WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL 2021 GAME NOTES FOOTBALL CONTACT: Daniel Hooker /// OFFICE: 828.227.2339 /// CELL: 828.508.2494 /// EMAIL: [email protected] WESTERN CAROLINA ATHLETICS MEDIA RELATIONS /// RAMSEY CENTER – 92 CATAMOUNT ROAD /// @CATAMOUNTS /// CATAMOUNTSPORTS.COM • wcu quick facts • GAME #9: WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS (1-7, 1-4) at ETSU BUCCANEERS (2-1, 2-1) Location: ................................................. Cullowhee, N.C., 28723 Saturday, March 27, 2021 • 1 pm • Johnson City, Tenn. • Greene Stadium (7,694) ...................................................................................................Pronounced “KULL - uh - whee” Founded: ...............................................................................1889 Enrollment: .........................................................................12,243 GAME COVERAGE: WESTERN CAROLINA Nickname: ................................................................. Catamounts TV BROADCAST: Head Coach: Mark Speir Colors: ..................................................................... Purple & Gold TALENT: Pete Yanity (pxp) and Jared Singleton (analyst) Record at WCU: 33-67, 9th yr Stadium: .......................................E.J. Whitmire Stadium (13,790) Catamount Sports Network Field: .................................... Bob Waters Field (Artificial: Ironturf) RADIO: Career Record: same Affiliation: ........... NCAA Div. I – Championship Subdivision (FCS) TALENT: Gary Ayers, Daniel Hooker, Greg McLamb, Jeff Bryson Conference: ....................................................................Southern ONLINE AUDIO: CatamountSports.com ETSU (RV) Chancellor: ................................ Dr. Kelli R. Brown (Toledo, 1982) TWITTER: @Catamounts, @CatamountsFB Head Coach: Randy Sanders Athletics Director: .....................................Alex Gary (VCU, 2005) SERIES HISTORY: WCU leads, 25-23-1 (W–1) Record at ETSU: 13-14, 3rd yr FOOTBALL HISTORY: In Johnson City:. ......... WCU trails, 11-13-1 (L–1); MR: ETSU, 45-43 (3ot) (2018) Career Record: same First Year of Football: ............................................................1931 In Cullowhee: ............... WCU leads, 13-10 (W–1); MR: WCU, 23-20 (ot) (2019) Seasons of Football: ..............................................................87th All-Time / SoCon Record: ..........347-515-23 (.404) / 116-189-3 (.380) 2020-21 CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL SCHEDULE / RESULTS NCAA Postseason Appearances (Div. I): ............................. 2 (1) Postseason Record (Div. I): ............................................3-2 (3-1) DATE OPPONENT SITE TIME/RESULT TV NOTES Best Finish: ...........1983 National Finalist (lost 43-7 to So. Illinois) Nov. 14 at #22 Liberty Lynchburg, Va. L, 58-14 ESPNU / ESPN3 LIB QB Malik Willis – 306 pass, 3 TDs & 97 rush, 2 TDs Last Appearance: ..................................................................1983 2019 Record: ..................................... 3-9 (Home: 2-4 | Away: 1-5) Nov. 21 at Eastern Kentucky Richmond, Ky. L, 49-17 ESPN3 Opportunity Bowl; EKU scored 28 4th qtr pts to pull away 2019 SoCon Record (Finish): ......... 2-6 (8th) (Home: 1-3 | Away: 1-3) Dec. 11 at #17 North Carolina Chapel Hill, N.C. L, 49-9 ACC Network UNC scored 21-pts in final 5:39 of 2nd qtr; WCU with def. TD WCU FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF: Feb. 20 at Furman * Greenville, S.C. L, 35-7 ESPN+ Furman scoredd 35-unanswerd pts; limited WCU to 109 yds Head Coach: ..................................... Mark Speir (Clemson, 1990) Feb. 27 at Samford * Birmingham, Ala. L, 55-27 ESPN+ Bulldogs scored 20, 3rd qtr pts to pull away in 2nd half • Head Coaching Record at WCU: .................. 33-67, 21-46 SoCon • Overall Record: ...................................................................Same MARCH 6 VMI * CULLOWHEE L, 30-7 ESPN+ VMI RB Korey Bridy with 2 rush TDs; built 30-0 lead thru mid-4th ASSISTANT COACHES / S U P P O R T STAFF MARCH 13 THE CITADEL * CULLOWHEE W, 21-14 ESPN+ WCU's Spencer accounted for 265 yds, 2 TDs; WCU 21-pts in 1st half John Holt (Appalachian, 2008)....................Offensive Coord. / OL March 20 at Mercer * Macon, Ga. L, 45-28 Nexstar/ESPN+ MER jumped out to 21-0 lead; held possession 40+ minutes Andy McCollum (Austin Peay, 1981) ............Defensive Coord. / ILB March 27 at ETSU * Johnson City, Tenn. 1 pm Nexstar/ESPN+ Blue Ridge Border Battle; Last 2 meetings have gone into OT Keith Henry (Catawba, 1989) ............................SpTms Coord. / CB Joe Speed (Navy, 1996) .......................co-Defensive Coord. / OLB APRIL 3 CHATTANOOGA * CULLOWHEE 1 pm ESPN+ WCU has lost 10 of last 11 mtgs; last home win was 