2023 Western Carolina Catamounts football team

2023 Western Carolina Catamounts football
Conference	Southern Conference
Ranking
STATS	No. 23
Record	7–4 (5–3 SoCon)
Head coach	Kerwin Bell (3rd season)
Offensive coordinator	Kade Bell (3rd season)
Offensive scheme	No-huddle spread
Defensive coordinator	Chaz Scales (3rd season)
Base defense	4–3
Home stadium	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium

2023 Southern Conference football standings

	Conf							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 7 Furman $^		7	–	1					10	–	3
No. 14 Chattanooga ^		6	–	2					8	–	5
No. 17 Mercer ^		6	–	2					9	–	4
No. 23 Western Carolina		5	–	3					7	–	4
Samford		4	–	4					6	–	5
VMI		4	–	4					5	–	6
East Tennessee State		2	–	6					3	–	8
Wofford		2	–	6					2	–	9
The Citadel		0	–	8					0	–	11
$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2023 Western Carolina Catamounts football team represented Western Carolina University as a member of the Southern Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Catamounts were led by third-year head coach Kerwin Bell and played home games at Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium in Cullowhee, North Carolina.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
September 2	1:00 p.m.	at Arkansas*		War Memorial Stadium Little Rock, AR	SECN+/ESPN+	L 13–56	44,397
September 9	2:30 p.m.	No. 8 Samford		Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	ESPN+	W 30–7	12,410
September 16	6:00 p.m.	at Eastern Kentucky*		Roy Kidd Stadium Richmond, KY	ESPN+	W 27–24	13,596
September 23	2:30 p.m.	Charleston Southern*	No. 23	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	ESPN+	W 77–21	13,357
September 30	2:00 p.m.	at The Citadel	No. 17	Johnson Hagood Stadium Charleston, SC	ESPN+	W 49–14	12,317
October 7	4:00 p.m.	at No. 24 Chattanooga	No. 11	Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN	ESPN+	W 52–50	8,978
October 21	2:30 p.m.	No. 4 Furman	No. 8	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	ESPN+	L 17–29	10,736
October 28	2:30 p.m.	Mercer	No. 10	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	ESPN+	L 38–45	12,154
November 4	3:00 p.m.	at Wofford	No. 16	Gibbs Stadium Spartanburg, SC	ESPN+	W 28–25	4,996
November 11	1:00 p.m.	East Tennessee State	No. 17	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	ESPN+	W 58–7	11,019
November 18	12:00 p.m.	at VMI	No. 14	Alumni Memorial Field Lexington, VA	ESPN+	L 24–27	5,297
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

Game summaries

at Arkansas

See also: 2023 Arkansas Razorbacks football team

Western Carolina Catamounts (0–0) at Arkansas Razorbacks (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Catamounts	3	0	7	3	13
Razorbacks	21	14	7	14	56

at War Memorial Stadium • Little Rock, Arkansas

• Date: September 2
• Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
• Game weather: Cloudy, 82 °F (28 °C)
• Game attendance: 44,397
• Referee: Ken Williamson
• TV announcers (SECN+/ESPN+): Eric Frede (play-by-play) and Jordan Reid (analyst)

Game information

First quarter 13:03 ARK – Jaedon Wilson 65-yard pass from KJ Jefferson (Cam Little kick) – Arkansas 7–0, Drive: 2 plays, 79 yards, 0:36 8:40 ARK – Raheim Sanders 3-yard run (Cam Little kick) – Arkansas 14–0, Drive: 7 plays, 47 yards, 3:26 3:03 ARK – Isaac TeSlaa 31-yard pass from KJ Jefferson (Cam Little kick) – Arkansas 21–0, Drive: 1 play, 31 yards, 0:07 0:15 WCU – Richard McCollum 34-yard field goal – Arkansas 21–3, Drive: 8 plays, 59 yards, 2:41 Second quarter 2:56 ARK – KJ Jefferson 17-yard run (Cam Little kick) – Arkansas 28–3, Drive: 5 plays, 32 yards, 2:18 0:00 ARK – Raheim Sanders 1-yard run (Cam Little kick) – Arkansas 35–3, Drive: 8 plays, 47 yards, 2:44 Third quarter 10:59 WCU – Desmond Reid 2-yard run (Richard McCollum kick) – Arkansas 35–10, Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 2:12 6:13 ARK – Andrew Armstrong 16-yard pass from KJ Jefferson – Arkansas 42–10, Drive: 9 plays, 69 yards, 4:39 Fourth quarter 7:55 ARK – Davion Dozier 14-yard pass from Jacolby Criswell (Cam Little kick) – Arkansas 49–10, Drive: 7 plays, 48 yards, 3:51 4:19 ARK – Brad Spence 85-yard interception return (Cam Little kick) – Arkansas 56–10, Drive: 9 plays, 55 yards, 3:36 0:00 WCU – Richard McCollum 33-yard field goal – Arkansas 56–13, Drive: 13 plays, 60 yards, 4:19

