Scouting Western Carolina

u Western Carolina opens the home portion of its 2022 Southern Conference schedule, hosting the

VMI Keydets on Family Weekend and EBCI Day in Cullowhee . . . the Catamounts look to bounce back from a 35-12 road loss at Samford last weekend as the potent, high-octane WCU offense was held out of the end zone for the first time against a NCAA FCS opponent under Kerwin Bell . . . WCU finished 4-of-6 in the redzone at Samford, but all four were field goals; u The Catamounts saw their four-game FCS road game winning streak that dated back to last season snapped – WCU had scored consecutive FCS road wins at Charleston Southern (9/3/22), at VMI (11/20/21), at Wofford (10/30/21), and at The Citadel (10/23/21); u Western Carolina is wearing a special logo emblem on the back of its football helmets today to celebrate the relationship with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians (EBCI) . . . the helmets are also adorned with pink ribbons for breast cancer awareness month aimed at raising awareness about the impact of breast cancer; u Western Carolina and VMI meet for 29th time on the football gridiron on Saturday . . . WCU leads the all-time series that dates back to 1978, 24-4 . . . WCU has won 18 of the last 19 meetings in the series including 13 of the 14 all-time series meetings played in Cullowhee . . . VMI snapped a 17game series losing skid and scored its first win at WCU the last time the two met in Cullowhee; u The WCU–VMI series laid dormant following the 2002 meeting until it was rekindled in 2014 as VMI briefly moved to the Big South Conference; u The last time WCU opened its league schedule at home vs . VMI was 2018 – and a track meet broke out in a wild, 52-50 WCU victory . . . the two teams combined for a Whitmire Stadium record 102 points including 13 offensive touchdowns – six rushing and seven through the air – with one TD on defense and two field goals, one aside . . . the two squads combined to rack-up 1,100 yards of total offense including 553 by the Catamounts and 547 for the Keydets . . . With an astounding 67 yards in losses including 59 in sacks, VMI was held to just 56 yards rushing; u WCU placekicker RICHARD McCOLLUM collected his second SoCon Special Teams Player of the

Week honors last week after accounting for all 12 of WCU's points in the loss at Samford, hitting four field goals . . . McCollum has connected on 19 straight field goals dating back to March 27, 2021 and includes 12-for-12 in the 2021 season and all six made attempts this season; u Earlier this season, McCollum set a school-record for consecutive made PATs which is active at 76-straight (and counting) . . . He currently ranks third the SoCon in scoring with 38 total points, averaging 9 .5 points per game on the season; u Western Carolina continues to LEAD the SoCon in total offense early in the 2022 season, averaging 557 .0 yards per game including the best passing attack with an average of 349 .0 yards through the air and 208 .0 yards per game on the ground, second-best in the league . . . WCU leads the

SoCon in scoring offense, averaging 39 .5 points per game – third-best scoring in the NCAA FCS; u 12 different Catamounts have recorded touchdowns this season . . . WR TERRENCE HORNE and RB DESMOND REID lead the way with three scores apiece; u WCU freshman tailback DESMOND REID ranks third in the SoCon in rushing, averaging 87 .2 yards per game on the ground . . . WR RAPHAEL WILLIAMS is tied for third with 4 .8 receptions and fifth with 60 .0 receiving yards per game; u Western Carolina's defense LEADS the SoCon in sacks entering the weekend with 17 total for 115 yards of losses . . . 11 different Catamounts have recorded at least half a sack this year . . . DL CHRIS

MORGAN ranks tied for the SoCon lead with 3 .5 sacks this season, averaging 0 .88 per game . . . LB

EJ PORTER is tied with DE KJ MILNER for sixth with 2 .5 sacks; u Head coach KERWIN BELL is closing in on the century mark for career victories, entering this weekend at 99-51 . . . Bell had a 66-35 record at Jacksonville from 2007-15 and was 27-7 with a national championship at Valdosta State from 2016-18 . . . Bell is 6-9 in his second year at WCU .

WESTERN CAROLINA / VMI

INSIDE THE ALL-TIME SERIES

ALL-TIME SERIES . . . . . . . . . . . WCU LEADS, 24-4

In Cullowhee . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WCU leads, 13-1 In Lexington, Va . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WCU leads, 11-3 Current Streak . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . WCU, W–1 Longest WCU Win Streak: . . . .17 games (1992-21) Largest Margin of Victory . . WCU, 38 pts (1999) Longest WCU Losing Skid: . . . . . . . . . .1 games (4x)

Total Series Points . . . . . . . . WCU 883 / VMI 550

WCU Average Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .31 .54 ppg VMI Average Points . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .19 .64 ppg

LAST 10 SERIES MEETINGS (9-1):

Nov . 20, 2021 Lexington, Va . W, 52-24 March 6, 2021 Cullowhee L, 30-7 Nov . 2, 2019 Lexington, Va . W, 43-35 Sept . 22, 2018 Cullowhee W, 52-50 Oct . 21, 2017 Lexington, Va . W, 26-7 Nov . 5, 2016 Cullowhee W, 32-29 Nov . 21, 2015 Lexington, Va . W, 24-20 Nov . 15, 2014 Cullowhee W, 42-27 Nov . 2, 2002 Lexington, Va . W, 35-23 Oct . 27, 2001 Cullowhee W, 44-17

WCU HEAD COACH KERWIN BELL