Cullowhee, N.C. – Longtime Western North Carolina foes Western Carolina and Appalachian State have signed a one-game agreement to rekindle their football rivalry. The Catamounts are scheduled to visit Kidd Brewer Stadium in Boone to face the archrival Mountaineers on Sept. 2, 2028, as part of Labor Day weekend early in the 2028 season.
Western Carolina and App State last met on the football gridiron in 2013 as mutual members of the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) Southern Conference before the Mountaineers joined the NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) Sun Belt Conference. The single-game matchup for the '28 was hinted at by Appalachian State Director of Athletics Doug Gillin during the Josh Graham Show earlier this week.
The gridiron grudge matches between the two schools separated by less than 140 miles that share similar histories comprised a rivalry once dubbed "the best football rivalry you've never heard of" by Sports Illustrated in the mid-1980s. The friendly competition both on the field and between the respective fan bases ranks among the finest and most enduring rivalry series in North Carolina and the Southeast.
The all-time series dates to the 1930s and was contested each year from 1932-1941, and again following WWII from 1946 until 2013. Though it wasn't until the 1976 season and the addition of one of the nation's most unique traveling trophies, "the Old Mountain Jug," that the WCU-App State rivalry was personified. For the 2028 meeting, the "Jug" will once again be up for grabs as the two mountain rivals square off in Boone.
Ticket details for Catamount Nation will be made available closer to the 2028 football season.
Season tickets for Western Carolina's six-game 2025 home football schedule are on sale now through the Catamount Athletics ticket office and start at just $96 for adults and $66 for youth 12 and under. A Catamount Family Four Pack that includes two adult reserved season tickets and two youth reserved season tickets is just $250 – that is less than $11 per ticket. Season ticket options include general admission, reserved bleacher bench, and chairback seats, with a Family Zone four-pack in Section FF.
A $10 transaction fee will be charged for all season ticket orders, including credit card, cash, and check.
Fans can purchase tickets through the Catamount Athletics Ticket Office, located on the first floor of the Ramsey Center, or by phone Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. through 5 p.m. Tickets can also be purchased online at
CatamountSports.com/BuyTickets.
Catamount Nation is also encouraged to
join the Catamount Club, and current Catamount Club members are also reminded to renew their memberships before the end of June.
Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountsFB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts).