Statistics	Western Carolina	Arkansas
First downs	18	21
Plays–yards	70–291	61–379
Rushes–yards	30–64	36–105
Passing yards	227	274
Passing: comp–att–int	25–40–4	20–25–0
Time of possession	30:43	29:17

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Carolina	Passing	Cole Gonzales	9/14, 118 yards, 1 INT
	Rushing	Branson Adams	4 carries, 38 yards
	Receiving	Censere Lee	3 receptions, 41 yards
Arkansas	Passing	KJ Jefferson	18/23, 246 yards, 3 TD
	Rushing	Raheim Sanders	15 carries, 42 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Jaedon Wilson	3 receptions, 83 yards, 1 TD

No. 8 Samford

See also: 2023 Samford Bulldogs football team

Pregame line	Over/under
SAM –6.0	64.5

Game Two – Western Carolina Catamounts (0–1) vs No. 8 Samford Bulldogs (1–0)

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Samford	7	0	0	0	7
Western Carolina	7	13	3	7	30

at E.J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, North Carolina

• Date: Saturday, September 9, 2023
• Game time: 1:30 p.m. EST
• Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C) • Wind: SE 5 MPH
• Game attendance: 12,410
• Referee: Michael Farmer
• TV: ESPN+

Game information

First quarter (7:03) SAM – Michael Vice 8-yard pass from Michael Hiers, Wilson Beaverstock kick (Drive: 7 plays, 97 yards, 2:00; Samford 7–0) (3:21) WCU – AJ Colombo 21-yard pass from Cole Gonzales, Richard McCollum kick (Drive: 10 plays, 76 yards, 3:32; Tied 7–7) Second quarter (13:42) WCU – Censere Lee 6-yard pass from Cole Gonzales, Richard McCollum kick (Drive: 10 plays, 59 yards, 3:58; Western Carolina 14–7) (1:38) WCU – Richard McCollum 23-yard field goal (Drive: 15 plays, 69 yards, 6:43; Western Carolina 17–7) (0:00) WCU – Richard McCollum 41-yard field goal (Drive: 2 plays, 20 yards, 0:11; Western Carolina 20–7) Third quarter (4:29) WCU – Richard McCollum 18-yard field goal (Drive: 13 plays, 84 yards, 5:50; Western Carolina 23–7) Fourth quarter (8:02) WCU – Desmond Reid 2-yard run, Richard McCollum kick (Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 6:14; Western Carolina 30–7)

Statistics	SAM	WCU
First downs	15	34
Plays–yards	57–361	84–546
Rushes–yards	23–46	49–284
Passing yards	315	262
Passing: comp–att–int	21–34–0	29–35–0
Time of possession	18:51	41:09

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
No. 8 Samford	Passing	Michael Hiers	21/34, 315 yards, TD
	Rushing	Jay Stanton	7 carries, 26 yards
	Receiving	Ty King	3 receptions, 96 yards
Western Carolina	Passing	Cole Gonzales	29/35, 262 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Desmond Reid	27 carries, 170 yards, TD
	Receiving	AJ Colombo	5 receptions, 79 yards, TD

at Eastern Kentucky

See also: 2023 Eastern Kentucky Colonels football team

Game Three – Western Carolina Catamounts (0–0) vs Eastern Kentucky Colonels (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	Total
Western Carolina			0
Eastern Kentucky			0

at Roy Kidd Stadium • Richmond, Kentucky

• Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023
• Game time: TBA EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WCU	EKU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Eastern Kentucky	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Charleston Southern

