Scouting Western Carolina

u Western Carolina returns home for its final home game of the 2021 regular season, hosting mountain-rival East Tennessee State in the annual gridiron grudge match, the Blue Ridge Border

Battle – the rivalry was personified in 2018 u The two teams represent mountain campuses that are just 112 miles apart and will again play for a trophy that features a two-tiered wooden pedestal adorned on opposite sides by the two-school’s respective logos and the moniker of the football rivalry series . . . Atop the trophy is a rock that was taken, with permission, from the Appalachian Trail on the North Carolina–Tennessee border in the Blue Ridge mountains; u WCU is riding a three-game win streak since its bye week, its longest consecutive game win streak since opening 2018 with three-straight victories . . . It's also WCU's longest SoCon win streak since claiming three-in-a-row back in 2015; u WCU's three-game win streak is the second-longest active in the SoCon behind Chattanooga which has four-straight victories . . . the Catamounts have moved into fifth in the SoCon; u Western Carolina and ETSU meet for 51st time on the football gridiron on Saturday . . . WCU leads the competitive all-time series, 25-24-1 . . . the series was dormant from 2003 until 2016 after ETSU dropped its football program; u The two mountain-rivals have split the last eight series meetings evenly with two games needing overtime to decide the victor – a 23-20 OT win by WCU in Cullowhee in the most recent meeting held at Whitmire Stadium in 2019 and a triple-OT thriller in Johnson City back in 2018 where the Bucs emerged with a 45-43 win . . . Including the two overtime games, five of the last six series meetings have been decided by just one score; u Western Carolina ranks fifth in the SoCon in scoring offense (29 .9 ppg) – but is second in scoring in league-only games at 34 .5 ppg including 41-or-more points in each of its last three wins; u WCU QB ROGAN WELLS ranks second in the SoCon in passing, averaging 258 .7 yards per game . . . Wells continues to rank second in the league in total offense (318 .4 ypg); u WCU placekicker RICHARD McCOLLUM currently leads the NCAA FCS in field goal percentage, having connected on all 11 of his field goal attempts, and is tied for 15th nationally with 1 .38 field goals per game to date . . . McCollum has hit all 30 of his PATs this season, stretching his active streak to 44 consecutive; u Linebacker KAREEM TAYLOR ranks tied for third in the SoCon in tackles, averaging 9 .1 tackles per game . . . Taylor has posted double-digit tackles SIX times this season including a seasonhigh 15 last week vs . Furman – his third-consecutive game with double-digit tackles; u Freshman DB ANDREAS KEATON was listed on the initial watch list for the 2021 Stats Perform Jerry Rice Award, which is presented to the national freshman of the year in college football's championship subdivision (FCS) . . . Keaton is one of 22 first-year players on this year's watch list and one of two from the Southern Conference, joined by Dominick Poole from The Citadel; u Western Carolina was listed as an honorable mention for the Stats Perform FCS National Team of the Week following its 43-42 home win over Furman which halted a five-game series slide . . . Graduate transfer QB ROGAN WELLS was also dubbed an honorable mention for the Stats Perform FCS

National Offensive Player of the Week .; u WR RAPHAEL WILLIAMS continues to lead the SoCon in both receptions per game at 7 .2 and receiving yards per game at 86 .2 . . . His career-best and school-record 16 catches at Wofford are tied for the most by an individual in the NCAA FCS this season; u Fifth-year senior LB TY HARRIS now has 347 career tackles moving into SECOND-place in program history for tackles in a career . . . He also has 26 .5 tackles for loss and seven sacks .

PHOTO BY PHIL POLITO

WESTERN CAROLINA / ETSU

INSIDE THE ALL-TIME SERIES

ALL-TIME SERIES . . . . . . . . WCU LEADS, 25-24-1

In Cullowhee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WCU leads, 13-10 In Johnson City, Tenn . . . . . . . . WCU trails, 11-14-1 In SoCon Play . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WCU leads, 19-11 Current Streak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WCU, L–1 Longest WCU Win Streak: . . . . 7 games (1982-88) Largest Margin of Victory . . .WCU, 39 pts (2017) Longest WCU Losing Skid: . . . . . . 6 games (twice)

Total Series Points . . . . . . . WCU 951 / ETSU 949

WCU Average Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 .02 ppg ETSU Average Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .18 .98 ppg

LAST 10 SERIES MEETINGS (5-5):

March 27, 2021 Johnson City, Tenn . L, 24-17 Nov . 9, 2019 Cullowhee W, 23-20 (OT) Oct . 27, 2018 Johnson City, Tenn . L, 45-43 (3OT) Oct . 14, 2017 Cullowhee W, 49-10 Sept . 17, 2016 Bristol, Tenn . L, 34-31 Sept . 27, 2003 Johnson City, Tenn . W, 28-21 Sept . 28, 2002 Cullowhee L, 27-7 Sept . 22, 2001 Johnson City, Tenn . W, 20-6 Sept . 23, 2000 Cullowhee W, 39-27 Sept . 25, 1999 Johnson City, Tenn . L, 38-10

WCU HEAD COACH KERWIN BELL