2008 (27-7) Arketa Banks (Elon, 2003) .....................................Wide Receivers APRIL 10 WOFFORD * CULLOWHEE 2 pm ESPN+ WCU has dropped 4-straight since back-to-back wins (2014-15) Phillip Ely (Toledo, 2016) ...........................................Quarterbacks * denotes Southern Conference game /// All times listed are Eastern Jay Guillermo (Clemson, 2017) ......................................Tight Ends Graham Hobbs (Florida International, 2015) ..........Running Backs Nick Newsome (Austin Peay, 2012) ...................................Safeties A WESTERN CAROLINA WIN WOULD: • WCU played three nonconference road games last fall Clyde Simmons (Western Carolina, 1996) ..............Defensive Line – at #22 Liberty (Nov. 14), at NCAA FCS-member Eastern Drew Gaither ..........................Volunteeer Assistant / Nickelbacks • Retain possession of the traveling trophy in the "Blue Kentucky (Nov. 21) and at #17 North Carolina (Dec. 5) … Eric Hooper ................................. Volunteer Assistant / Specialists Ridge Border Battle," and represent the first back-to-back Including the three fall games and the first two SoCon victories in the trophy series by either side; Nich Mashburn (Western Carolina, 2013) ........Dir. of Football Ops meetings in 2021, WCU played five-consecutive games Ryan Kolakowski (Central Michigan, 2011) .......Dir. of Scouting / QC • Halt WCU's current SEVEN-GAME road losing skid that away from home to start 2020-21 … Adding in the 2019 Ben Jacobs (ECU, 2010) .................... Dir. of Athletic Performance dates back to the 2019 road win at VMI ... Among the cur- finale at fifth-ranked Alabama, WCU playedSIX-STRAIGHT rent seven game slide are three ranked NCAA FBS oppo- Steven Honbarger (App State, 2001) ......... Dir. of Sports Medicine ROAD GAMES over the past two-plus seasons; Mike Taylor .....................................Athletics Equipment Manager nents and three SoCon schools; • WCU has scored three, seven-win seasons over its last Sandy Neuenschwander ...........Football Administrative Assistant • End WCU's current TWO-game slide in series meetings with ETSU played away from Cullowhee – last two losses seven under head coach Mark Speir ... the 7-5 record in WESTERN CAROLINA MEDIA RELATIONS INFORMATION: 2014 was WCU's first winning mark since 2005 (5-4) and Asst. AD/Media Relations (FB Contact): .................Daniel Hooker have been in Johnson City, Tenn., and Bristol, Tenn.; the most victories by a Catamount team since 2001 (7-4); • Email Address: [email protected] • Give Mark Speir his 34th career victory at WCU ... It would • Office / Cell Phone: ................ (828) 227-2339 / (828) 508-2494 move him five victories shy of third-place Tom Young (39 • WCU has just 10 total seniors including two graduate trans- Director of Media Relations (Secondary FB): ........Steven Grandy wins, 1946-55). fers on its 2020-21 roster – SIX players on offense,FOUR • Email Address: ..................................... [email protected] A WESTERN CAROLINA LOSS WOULD: on defense; Director of Media Relations: ...................................Denise Gideon • WCU returned 19 out of a possible 25 starters between its • Email Address: [email protected] • Relegate the Catamounts to an 1-8 to start the 2020-21 offense, defense, and special teams ... That includedNINE Director of Video Operations: .................................. Noah Sautter season, it's slowest start since going 1-10 back in 2012 – the starters on offense, on defense, and all • Email Address: [email protected] first season under head coach Mark Speir; SEVEN THREE Football Press Box Phone: ......................................(828) 227-2116 • Hand WCU a 1-5 start to Southern Conference play and back on special teams in specialist starters ... Combined, Athletics Mailing & Overnight Address: ..................WCU Athletics guarantee a sub-.500 finish in conference play; WCU had 45 total returning letter winners from 2019 with 92 Catamount Road – Ramsey Center • Give WCU its eighth-consecutive road loss dating back 32 newcomers and 22 players that took redshirts; Cullowhee, N.C. 28723 to 2019 and be its third-straight away from home vs. ETSU. • A combined 16 WCU football players SHARE a LAST name – only TWO of which are related (DARRIUS and MO SMITH): CATAMOUNT QUICK SLANTS: DAVIS ............................................. Carlos (QB), Dorian (DB) • Western Carolina’s 2021 roster includes a combined 51 HARRIS .........Christian (DT), Ethan (DB), Jacob (CB), Ty (LB) players from the state of North Carolina ... South Carolina JOHNSON ....................................Dawson (OL), Roman (DT) is second with 20, followed by Georgia (17), Alabama (4), JONES ..............................Reggie (WR), Gabe (OL),