See also: 2023 Charleston Southern Buccaneers football team

Game Four – Western Carolina Catamounts (0–0) vs Charleston Southern Buccaneers (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	Total
Charleston Southern			0
Western Carolina			0

at E.J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, North Carolina

• Date: Saturday, September 23, 2023
• Game time: TBA EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	CHSO	WCU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Charleston Southern	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at The Citadel

See also: 2023 The Citadel Bulldogs football team

Game Five – Western Carolina Catamounts (0–0) vs The Citadel Bulldogs (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	Total
Western Carolina			0
The Citadel			0

at Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, South Carolina

• Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023
• Game time: TBA EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WCU	CIT
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
The Citadel	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Chattanooga

See also: 2023 Chattanooga Mocs football team

Game Six – Western Carolina Catamounts (0–0) vs Chattanooga Mocs (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	Total
Western Carolina			0
Chattanooga			0

at Finley Stadium • Chattanooga, Tennessee

• Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023
• Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WCU	UTC
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Chattanooga	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Furman

See also: 2023 Furman Paladins football team

Game Seven – Western Carolina Catamounts (0–0) vs Furman Paladins (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	Total
Furman			0
Western Carolina			0

at E.J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, North Carolina

• Date: Saturday, October 21, 2023
• Game time: TBA EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	FUR	WCU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Furman	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Mercer

See also: 2023 Mercer Bears football team

Game Eight – Western Carolina Catamounts (0–0) vs Mercer Bears (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	Total
Mercer			0
Western Carolina			0

at E.J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, North Carolina

• Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023
• Game time: TBA EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	MER	WCU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Wofford

See also: 2023 Wofford Terriers football team

Game Nine – Western Carolina Catamounts (0–0) vs Wofford Terriers (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	Total
Western Carolina			0
Wofford			0

at Gibbs Stadium • Spartanburg, South Carolina

• Date: Saturday, November 4, 2023
• Game time: TBA EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WCU	WOF
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Wofford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

East Tennessee State

See also: 2023 East Tennessee State Buccaneers football team

Game Ten – Western Carolina Catamounts (0–0) vs East Tennessee State Buccaneers (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	Total
East Tennessee State			0
Western Carolina			0

at E.J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, North Carolina

• Date: Saturday, November 11, 2023
• Game time: TBA EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	ETSU	WCU
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
East Tennessee State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at VMI

See also: 2023 VMI Keydets football team

Game Eleven – Western Carolina Catamounts (0–0) vs VMI Keydets (0–0)

Quarter	1	2	Total
Western Carolina			0
VMI			0

at Alumni Memorial Field • Lexington, Virginia

• Date: Saturday, November 18, 2023
• Game time: TBA EST

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WCU	VMI
First downs
Plays–yards
Rushes–yards
Passing yards
Passing: comp–att–int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
VMI	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Roster

