PC-WCU Box Score
CLINTON, S.C. ? Presbyterian College's six-game home winning streak was snapped on Saturday in Western Carolina's 23-21 win over the Blue Hose at Bailey Memorial Stadium.
The Blue Hose (1-3) led for most of the contest, taking a 14-9 lead into the fourth quarter. Western Carolina scored 14 of the final 21 points in the game to earn the victory.
Western Carolina's Marquel Pittman scored the game-winning touchdown for the Catamounts when he caught a four-yard fade from quarterback Andy Horn in the back of the right end zone with 3:16 left in the game.
The Blue Hose looked as if they would take the lead on its final offensive possession of the game, but Cam Miller's (Lyman, S.C./Byrnes) 23-yard field goal attempt went wide left. The Catamounts were able to pick up a first down on its final possession. They then ran out the clock to earn the road victory.
Both teams finished the game with over 300 yards of total offense. Western Carolina led the way, ending the game with 483 yards of total offense, which included 242 net yards on the ground.
PC ended the game with 313 yards of total offense. PC had a season-high 137 yards rushing in the game.
Blue Hose middle linebacker Antwan Thomas (Hawkinsville, Ga./Hawkinsville) concluded the game against Western Carolina with a game-high 14 tackles, which included eight solo stops. It was the second-most tackles in a single game for Thomas, who finished PC's win over VMI in 2007 with a career-best 15 tackles (nine solo).
Thomas also had one sack in the game and he finished the contest with 1.5 tackles-for-loss overall, pushing back WCU for seven yards.
Thomas was one of two Blue Hose to end the game with the Catamounts with double-digit stops. Anthony McKnight (Sumter, S.C./Crestwood) acquired a career-best 12 total tackles in the game for PC from his Spur position. McKnight had a career-high seven solo tackles.
Adam McKinney (Augusta, Ga./Augusta Christian) had a season-high two sacks in the game to tie teammate Chris Bowman (Conway, S.C./Conway) for season-best honors among the Blue Hose in the category. McKinney also recovered a Western Carolina fumble.
McKinney was one of two Blue Hose to recover a fumble in the game. Bowman was also able to recover a fumble in the game.
The Blue Hose now have seven recovered fumbles in 2008. PC entered the Western Carolina game tied for fifth in the NCAA Division I Football Championship Subdivision in fumbles recovered.
S.J. Worrell (Madison, Ga./Morgan County) led the Blue Hose offense against Western Carolina, ending the game with a team-high 118 all-purpose yards. Worrell had a season-best 76 yards rushing on 19 attempts. He had one rushing touchdown.
Tim Webb (Lugoff, S.C./Lugoff-Elgin) was 15-for-26 for 176 yards and one touchdown in the loss to the Catamounts.
Terrance Butler had a team-high six receptions for 62 yards. Butler did not have a touchdown reception in the game to mark the first time in 2008 that he not ended a game with at least one touchdown. He had entered the game as the only player in the Big South Conference to score a touchdown in every contest.
Bryson Summers (West Columbia, S.C./Airport) averaged 42.3 yards-per-punt for the Blue Hose in the game. He punted five times and he had a long punt of 43. He pinned the Catamounts inside the 20-yard line three times.
Western Carolina's Quan Worley became the first opposing rusher to gain 200 yards or more against PC since the 2005 season in the win for the Catamounts. Worley rushed the football 29 times for a grand total of 200 yards.
The Catamounts struck first in the contest, netting the game's first points when Blake Bostic hit the first of his three field goals in the game from 26 yards out. Neither team could score in the first quarter with Bostic's field goal coming with 12:54 left in the second quarter.
Webb gave PC a lead it would not relinquish until the fourth quarter next when he rushed in from one-yard out to give the Blue Hose a 7-3 advantage with seven minutes left in the first half.
Bostic hit his second field goal shortly thereafter before Worrell rushed in from one-yard out again to give PC a 14-6 lead at intermission.
Bostic hit his third and final field goal with 1:25 left in the third quarter to place the Catamounts behind only five at 14-9.
WCU earned its second lead in the opening minutes of the second half when Donald James caught a 16-yard pass from Horn to go ahead 15-14. The Catamounts then went for two and were successful as Pittman caught a pass from Horn to place WCU ahead 17-14.
PC thought it had registered the game-winning touchdown on its next drive as Brandon Clark (Duluth, Ga./Buford) was able to bring in a dart from Webb in the back corner of the left end zone with 7:19 left in the final quarter.
The Blue Hose next will travel to Boone, N.C. to take on its third straight SoCon opponent in Appalachian State at 7 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 27 at Kidd Brewer Stadium.
