Scouting Western Carolina

u Western Carolina returns home to play its 2022 regular-season finale, looking to close the season on a three-game winning streak . . . WCU concludes the home stretch in league play where THREE of its final FOUR regular-season games will have been played in Cullowhee where the Catamounts are 3-1 on the season . . . A fourth home victory would be the most since winning five in 2015 (5-2); u The Catamounts have won two-straight seasonal games entering Saturday's home date with Chattanooga with a home win over Wofford and the road victory at ETSU; u WCU's five seasonal victories entering Saturday's game represents the most wins for the Catamounts since winning seven back in 2017 (7-5) – which was also the last time WCU posted a seasonal winning record . . . With a victory on Saturday, WCU would finish 6-5 overall; u Western Carolina and Chattanooga meet for time 48th time on the football gridiron . . . the Catamounts trail in the all-time series 17-30 overall including a 10-14 mark in games played in Cullowhee . . . WCU has dropped three-straight to the Mocs in the head-to-head series – and suffered defeat in 11 of the last 12 series meetings dating back to 2009; u WCU has lost five-straight series meetings against Chattanooga played in Cullowhee, last winning at home in 2008 . . . Saturday's meeting is the first between the Catamounts and Mocs in Cullowhee since 2018 after the game in the COVID-altered 2020-21 season was canceled; u For a second time this season, Catamount freshman WR CENSERE LEE was listed as an honorable mention for the FedEx Ground FCS National Freshman Player of the Week as presented by Stats

Perform . . . Lee caught a career-high nine passes for 107 yards and a touchdown in last Saturday's road win at ETSU . . . Lee also collected recognition after his five-catch, 164-yard outburst at Furman; u Two additional WCU freshmen also earned honorable mention this season – DB SAMAURIE DUKES was listed after his career-high nine tackle performance in his first career start at Mercer . . . SoCon Freshman of the Year candidate RB DESMOND REID was listed the week after his second-straight 100-yard rushing game against Wofford . u Western Carolina enters the week ranked tied for second in the SoCon – and tied for 29th nationally – with an average of 31 .9 points per game . . . the Catamounts LEAD the SoCon and are

FOURTH in NCAA FCS with an average of 502 .3 yards of total offense per game including the So-

Con's top-rated passing attack (308 .8 yds/gm, 4th in FCS) and the third-best rushing attack (194 .3 yds/gm, 26th in FCS) . . . WCU leads the SoCon with an average of 25 .7 first downs per game on offense, tied for THIRD nationally in the NCAA FCS with 259 total first downs; u 13 different Catamounts have recorded touchdowns this season . . . Wide receivers CENSERE LEE and RAPHAEL WILLIAMS lead the way with SIX receiving scores apiece, with WR DAVID WHITE JR . has FIVE touchdown catches . . . DESMOND REID and TJ JONES both have three rushing touchdowns this season, combining for six of WCU's 11 rushing scores to date; u WR RAPHAEL WILLIAMS ranks sixth with 4 .5 receptions per game and is sixth with 63 .0 receiving yards per game, just ahead of CENSERE LEE in ninth with 54 .9 yards per game; u Freshman RB DESMOND REID enters the weekend FOURTH in the SoCon in rushing, averaging 85 .1 yards per game . . . Reid has eclipsed the 100-yard rushing mark three times with a career-best 175 against Presbyterian, 129 against The Citadel, and 112 most recently against Wofford; u Western Carolina's defense ranks SECOND to Chattanooga in sacks entering the weekend with 29 for 184 yards of losses . . . WCU's 29 sacks are tied for 12th in the NCAA FCS this season . . . 14 different Catamount defenders have recorded at least half a sack this year . . . DE KJ MILNER leads the team with 5 .0 sacks, just ahead of LB EJ PORTER with 4 .5 sacks and DT CHRIS MORGAN with 4 .0; u Redshirt junior PK RICHARD McCOLLUM claimed his THIRD SoCon Special Teams Player of the

Week honor last week after his game-winning field goal at ETSU . . . McCollum ranks FIFTH in the

SoCon in scoring (85 points), averaging 8 .5 points per game . . . McCollum is 16-of-18 on field goals and has made 37-of-38 PATs . . . McCollum has scored 201 points to rank sixth in WCU football history .

WESTERN CAROLINA / CHATTANOOGA

INSIDE THE ALL-TIME SERIES

ALL-TIME SERIES . . . . . . . . . . WCU TRAILS, 17-30

In Cullowhee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WCU trails, 10-14 In Chattanooga, Tenn . . . . . . . . . .WCU trails, 7-16 Current Streak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .WCU, L–3 Longest WCU Win Streak: . . . . 4 games (1991-94) Largest Margin of Victory . . .WCU, 38 pts (2017) Longest WCU Losing Skid: . . . .8 games (2009-16)

Total Series Points . . . . . . . WCU 998 / UTC 1,235

WCU Average Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .21 .23 ppg Chattanooga Average Points . . . . . . . 26 .28 ppg

LAST 10 SERIES MEETINGS (1-9):

Oct . 2, 2021 Chattanooga, TN L, 45-17 Sept . 28, 2019 Chattanooga, TN L, 60-36 Oct . 13, 2018 Cullowhee L, 26-6 Sept . 30, 2017 Chattanooga, TN W, 45-7 Oct . 29, 2016 Cullowhee L, 38-25 Oct . 31, 2015 Chattanooga, TN L, 41-13 Nov . 1, 2014 Cullowhee L, 51-0 Oct . 5, 2013 Chattanooa, TN L, 42-21 Nov . 3, 2012 Cullowhee L, 45-24 Oct . 15, 2011 Chattanooga, TN L, 51-7

WCU HEAD COACH KERWIN BELL