2023 Western Carolina Catamounts football team roster
Players			Coaches
Offense Pos. # Name Class WR 0 AJ Colombo So RB 1 Desmond Reid So WR 2 Corey Washington Fr WR 3 Calvin Jones  So WR 4 De'Andre Tamarez  Fr RB 5 Jalynn Williams Sr WR 6 Terrence Horne Sr WR 7 David White Jr. Sr QB 8 Taron Dickens Fr QB 9 Cole Gonzales So WR 10 Censere Lee So TE 11 Ajay Belanger Sr QB 12 Brody Palhegyi  So QB 13 Charlie Dean Jr WR 14 Santana Fleming Fr WR 15 Jai Boyd Fr WR 16 James Tyre Fr QB 17 Bennett Judy Fr WR 18 Malik Knight  Fr WR 19 Zion Booker Fr RB 20 Corey Reddick Jr.  Fr RB 22 Branson Adams So RB 25 Marlin Cochran Fr RB 28 Markel Townsend Fr RB 34 Quenten Zanders  Sr TE 39 Brayden Blackmon Jr RB 41 Camury Reid  Fr OL 51 Aaron Sanez  Fr OL 52 Antwann Fann  Jr OL 53 Zach Watson Fr OL 60 Therion Cannon  So OL 61 Hudson Jones  Fr OL 62 Peyton Davis  So OL 63 Marselle Felton Fr OL 64 Tyler Bailey Fr OL 65 Blake Ellsworth Fr OL 66 Derek Simmons Jr OL 67 Steven Hamby Fr OL 69 Ashton Travis Jr OL 70 Christian Coulter Sr OL 71 Cade McClellan  Fr OL 72 Blake Whitmore  Jr OL 73 Xavier Graham Jr OL 74 Tyler Smith  Sr OL 75 Caleb Carter Jr OL 76 Nathan Linkous  So OL 78 Evan Carney  Fr OL 79 Aidan Alston  Jr WR 80 Rashad Davis Fr WR 81 Ca'Lique Cunningham  Fr WR 82 Nate Abraham  Fr WR 83 Ryan Sims  Fr WR 84 Eric Rasheed Fr TE 85 David Hulbert Fr TE 86 Clayton Bardall  Sr TE 87 Jake Young  Fr WR 88 Patrick Boyd Jr. Fr RB Brandon Benjamin So RB Levi Berryhill  So RB Jaiden Bond So TE Ty Handley Fr WR Caden Robinson Fr WR Cade Snotherly Jr	Defense Pos. # Name Class DL 0 Bryce Wilson Sr S 1 Mateo Sudipo  Jr CB 2 Rod Gattison Sr CB 3 Samaurie Dukes So CB 4 CJ Williams  Jr LB 5 Hayward McQueen Jr. So DL 6 Curtis Fann Jr.  Jr LB 7 Ed Jones IV Jr LB 8 Va Lealaimatafao Sr DE 9 Micah Nelson  Jr DL 10 Tahjae Mullix So DL 11 Caleb Fisher  So CB 12 Ken Moore Jr.  Fr CB 13 Darian Anderson Jr.  Fr S 14 Nick Louis Sr LB 15 Antoine Williams  Jr CB 16 Jordy Lowery  Fr DE 17 Malik Richardson  Jr LB 18 Antarron Turner  Fr LB 19 Jayelin Davis Sr S 21 Andreas Keaton Jr DB 24 Zayveon Wells Fr DB 26 Bo Simpson Fr LB 27 Skylin Thomas  Jr DB 29 Devuntray Hampton GS DE 30 Kenyon Partridge Fr LB 31 Tyler Matheny GS DB 32 Trevaughn Martinez Fr S 33 Lee Campbell So LB 35 Christian Murphy  Fr S 36 Ja'Morri Downing  Fr S 37 Marquis Lymon  Fr S 38 Jhamari Pierre-Louis  Fr S 40 Cory Hennings  So S 42 Jayion McMillan  Fr DB 43 Walter Gibson  Jr LB 44 Caleb Scott Jr DL 45 Justin Wallace  Fr LB 47 Blue Monroe  Fr LB 50 Jeno Junius Jr. Fr DL 55 Richard Garrett  Fr LB 58 Giovanni Ricciardi Jr LB 59 Anthony Joseph  Fr DL 90 Marlon Alexander GS DL 91 Jaquarius Guinn Jr DL 92 Brandon Smiley  Fr DL 93 Chris Morgan Jr DE 96 Isaac McLellan  Fr DL 97 Caleb Bradford  So DL 99 Ronald Wilson  Jr DL Jackson Hensley Fr CB Joshua McMullen  Fr CB Don Robinson III  Fr DB Cam Smith Fr	Special teams Pos. # Name Class K 46 Paxton Robertson Jr LS 48 Colby Cross  Jr K 49 Corbin Shirley  Fr K 89 Richard McCollum  Sr P 95 Stephen Brantley Fr LS Mabry Bumgarner Fr	Head coach Kerwin Bell Coordinators/assistant coaches Kade Bell – Offensive coordinator/quarterbacks Chazmon Scales – Defensive coordinator/safeties Chris Norris – Special teams coordinator Rudi Small – Running backs JJ Laster – Wide receivers Rylan Wells – Tight ends/fullbacks Jeremy Darveau – Offensive line Brian Cochran – Defensive line Cody Edwards – Linebackers Larry Murphy – Cornerbacks Legend (C) Team captain (S) Suspended (I) Ineligible Injured Redshirt Roster Last update: January 28, 2024

