabry Bumgarner carried out the American flag during Saturday's pregame team entrance; freshman TE #48 Cole Craddock carried out the North Carolina state flag during the runout, a tradition started the week after the tragedies of Hurricane Helene in western North Carolina;
WCU won the opening toss and elected to receive the game-opening kickoff;
Western Carolina wore purple helmets over white jerseys and white pants for the 16TH time under head coach Kerwin Bell … WCU improved to 10-6 in the all-white look, winning two straight.