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Postgame Celebration - vs. Samford

Football Daniel Hooker, Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations

Postgame Notes - vs. Samford

Postgame Notes
Western Carolina 50, Samford 35
E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field
Cullowhee, N.C. | Saturday, Sept. 20, 2025
Att: 10,593
 
With the Win:
  • Western Carolina won its third straight in the series with Samford, WCU's longest consecutive win streak in series history;
  • The victory also snapped a three-game seasonal slide for the Catamounts;
  • Western Carolina opened Southern Conference play at 1-0 for the third-straight year, the second time coming against Samford (2023, 2025; Wofford in 2024);
  • Catamount head football coach Kerwin Bell improved to 25-24 all-time as the head coach at Western Carolina and 118-66 all-time … Saturday's win was also the first for WCU Director of Athletics Kyle Pifer, who received a game ball from Bell in the postgame locker room;
Post-Game Notes:
  • Western Carolina amassed a season-high 733 yards of total offense on Saturday, including 582 passing and 151 rushing … It's the third-highest single-game output by a Catamount offense in school history, second only to last year's 801 yards at Furman and 766 yards against Presbyterian in 2022; 
  • WCU's 582 passing yards are the second-most in a single game, second only to the 652 yards last season at Furman; 
  • Making his season debut, redshirt sophomore QB Taron Dickens threw for a career-best 582 yards passing, the second-most in program history only behind Cole Gonzales, who threw for 620 yards at Furman last season … the 582 passing yards by Dickens is the most by a quarterback in the NCAA FCS this season, eclipsing the previous high of 492 by Derek Robertson of Monmouth vs. Colgate (8/29/2025); 
  • Dickens tied for the second-most passing yards in a Southern Conference game, trailing Gonzales (620 at Furman) and matching former Samford QB Liam Welch, who threw for 582 vs. ETSU back in 2021… Welch was 56-of-73 for 582 and three touchdowns and an interception in that game, while Dickens on Saturday was 35-of-46 for 582 yards and six touchdowns without a turnover; 
  • Dickens' six touchdown passes matched a program single-game record, tying Carlos Davis, who threw six scoring strikes in a road win at Charleston Southern (2022) … Dickens also matched both Davis and Troy Mitchell (6, vs. VMI in 2014), who each were responsible for six total TDs; 
  • Dickens also set Whitmire Stadium records for passing yards (582), eclipsing the previous mark of 431 yards he set last year against Chattanooga … His six touchdown passes were a Whitmire Stadium record, usurping a three-way tie between himself (vs. Chattanooga, 2024), Tyrie Adams (vs. Gardner-Webb, 2016), and Troy Mitchell (vs. VMI, 2014); 
  • Adding in his 42 rushing yards, Dicken amassed a program record 624 yards of total offense, eclipsing Cole Gonzales' mark of 610 at Furman last season … the 624 yards of total offense ranks second in the Southern Conference single-game record books and easily set an E.J Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field record, eclipsing the previous benchmark of 510 set by Tyrie Adams in Cullowhee (vs. Gardner-Webb, 2016) … It also represents the most by an individual in the NCAA FCS Football this season, just ahead of Samford's Quincy Crittendon who had 509 on Saturday; 
  • In his last two games played - the regular-season finale at Samford last November and Saturday's meeting with the Bulldogs - Dickens has amassed 1,006 yards of total offense, including 990 yards passing - 408 last year in Birmingham and 582 Saturday in Cullowhee;
  • At the half, Dickens had amassed 351 yards of total offense – 326 passing and 25 rushing yards … He finished one yard shy of matching the program record for total offense in a single half, set by Cole Gonzales (352) last year at Furman (353 passing, -1 rushing); 
  • Dickens completed 35 passes on Saturday – one shy of his career-best 36 set last season at Samford and one shy of matching the Whitmire Stadium record of 36 set by Tyrie Adams against Gardner-Webb in 2016 … Dickens spread the football around to 10 different receivers, with just one posting a 100-yard receiving game – RB Camury Reid (4 rec, 107 yds); 
  • RB Camury Reid had a career-high in all-purpose yards with 146 total yards, including a career-best 107 yards receiving and 39 yards rushing … His 146 yards came on just 10 total touches, averaging 14.6 yards per touch; 
  • Reid scored a career-best four touchdowns in the win, including a career-high three receiving and one on the ground ... With 24 points, Reid ranks tied for second in the NCAA FCS for the most points scored in a single game, tied with 10 others in the nation; 
  • True freshman TE Josiah Thomas caught a career-high 5 passes for 63 yards and his first career receiving touchdown … Making his collegiate debut, freshman WR Michael Rossin caught three passes for a career-best 90 yards – his first career reception went for 64 yards; 
  • Also posting career games on the receiving end, Dartmouth transfer WR Painter Richards-Baker caught a career-best six passes for a career-high 85 yards and his first touchdown in a Catamount uniform … WR Malik Knight caught a career-best six passes for 67 yards, his fourth-best single-game … transfer WR Dominic Dutton caught three passes for a career-best 97 yards; 
  • Redshirt freshman RB Markel Townsend rushed a career-high 13 times – 11 in the fourth quarter alone – and finished with a career-best 56 yards on the ground; 
  • CB Hasaan Sykes totaled a career-high 11 tackles, eight solo, to lead the Catamount defense … DL Justin Wallace was credited with a career-high five tackles, three solo, while his line counterpart Jahleel Anderson finished with four stops … DB Cam'Ron Dabney tallied a pair of stops, his best at WCU … freshman LB Hank Bodine matched his career high with three tackle; 
  • Transfer DL Sean Morris posted his second-straight two-sack performance, matching his career-best set against Elon the week prior; 
  • Safety Samaurie Dukes came up with WCU's fifth interception on the season on Saturday, posting the sixth INT of his career; 
  • Western Carolina was credited with 15 quarterback hurries on defense, led by Kenyon Partridge with seven and three by Justin Wallace; 
  • Punter Steven Brantley kicked off a career-high eight times vs. Samford, recording five touchbacks … Placekicker Marcus Trout connected on a career-high six PATs.
Miscellaneous Notes:
  • Western Carolina's team captains for Saturday's game: Senior LB #1 Caleb Fisher; senior LB #5 Hayward McQueen Jr.; senior WR #8 Painter Richards-Baker; redshirt junior TE #86 Brayden Blackmon;
  • Redshirt sophomore DE #11 Keynon Partridge carried the United States flag  during the pregame runout, and offensive lineman #52 Mannasseh Ripert carried out the North Carolina flag, a tradition begun in the game following the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in 2024;
  • Western Carolina won the toss and deferred to the second half; the Catamounts kicked off to start the game, with Samford receiving in the south endzone;
  • Saturday's game was delayed by three hours, officially kicking off at 5:30 p.m. instead of the originally scheduled 2:30 p.m. start.
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Players Mentioned

