WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNT FOOTBALL 2019 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 #1: WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS (0-0, 0-0 SoCon) vs. MERCER BEARS (0-0, 0-0 SoCon) Location: ................................................. Cullowhee, N.C., 28723 Saturday, Aug. 31, 2019 • 6:05 pm ET • Cullowhee, N.C. • E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field (13,790) ..............................................................................................Pronounced “KULL - uh - whee” Founded: ...............................................................................1889 Enrollment: ..........................................................................11,639 GAME COVERAGE: MERCER ................................................................. Catamounts Nickname: TV BROADCAST: Head Coach: Bobby Lamb ..................................................................... Purple & Gold Colors: TALENT: Pete Yanity (pxp) & Jared Singleton (anaylst) Stadium: .......................................E.J. Whitmire Stadium (13,790) Record at MER: 37-31, 7th yr RADIO: Catamount Sports Network Field: .......................... Bob Waters Field (Desso Challenge Pro 2) Career Record: 104-71, 16th yr Affiliation: ........... NCAA Div. I – Championship Subdivision (FCS) TALENT: Gary Ayers, Daniel Hooker, Jeff Bryson & Greg McLamb Conference: ....................................................................Southern ONLINE AUDIO: CatamountSports.com WESTERN CAROLINA Chancellor: ........................................................Dr. Kelli R. Brown TWITTER: @Catamounts Head Coach: Mark Speir Athletics Director: ................. Randy Eaton (UT-San Antonio, ‘90) SERIES HISTORY: Western Carolina trails, 2-3 (L–3) Record at WCU: 29-51, 8th yr FOOTBALL HISTORY: In Cullowhee: ....................Series tied, 1-1 – Last Mtg: MER, 35-33 (2017) Career Record: same First Year of Football: ............................................................1931 In Macon, Ga.: ..................WCU trails, 1-2 – Last Mtg: MER, 59-46 (2018) Seasons of Football: ............................................................. 86th All-Time / SoCon Record: .........343-504-23 (.409) / 113-183-3 (.389) 2019 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) AUG. 31 MERCER * CULLOWHEE 6:00 PM Nexstar/E+ WCU looks to halt an 8-game slide; combined 1,282 yds & 105 pts Last Appearance: ..................................................................1983 2018 Record: ..................................... 3-8 (Home: 2-3 | Away: 1-5) Sept. 7 at N.C. State Raleigh, N.C. 12:30 pm FSS 7th all-time series meeting between in-state foes; 1st since 2010 2018 SoCon Record (Finish): ..........1-7 (8th) (Home: 1-3 | Away: 0-4) SEPT. 14 NORTH GREENVILLE CULLOWHEE 3:30 PM ESPN+ First-ever meeting; campuses separated by less than 100 miles WCU FOOTBALL COACHING STAFF: Sept. 21 Bye Week Head Coach: ..................................... Mark Speir (Clemson, 1990) Sept. 28 at Chattanooga * Chattanooga, Tenn. 4:00 pm ESPN+ WCU has lost 9 of last 10 in series; won last meeting at UTC in '17 • Head Coaching Record at WCU: .................. 29-51, 18-36 SoCon OCT. 5 GARDNER-WEBB CULLOWHEE 3:30 PM ESPN+ Catamounts have won 4-straight in series dating back to 2010 • Overall Record: ...................................................................Same Oct. 12 at The Citadel * Charleston, S.C. 2:00 pm ESPN3 WCU is 4-6 in last 10 meetings; won in Charleston in 2017 ASSISTANT COACHES / S U P P O R T STAFF Oct. 19 at Wofford * Spartanburg, S.C. 1:30 pm Nexstar/E+ WCU has dropped 3-straight; WOF rallied from a 20-7 deficit in '18 John Wiley (East Texas State, 1984) ............Defense Coord. / ILBs OCT. 26 FURMAN * CULLOWHEE 3:30 PM ESPN3 Tyrie Adams tossed 5 TD passes last year; WCU's Homecoming Tyler Carlton (Tulsa, 2009) .................. co-Offensive Coord. / WRs John Holt (Appalachian, 2008)...............co-Offensive Coord. / OL Nov. 2 at VMI * Lexington, Va. 1:30 pm ESPN+ WCU looks to extend 16-game series win streak, 7-straight @VMI Mark Rhea (Toledo, 1991)................AHC / Recruiting Coord. / OLB NOV. 9 ETSU * CULLOWHEE 3:30 PM Nexstar/E+ WCU dropped 3-OT thriller at ETSU in '18; slim series lead, 24-23-1 Keith Henry (Catawba, 1989) .....................SpTms Coord. / Nickels NOV. 16 SAMFORD * CULLOWHEE 2:00 PM ESPN+ Catamounts have won last two series meetings in Cullowhee Arketa Banks (Elon, 2003) ..............................................RBs & TEs Nov. 23 at Alabama Tuscaloosa, Ala. TBA TBA Regular season finale; WCU is 0-4 vs. the Tide; 1st mtg since 2014 Phillip Ely (Toledo, 2016) ..........................................................QBs Tripp Weaver (East Carolina, 2012)..........Pass Game Coord. / DBs * denotes Southern Conference game /// All times listed are Eastern Reuben Wright (Catawba, 1994) ................................................ DL Deane Cheatham (James Madison, 2015)............. Def. Asst. / CBs A WESTERN CAROLINA WIN WOULD: • WCU has had three, seven-win seasons over its last five Al Degraffenreid (Western Carolina, 2017) .....................Asst. WRs years under head coach Mark Speir ... the 7-5 record in Nich Mashburn (Western Carolina, 2013) ........Dir. of Football Ops • Halt the current eight-game slide for the Catamounts 2014 was WCU's first winning mark since 2005 (5-4) and Justin Speros (Clemson, 2017) ....... Dir. of Scouting / Quality Control dating back to last season, giving WCU its first win since the most victories by a Catamount team since 2001 (7-4); Evan Barr (Tennessee, 2008) ............ Dir. of Athletic Performance Sept. 22, 2018 – a 52-50 win over VMI in Cullowhee; • Last year, the Catamounts were hot out of the gate by Steven Honbarger (Appalachian, 2001) .... Dir. of Sports Medicine • End the three-game winless drought against Mercer, winning their first three games before dropping eight- Mike Taylor .....................................Athletics Equipment Manager representing WCU's first win over the Bears since a Sandy Neuenschwander ...........Football Administrative Assistant straight ... Of the eight-consecutive losses, WCU dropped come-from-behind, 24-21, victory in Cullowhee in 2015; TWO by six points or fewer and held double-digit leads in WESTERN CAROLINA MEDIA RELATIONS INFORMATION: • Give head coach Mark Speir his 30th career victory at FOUR games – 14 at Mercer (L, 59-46), 15 at #25 ETSU (L Asst. AD/Media Relations (FB Contact): .................Daniel Hooker the helm in Cullowhee making him just the fifth WCU in 3OT, 45-43), 14 vs. The Citadel (L, 38-24), and 13 vs. No. • Email Address: [email protected] head coach to win 30-or-more games ... It would put him 14 Wofford (L, 38-23); • Office / Cell Phone: ................ (828) 227-2339 / (828) 508-2494 one win shy of matching Steve Hodgin (31, 1990-96) for Director of Media Relations (Secondary FB): ........Steven Grandy • WCU has 14 players making 2019 their senior season – fourth on the WCU career coaching chart. • Email Address: ..................................... [email protected] EIGHT players on offense and SIX on defense; Director of Media Relations: ...................................Denise Gideon A WESTERN CAROLINA LOSS WOULD: • WCU returned 15 out of a possible 25 starters between its • Email Address: [email protected] • Represent the ninth-straight defeat for WCU dating offense, defense, and special teams ... That includes SIX Director of Video Operations: .................................. Noah Sautter back to last season when the Catamounts dropped eight- starters on offense,SEVEN on defense, and TWO back on • Email Address: [email protected] straight games after winning their first three games, special teams in specialist starters ... Combined, WCU has Video Operations Assistant: ................................Doug Thompson 36 total returning letter winners from 2018, nearly equaled ......................................(828) 227-2116 WCU's best start to a season since 1976; Football Press Box Phone: with 32 newcomers and 22 players that took redshirts; Athletics Mailing & Overnight Address: ..................WCU Athletics • A ninth-straight loss would be the longest such losing 92 Catamount Road – Ramsey Center skid since dropping 10-straight back in 2012, the first sea- • A combined 18 Western Carolina football players SHARE a Cullowhee, N.C. 28723 son under coach Mark Speir. LAST name – none of which are related: CAMPBELL .............................................Chris (LB) Nick (OL) CATAMOUNT QUICK SLANTS: HARRIS ...............................Alan (LB), Christian (DL), Ty (LB) • Western Carolina’s 2019 roster includes a combined 56 JOHNSON ................ Dawson (OL), Kaleb (WR), Roman (DL) players from the state of North Carolina ... Georgia is sec- JONES ...............................Reggie (DB), Trent (OL), Will (QB) ond with 19, followed by South Carolina (15), Florida (6), MULLEN ..........................................Jaheim