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 #4: WESTERN CAROLINA CATAMOUNTS (0-3, 0-0) AT FURMAN PALADINS (0-0, 0-0) Location: ................................................. Cullowhee, N.C., 28723 Saturday, Feb. 20, 2021 • 2 pm • Greenville, S.C. • Paladin Stadium (14,518) ...................................................................................................Pronounced “KULL - uh - whee” Founded: ...............................................................................1889 Enrollment: .........................................................................12,243 GAME COVERAGE: WESTERN CAROLINA Nickname: ................................................................. Catamounts TV BROADCAST: Head Coach: Mark Speir ..................................................................... Purple & Gold Colors: TALENT: Mark Childress, Bryant Lambert, & Erin Summers Stadium: .......................................E.J. Whitmire Stadium (13,790) Record at WCU: 32-63, 9th yr 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 Conference: ....................................................................Southern ONLINE AUDIO: CatamountSports.com FURMAN Chancellor: ................................ Dr. Kelli R. Brown (Toledo, 1982) @Catamounts, @CatamountsFB TWITTER: Head Coach: Clay Hendrix Athletics Director: .....................................Alex Gary (VCU, 2005) WCU trails, 12-33-2 (L–4) SERIES HISTORY: Record at FUR: 22-13, 4th yr FOOTBALL HISTORY: In Greenville, S.C.: ...........WCU trails, 6-17-1 (L–2); MR: FUR, 44-38 (2018) Career Record: same First Year of Football: ............................................................1931 In Cullowhee, N.C.: ............WCU trails, 6-16-1 (L–2); MR: FUR, 28-7 (2019) Seasons of Football: ..............................................................87th All-Time / SoCon Record: .......... 346-514-23 (.406) / 115-188-3 (.381) 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; First meeting since 2008, WCU trails 2-3 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. 2 pm ESPN+ SoCon Opener; Furman used 15 3rd qtr pts to pull away in 2019 Head Coach: ..................................... Mark Speir (Clemson, 1990) Feb. 27 at Samford * Birmingham, Ala. 1 pm ET ESPN+ Bulldogs have won 3 of last 5; WCU's lone road win in 1969 • Head Coaching Record at WCU: .................32-63, 20-42 SoCon • Overall Record: ...................................................................Same MARCH 6 VMI * CULLOWHEE 1 pm ESPN+ WCU has won 17-straight; 4 of last 5, one possession games ASSISTANT COACHES / S U P P O R T STAFF MARCH 13 THE CITADEL * CULLOWHEE 1 pm ESPN+ 'Dogs built 25-pt 1st half lead, 2nd half TOs hurt comeback bid John Holt (Appalachian, 2008)....................Offensive Coord. / OL March 20 at Mercer * Macon, Ga. 3:30 pm ESPN+ MER scored 28 pts, 219 yds on 4 plays, 4th-straight series win Andy McCollum (Austin Peay, 1981) ............Defensive Coord. / ILB March 27 at ETSU * Johnson City, Tenn. 1 pm ESPN+ Blue Ridge Border Battle; Last 2 meetings have gone into OT Keith Henry (Catawba, 1989) ............................SpTms Coord. / CB Joe Speed (Navy).................................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 • Western Carolina played three nonconference road Nick Newsome (Austin Peay, 2012) ...................................Safeties A WESTERN CAROLINA WIN WOULD: Clyde Simmons (Western Carolina, 1996) ..............Defensive Line games last fall – at Liberty (Nov. 14), at NCAA FCS-member Drew Gaither ..........................Volunteeer Assistant / Nickelbacks • Halt Western Carolina's current FIVE-game losing skid Eastern Kentucky (Nov. 21) and at North Carolina (Dec. 5) Eric Hooper ................................. Volunteer Assistant / Specialists that dates back to early November 2019 – the five-straight … Including the three fall games and the first two SoCon losses over the past two years are on the heels of back-to- Nich Mashburn (Western Carolina, 2013) ........Dir. of Football Ops meetings in 2021, WCU plays five-consecutive games back wins in SoCon play for WCU in 2019; Ryan Kolakowski (Central Michigan, 2011) .......Dir. of Scouting / QC away from home to start 2020-21 … Adding in the 2019 Ben Jacobs (ECU, 2010) .................... Dir. of Athletic Performance • End WCU's current four-game drought in the series with finale at fifth-ranked Alabama, WCU will have playedSIX- Steven Honbarger (Appalachian, 2001) .... Dir. of Sports Medicine chromatic rival, Furman ... the Paladins have won the last STRAIGHT ROAD GAMES over the past two-plus seasons; Mike Taylor .....................................Athletics Equipment Manager four meetings dating back to the 2016 season after WCU • WCU has scored three, seven-win seasons over its last Sandy Neuenschwander ...........Football Administrative Assistant claimed back-to-back series wins in 2014 and 2015; six years under head coach Mark Speir ... the 7-5 record • Represent WCU's 24th victory in its SoCon opener dating WESTERN CAROLINA MEDIA RELATIONS INFORMATION: in 2014 was WCU's first winning mark since 2005 (5-4) and Asst. AD/Media Relations (FB Contact): .................Daniel Hooker back to 1977 (23-20) – and first since 2018 ... It'd also be the most victories by a Catamount team since 2001 (7-4); • Email Address: [email protected] just the ninth victory in a league-opener ON THE ROAD (8- • Office / Cell Phone: ................ (828) 227-2339 / (828) 508-2494 15) – and the first league-opening win for WCU away from • WCU has just NINE total seniors entering 2020-21 – FIVE Director of Media Relations (Secondary FB): ........Steven Grandy home since winning at Furman (35-17) in 2014; players on offense,FOUR on defense; • Email Address: ..................................... [email protected] • Give Mark Speir his 33rd career victory at WCU, fourth in • WCU returns 19 out of a possible 25 starters between its Director of Media Relations: ...................................Denise Gideon program history ... It would move him six victories shy of offense, defense, and special teams ... That includesNINE • Email Address: [email protected] third-place Tom Young (39 wins, 1946-55). starters on offense,SEVEN on defense, and all THREE Director of Video Operations: .................................. Noah Sautter back on special teams in specialist starters ... Combined, • Email Address: [email protected] A WESTERN CAROLINA LOSS WOULD: WCU has 45 total returning letter winners from 2019 with Football Press Box Phone: ......................................(828) 227-2116 • Relegate the Catamounts to an 0-4 to start the 2020-21 Athletics Mailing & Overnight Address: ..................WCU Athletics season and give WCU its sixth-consecutive loss dating back 32 newcomers and 22 players that took redshirts; 92 Catamount Road – Ramsey Center to the 2019 season ... It'd also represent WCU's fifth-consec- • A combined 16 Western Carolina football players SHARE a Cullowhee, N.C. 28723 utive loss to Furman in the head-to-head series. LAST name – only TWO of which are related (DARRIUS and DEMORIAN SMITH): CATAMOUNT QUICK SLANTS: HARRIS .........Christian (DT), Ethan (DB), Jacob (CB), Ty (LB) • Western Carolina’s 2021 roster includes a combined 51 JOHNSON ....................................Dawson (OL), Roman (DT) players from the state of North Carolina ... South Carolina JONES ..............................Reggie (WR), Gabe (OL), Will (QB) is second with 20, followed by Georgia (17), Alabama (4), NELSON ........................................Micah