Cullowhee, N.C. – Western Carolina football travels down Interstate 40 and up a weight class on Saturday afternoon as the Catamounts square off against in-state NCAA FBS foe Wake Forest at Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium in Winston-Salem. Kickoff against the ACC's Demon Deacons is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Saturday's game will be broadcast on the
ACC Network Xtra (
paid subscription required) and
ESPN+ (
paid subscription required) with Doug Sherman (PxP) and Reggie Walker Jr. (analyst) on the call. Fans can also listen to the game on the Catamount Sports Network with a 1 p.m. airtime of the Pepsi Tailgate Show on four CSN affiliates, including 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC, in Sylva; 104.9 FM and 1050 AM WFSC in Franklin; 1310 AM WISE Sports Radio in Asheville; and 103.9 WBRM BIGFOOT Country in Marion and along the I-40 corridor in western North Carolina.
Live streaming audio from the Catamount Sports Network, as well as links to live stats, are
available online at CatamountSports.com. In-game updates will also be available on X, following @Catamounts and @CatamountsFB.
Western Carolina (0-1) looks to shake off a disappointing opening weekend loss that saw a potent Catamount offense jet out to a 35-7 lead in the first half on the way to scoring 45 points last Saturday against Gardner-Webb in Cullowhee. However, the Runnin' Bulldogs lived up to their moniker behind 6-6, 240-lbs. quarterback Nate Hampton, who rushed for four scores and tossed two more in guiding the guests back from the early deficit for the upset victory.
Wake Forest (1-0) claimed its low-scoring season opener last Friday, overcoming early adversity with the loss of outstanding tailback Demond Claiborne to injury to stave off Kennesaw State, 10-9, at home. Behind former two-sport athlete, QB Robby Ashford – who started his career at Oregon, where he also played baseball – Wake claimed its opener with the baseball-like score. The athletic Ashford accounted for 260 yards and the lone rushing score of the game for the Deacs.
About Western Carolina:
Despite the season-opening loss to GWU without preseason All-American quarterback
Taron Dickens, the voting coaches hung with the Catamounts as WCU remained among the nationally-ranked in the AFCA Coaches Poll in a tie for 25th. The voting media, however, dropped the SoCon's preseason No. 3 team into the "others receiving votes" category in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 after the 0-1 start.
And speaking of the start, coming slow out of the gates in the new era of college football, which is heavily influenced by the transfer portal – players coming and going from the end of the previous season right up to the start of the next – is not something uncommon for Bell and the Catamounts. Over the past five years under the head ball coach, Western Carolina is just 1-4 in season openers. WCU has suffered losses to Eastern Kentucky (L, 31-28 in 2021), at Arkansas (L, 56-13 in 2023), at NC State (L, 38-21 in 2024), and last week against Gardner-Webb (L, 52-45). The lone victory was a throttling of Charleston Southern in the Lowcountry, 52-38, in 2022.
Entering the season, looking to be a more balanced football team, Catamount head coach
Kerwin Bell got just that in the opener. WCU amassed 454 yards of total offense that included rushing for 221 yards – just the third, 200-yard rushing performance by the Catamounts over the past two seasons and the most since amassing 275 in a win over Chattanooga back in 2023. WCU also threw for 233 yards behind redshirt sophomore
Bennett Judy, who finished 15-of-27 for 151 yards and two scores in his first collegiate start, and redshirt freshman
Isaac Lee (3-of-9, 82 yds, TD), who saw his first career action.
Converted tailback
Patrick Boyd Jr. rushed for a career-best 142 yards on 15 touches, averaging nearly 10 yards per touch with a long of 70 yards and a score. Senior
Branson Adams, who moved into 16th in program history with 1,398 career rushing yards, ran for 66 against Gardner-Webb.
Missing three projected starters at wide receiver – including the SoCon leader for receptions in 2024 in
AJ Colombo (61), returner
Jai Boyd, and returning transfer
Jaylin Terzado – the Catamount aerial attack was spread between nine different receivers, with redshirt freshman
James Tyre hauling in a career-best five catches for 66 yards and a score. True freshman
Trey Walker scored on his first catch from 25 yards out, while deep threat
Malik Knight sprinted under a dime dropped by Lee for a 69-yard score.
Defensively, the Catamounts were paced by senior LB
Hayward McQueen Jr., with a career-best 15 tackles, the fourth double-digit stop of his career. McQueen forced a fumble on a sack that
Kenyon Partridge recovered for a takeaway, with Hasaan Skyes giving the ball-hawking Catamounts their first interception after recording 21 last season – the most by a WCU squad since recording 20 in 1986 and 28 by the 1983 squad.
Western Carolina vs. Wake Forest – the All-Time Series:
The Catamounts and Demon Deacons meet for the fourth time on the football gridiron, with WCU trailing in the all-time series, 0-3 … Each meeting has been played in Winston-Salem, dating back to the first-ever matchup in 1982. The second meeting came in WCU's magical 1983 season as The Cats suffered a 21-0 setback to the Deacs – but after the shutout loss in Winston, WCU did not lose another game until the national title game, posting an 11-0-1 mark before running into Southern Illinois.
The Catamounts vs. Members of the ACC:
Western Carolina has played 10 of the current 18 members of the Atlantic Coast Conference all-time in football, still looking for its first victory over the 34 all-time tries. Most recently, the Catamounts put a scare into the NC State Wolfpack, carrying a 21-17 lead into the fourth quarter last season at Carter-Finley Stadium in Raleigh before being overpowered by depth and a hot Thursday night in last season's opener.
Western Carolina Against the NCAA FBS:
The Catamounts look to defy the odds as WCU is still in search of its first-ever victory over an NCAA Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) team (0-63) – though the Catamounts have had a couple of close calls. In 2005, Western Carolina fell at Cincinnati, 7-3, in the closest call all-time. Between the hard running of Darius Fudge and Lamont Reid, WCU looked to have the go-ahead score midway through the fourth quarter on a charge by Reid. But the tally was negated by a backside holding call, and two plays later, the Bearcats forced an interception to end the threat.
In 2014, WCU used a relentless passing attack behind Troy Mitchell, who attempted 67 passes among the 96 total plays at South Florida in another close call, falling 36-31. And most recently, last year's fourth-quarter lead for WCU in Raleigh gives this year's squad a little added confidence – though the team understands the task at hand.
Of note, as of the current date in 2025, only two FCS teams – Tarleton State and Austin Peay – have defeated FBS teams this year. Tarleton State beat Army on August 29, and Austin Peay defeated Middle Tennessee State on August 30.
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).
Game 2: Saturday, Sept. 6, 2025 • 2 p.m.
Location: Winston-Salem, N.C. (Allegacy Federal Credit Union Stadium)
Records: 25/RV Western Carolina (0-1) at Wake Forest (1-0)
BROADCAST INFORMATION:
Video Stream: ACCNX (
paid subscription required) and on ESPN+ (
paid subscription required) / Watch ESPN app
Announcers: Doug Sherman (PxP) and Reggie Walker Jr. (Analyst)
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
PxP: Gary Ayers
Analyst: Daniel Hooker
Producer: Jeff Bryson
2025 CSN Radio Affiliates:
Sylva – 105.7 FM / 540 AM WRGC – wrgc.com
Franklin – 104.9 FM / 1050 AM WFSC – 1050wfsc.com
Asheville – 1310 AM WISE Sports Radio – wisesportsradio.com
Marion – 103.9 FM / 1250 AM Bigfoot Country (bigfoot1039.com)
Online:
CatamountSports.com
Click HERE to Listen to the Catamount Sports Network (CSN)
