Jai Boyd caught three passes for a career-best 103 yards and a touchdown against Presbyterian on Saturday.

Ashley Evans - WCU Communications and Marketing

Football 9/19/2026 11:45:00 PM Daniel Hooker, Associate Athletics Director for Media Relations

Postgame Notes - vs. Presbyterian (9/19/26)

Postgame Notes
Western Carolina 58, Presbyterian 14
E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field
Cullowhee, N.C. | Saturday, Sept. 19, 2026
Att: 11,811

With the win:

The Catamounts moved back to .500 through nonconference play, improving to 2-2 through the first four games of the season … It's the second 2-2 start under head coach Kerwin Bell – 2022 and 2026 – and the best four-game start for WCU since 2023 when the squad was 3-1;
WCU remained unbeaten at home in 2026, coupled with the 45-21 season-opening victory over Eastern Kentucky;
The Catamounts extended their series win streak over Presbyterian to three in a row since 2015, while also giving WCU 11 victories in the past 12 series meetings with the Blue Hose;
Through two home games, Western Carolina LEADS the Southern Conference – and ranks 16th nationally in the NCAA FCS in average attendance at 12,647.

Post-Game Notes:

Western Carolina scored a season-high 58 points in the home win over Presbyterian to remain unbeaten at home … Saturday marked the 14th time WCU has scored 50 or more points;
Western Carolina has scored 30-or-more points in 38 of the 61 games under head coach Kerwin Bell, including twice in 2026 … the Catamounts have surpassed the 40-point plateau 23 times;
WCU's offense amassed 659 combined yards, the 10th time under Bell that WCU has eclipsed the 600-yard mark in a single game … Of that 659 yards, 325 came on the ground, the second-most by the Catamounts since 2021, only trailing the 384 against Presbyterian back in 2022;
The Catamounts passed for a season-high 334 yards, the third 300-yard passing game this season … WCU has hit the 300-yard mark through the air against each NCAA FCS opponent to date;
The Catamounts compiled 32 offensive first downs against the Blue Hose, the 12th time under head coach Kerwin Bell that WCU has hit or surpassed 30 first downs … 15 of the 32 first downs came on the ground, the fifth time the Catamounts have run for 15-or-more first downs in a game;
Western Carolina's defense pitched the second second-half shutout against an NCAA FCS team this season, shutting down the Presbyterian offense after halftime … the Catamounts only allowed 23 yards of total offense and just one first down after intermission;
Against THREE NCAA FCS opponents to date this season, the Catamounts have outscored the opposition 75-7 in the second half – 35-7 against Eastern Kentucky, 9-0 in the Sunday loss at Campbell, and 31-0 in the home win over Presbyterian;
Second-year tailback Josh Perry rushed for a career-high 142 yards and a career-best three touchdowns in the win over Presbyterian … Perry, who had two receiving TDs against EKU to give him three in his career, scored his first career rushing touchdown on a three-yard score late in the first quarter … His 142 rushing yards were the most by a Catamount since Patrick Boyd Jr. ran for 142 last season against Gardner-Webb … His three rushing scores were the most for a Catamount since Jalynn Williams scored three times on the ground against The Citadel in 2024;
Six Catamount running backs split reps against Presbyterian, with Perry matching his career high with 16 rushes … Jadarius Dobie ran a career-high seven times for a career-best 45 yards, while Marlin Cochran matched his career-high with nine carries … Derrick Davis Jr. scored his first rushing touchdown as a Catamount, plunging in from a yard out;
Jai Boyd led the Catamounts with three receptions for a career-high 103 receiving yards and a touchdown, giving him a team-best three receiving scores on the season … His 103 yards represented his second 100-yard receiving game, just a yard better than the three-catch, 102-yard effort at Furman back in 2024;
AJ Colombo led the Catamounts with seven receptions, his fifth career game with seven-or-more catches;
Quarterback Lex Thomas finished 24-of-33 for 268 yards in the win … Thomas has completed 23-or-more passes in each of his four starts for the Catamounts this season … Isaac Lee finished 4-of-8 for 66 yards and his first passing TD of the year on a 36-yard score to Kale Woodburn, the first receiving touchdown by the Cincinnati transfer;
Western Carolina's defense recorded a season-high 10 tackles for loss, including a season-best four sacks … Chase Kerns was credited with a career-best two tackles for loss with a sack on a forced fumble, while Nassor Ashenafi recorded a career-high 1.5 TFLs, including half a sack … Ken Moore Jr. posted his third career sack;
Linebacker Joshua Collins recorded his first career interception, returning it 12 yards to set up the offense for an eventual Marlin Cochran rushing touchdown;
Placekicker Bryan McCollum finished with a career-high 16 points, converting all seven of his PAT attempts and connecting on field goals of 39, a career-long 45, and 27 yards … McCollum matched the single-game career-best of his older brother, former Catamount Richard McCollum, with 16 points – Richard finished second in WCU program history with 300 career points scored;
Freshman kicker Mark Fitzgerald kicked off a career-high eight times with a career-best eight touchbacks, while freshman Luke Waters made his collegiate debut with a pair of kickoffs, both going for touchbacks;

Miscellaneous Notes:

Western Carolina's team captains for Saturday's game: Fifth-year LB #0 Blue Monroe; fifth-year DB #7 Marseille Taylor; freshman DB #22 Quency Grant III; fifth-year OL #79 Vito Moriana-Sigel;
Due to the pregame weather delays, the team did not take the field in its typical runout through the "Pride of the Mountains" Marching Band tunnel – as a result, no one carried the American or North Carolina flag during the pregame;
Presbyterian won the toss and elected to receive; the Catamounts kicked off to start the game, defending the South end zone