Cole Gonzales

#9 Cole Gonzales

QB
6' 0"
Junior
Brayden Blackmon

#86 Brayden Blackmon

TE
6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
Taron Dickens

#5 Taron Dickens

QB
5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
Samaurie Dukes

#3 Samaurie Dukes

S
5' 11"
Senior
Caleb Fisher

#1 Caleb Fisher

DE
6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
Malik Knight

#7 Malik Knight

WR
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
Hayward McQueen Jr.

#5 Hayward McQueen Jr.

LB
6' 1"
Senior
Kenyon Partridge

#11 Kenyon Partridge

DE
6' 3"
Redshirt Sophomore
Hasaan Sykes

#12 Hasaan Sykes

CB
6' 0"
Sophomore
Markel Townsend

#28 Markel Townsend

RB
5' 8"
Redshirt Freshman
Justin Wallace

#10 Justin Wallace

DE
6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
Jahleel Anderson

#8 Jahleel Anderson

DT
6' 4"
Senior

Players Mentioned

Cole Gonzales

#9 Cole Gonzales

6' 0"
Junior
QB
Brayden Blackmon

#86 Brayden Blackmon

6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
TE
Taron Dickens

#5 Taron Dickens

5' 11"
Redshirt Sophomore
QB
Samaurie Dukes

#3 Samaurie Dukes

5' 11"
Senior
S
Caleb Fisher

#1 Caleb Fisher

6' 3"
Redshirt Senior
DE
Malik Knight

#7 Malik Knight

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
WR
Hayward McQueen Jr.

#5 Hayward McQueen Jr.

6' 1"
Senior
LB
Kenyon Partridge

#11 Kenyon Partridge

6' 3"
Redshirt Sophomore
DE
Hasaan Sykes

#12 Hasaan Sykes

6' 0"
Sophomore
CB
Markel Townsend

#28 Markel Townsend

5' 8"
Redshirt Freshman
RB
Justin Wallace

#10 Justin Wallace

6' 2"
Redshirt Junior
DE
Jahleel Anderson

#8 Jahleel Anderson

6' 4"
Senior
DT