Western Carolina University

Western Carolina 2016 Football Schedule 

Cullowhee, N.C. - Western Carolina head football coach Mark Speir today unveiled the Catamounts' 11-game 2016 schedule which features a combined five home dates, and is bookended by road games at a pair of Football Bowl Subdivision (FBS) directional rivals, East Carolina and South Carolina.

In addition to the full eight-game Southern Conference schedule, WCU plays three nonconference games against regional opponents.

All kickoff times and additional details surrounding WCU's game day information will be released at a later date. Season tickets for the 2016 season are currently on sale through the WCU Athletics Ticket Office on the first floor of the Ramsey Center or online at CatamountSports.com.

"We are very excited about the 2016 football schedule," said Speir, who is entering his fifth season at WCU. "Our football program is excited for our always challenging Southern Conference schedule that includes some great home dates here in Cullowhee."

He added, "It's always such a great opportunity to be able to play FBS opponents like SEC-foe, South Carolina and in-state foe, East Carolina, out of the American Conference. And we also look forward to beginning our four-year agreement to play an in-state opponent from the Big South, Gardner-Webb."

Western Carolina opens 2016 with two of its first three games on the road. The Catamounts begin the campaign by renewing a long-time, in-state rivalry against East Carolina, halting a 35-year hiatus. The first football meeting between the dueling Purple & Gold squads since 1981 is slated for Saturday, Sept. 3, 2016 at Dowdy-Ficklen Stadium in Greenville, N.C.

The Catamounts open the home portion of their schedule by hosting the Gardner-Webb Runnin' Bulldogs at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field on Sept. 10, followed a week later by the first meeting against returning Southern Conference foe, East Tennessee State, on Sept. 17. The game will be the first conference contest for the Buccaneers, which renewed their football program a season ago. The WCU-ETSU series dates back to 1932 with the 2016 meeting representing the first between the two programs since 2003.

Three of the five October games will be played at home for Western Carolina. The month opens with back-to-back home dates for the Catamounts as NCAA Football Championship Subdivision (FCS) playoff participant, The Citadel (Oct. 1), and the triple-option offensive attack of Wofford (Oct. 8) visit Cullowhee for a pair of SoCon match-ups. WCU looks to avenge a league-opening road loss to the Bulldogs in Charleston last fall with the WCU Family Weekend contest, while also looking for their third-straight series victory over Wofford.

Consecutive road contests at Mercer (Oct. 15) and Samford (Oct. 22) continue the slate through October, with defending conference champion, Chattanooga, providing the opponent on Homecoming weekend on Oct. 29, 2016. The Catamounts will seek their fourth-straight Homecoming Day victory.

WCU has three regular season games scheduled in November, two coming away from Cullowhee. The Catamounts open the month with the final home date of the schedule, hosting the VMI Keydets on Hall of Fame weekend on Saturday, Nov. 5. WCU will also honor its senior class on Senior Day with special pre- and in-game ceremonies.

The Catamounts conclude the 2016 regular season with consecutive road games in the Palmetto State, visiting SoCon-foe, Furman (Nov. 12), before concluding the regular season at South Carolina (Nov. 19) at Williams-Brice Stadium in Columbia, S.C. WCU and USC have met four times previously on the football gridiron with each meeting coming in succession between 1986 and 1989.

Finishing last season at 7-4 overall, Western Carolina has posted consecutive seven-win seasons for the first-time since 1983-84. The seven victories in 2015 represented just the third, seven-or-more win season since 2000 -- and just the sixth seven-or-more win season since becoming a NCAA Division I program in 1976. Over the past two years, the Catamounts have been brilliant at home, posting a 10-1 record inside the friendly confines of E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.

Season tickets for all five home dates in 2016 are on-sale now through the WCU Athletics Ticket Office and online at CatamountSports.com. Returning season ticket holders must renew their season tickets by mid-June, 2016. Fans can call the ticket office toll free at (800) 34-GOWCU or (828) 227-2401.

"As always, we want to challenge the `Catamount Nation' to pack E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field each and every Saturday this fall. We've started it the past two seasons -- let's continue to create a game-day atmosphere that is second-to-none here in the `Whee," concluded Speir.

National Signing Day is Wednesday, Feb. 3, with complete online coverage as each signee is approved online at CatamountSports.com. Catamount Athletics, WCU Football, and the Catamount Club will host a National Signing Day reception on Saturday, Feb. 13 to provide an overview of this year's recruiting class.

The event, which will be hosted in the Ramsey Center, is scheduled for an 11:00 am social followed by the program at Noon -- and precedes a Catamount basketball doubleheader slated for 2:00 pm. WCU's National Signing Day (NSD) reception is open to Catamount Club members at the Top Cat level and above with the social catered by Ingles. The Catamount Club asks that all eligible members planning to attend the NSD reception RSVP by 5:00 pm on Wednesday, Feb. 10.

WCU is scheduled to open its annual spring drills on Friday, March 4 with the date of the 2016 Spring Game scheduled for Saturday, April 9, 2016.

Fans can keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through its social media outlets on Facebook (fb.com/catamountsports) and Twitter (@catamounts), as well as video updates on the department's YouTube channel (CatamountSports).

Western Carolina 2016 Catamount Football Schedule:
Sept. 3 -- at East Carolina
Sept. 10 -- vs. Gardner-Webb
Sept. 17 -- at East Tennessee State *
Oct. 1 -- vs. The Citadel * (WCU Family Weekend)
Oct. 8 -- vs. Wofford *
Oct. 15 -- at Mercer *
Oct. 22 -- at Samford *
Oct. 29 -- vs. Chattanooga * (WCU Homecoming)
Nov. 5 -- vs. VMI * (Hall of Fame Day)
Nov. 12 -- at Furman *
Nov. 19 -- at South Carolina
Nov. 26 -- NCAA FCS Playoffs, First Round (TBA)

* - denotes Southern Conference game
Subject to change