Statistics

Team

Western Carolina Opp Scoring   Points per Game   Points per Turnovers First Downs   Rushing   Passing   Penalty Rushing yards   Avg per play   Avg per game   Rushing touchdowns Passing yards   Att-Comp-Int   Avg per pass   Avg per catch   Avg per game   Passing touchdowns Total Offense   Plays   Avg per play   Avg per game Fumbles-Lost Penalties-Yards   Avg per game

Western Carolina Opp   Punt-Yards    Avg per play    Avg per punt net   Punt Return-Yards    Avg per punt return   Kickoffs-Yards    Avg per play    Avg per kick net   Kickoff Return-Yards    Avg per kickoff return   Interceptions-Yards    Avg per play Time of possession / game 3rd Down Conversions (Pct%) (0%) (0%) 4th Down Conversions (Pct%) (0%) (0%) Touchdowns Scored Field Goals-Attempts   PAT-Attempts    2 point conversion-attempts Sack by Yards Misc Yards Safeties Onside kicks Red zone scores (0%) (0%)   Red zone touchdowns (0%) (0%) Attendance   Date/Avg per date   Neutral Site

Individual leaders

Passing statistics
#	NAME	POS	RAT	CMP-ATT-INT	YDS	AVG/G	CMP%	TD	LONG
		QB	0.0	0-0-0	0 yrds		0.0%	0 TDs	0
	TOTALS		0.0	0-0-0	0 yrds	0.0	0.0%	0 TDs	0

Rushing statistics
#	NAME	POS	ATT	GAIN	AVG	TD	LONG	AVG/G
		RB	0	0 yrds	0.0	0 TDs	0	0.0
	TOTALS		0	0 yrds	0.0	0 TDs	0	0.0

Receiving statistics
#	NAME	POS	CTH	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG	AVG/G
		WR	0	0 yrds	0.0	0 TDs	0	0.0
	TOTALS		0	0 yrds	0.0	0 TDs	0	0.0

Defense

Defense statistics
#	NAME	POS	SOLO	AST	TOT	TFL-YDS	SACK-YDS	INT-YDS-TD	BU	QBH	RCV-YDS	FF	BLK	SAF
			0	0	0	0-0 yrds	0-0 yrds	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	TOTAL		0	0	0	0-0 yrds	0-0 yrds	0-0 yrds- 0 TDs	0	0	-	0	0	-

Key: POS: Position, SOLO: Solo Tackles, AST: Assisted Tackles, TOT: Total Tackles, TFL: Tackles-for-loss, SACK: Quarterback Sacks, INT: Interceptions, BU: Passes Broken Up, PD: Passes Defended, QBH: Quarterback Hits, FR: Fumbles Recovered, FF: Forced Fumbles, BLK: Kicks or Punts Blocked, SAF: Safeties, TD : Touchdown

Special teams

Kicking/off statistics
#	NAME	POS	XPM-XPA (XP%)	FGM-FGA (FG%)	1–19	20–29	30–39	40–49	50+	PTS	LNG	KICKS	YDS	AVG	TB	OB
		PK	0-0 (0.0%)	0-0 (0.0%)	-/-	-/-	-/-	-/-	-/-	0 pts	0	0	0 yrds	0.0	0	-
	TOTALS		0-0 (0.0%)	0-0 (0.0%)	-/-	-/-	-/-	-/-	-/-	0	0	0	0 yrds	0.0	0	-

Punting statistics
#	NAME	POS	PUNTS	YDS	AVG	LONG	TB	FC	I–20	50+	BLK
		P	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	-
	Team	--	0	-	-	-	-	-	-	-	0
	TOTALS		0	0 yrds	0.0	0	0	0	0	0	0

Kick return statistics
#	NAME	POS	RTNS	YDS	AVG	TD	LNG
			-	-	-	-	-
	TOTALS		0	0 yrds	0.0	0 TD's	0

Punt return statistics
#	NAME	POS	RTNS	YDS	AVG	TD	LONG
			-	-	-	-	-
	TOTALS		0	0 yrds	0.0	0 TD's	0