CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Visiting E.J. Whitmire Stadium for the first time since 2015 to renew a once-annual nonconference series, the Presbyterian College football team was bested by the Catamounts of Western Carolina on Saturday afternoon by a final clip of 77-21.
Hanging tough with WCU for the majority of the opening half before the home side began to pull away, the Blue Hose duplicated their efforts from the previous weekend's win over Virginia University of Lynchburg in that they managed one touchdown in the final three stanzas. The Catamounts effectively broke what was a 9-9 all-time record between the two programs in what served as the first meeting in the series in the last seven years.
FINAL SCORE: Western Carolina, 77 – Presbyterian, 21
RECORDS: Presbyterian (1-2), Western Carolina (2-1)
LOCATION: E.J. Whitmire Stadium (Cullowhee, N.C.)
OPENING KICK:
- After slinging for 253 yards one week ago in the W over the Dragons, redshirt-junior quarterback
Nate Hayden progressed through the entire first quarter in Cullowhee without an incomplete pass in six attempts as PC found the end zone on the third play of the 2
nd with a QB scramble.
- Hayden closed the evening with 215 yards of total offense (188 of which came from his right arm), finding classmate
Jalen Jones for 49 yards and
Dominic Kibby for 42 more. As a whole, the Blue Hose gathered 288 yards on 14 first down movements, eclipsing the 100-yard mark on the ground for the second straight time.
- Possessing the football for 33 minutes of total game-time, Presbyterian never once turned the ball over to Western Carolina, producing three sacks and four tackles for a loss on the defensive side of the field.
- Tossing his fourth touchdown of the fall after running for his first in two separate frames, Hayden's 14 points both passing and rushing opened the door for true freshman QB
Tyler Wesley to take over late in the contest, promptly rushing for 36 yards on nine attempts with his first collegiate score to boot.
- Both
Alex Herriott and
Braydin Samuels accumulated eight tackles, the latter doing so in his first game action of the young season. Next to Herriott's second sack of the semester,
Bradley Russ-Martin and
Joshua Sheppard joined the sophomore by stopping the WCU quarterback behind the line of scrimmage for a total loss of nine yards.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
- Hayden loudly made his presence felt against the Catamounts by completing his first two throws to Jones for a total of 35 yards before PC's opening drive was suddenly stopped in its tracks by an errant snap on 3
rd down. Once WCU drew the first TD midway through the 1
st, Hayden immediately found
Jordan Irizarry for a 24-yard connection on the next snap. This would be the start of an eight-play, 72-yard advance towards the end zone that was punctuated by Hayden's first rushing touchdown of the year on 3
rd and goal from the four-yard line.
- 57 yards were carried out by either Hayden's arm or legs in that scoring series that bled into the 2
nd quarter. Unfortunately for the visitors, Western Carolina would finish the opening half on a 21-0 run to approach the locker room ahead by three touchdowns.
- Prior to Kibby's second TD catch in as many weeks at the 2:46 stamp in the 3
rd (this one from 39 yards away), redshirt-junior
Delvecchio Powell II posted his longest gain through the air of 2022 on a 29-yard catch-and-run, one of five plays from head coach
Steve Englehart's club that surged past 20 yards.
- Another Blue Hose personal-best was set midway through the 4
th when
Quante Jennings bounced outside for a 27-yard sprint to pave the way for the team's third and final touchdown of the afternoon by Wesley. All three of PC's scoring drives distanced at least 65 yards, as the team has put together 950 yards of total offense prior to PFL play beginning next weekend.
NEXT UP:
- The first of eight consecutive matchups inside of conference territory, the Blue Hose will head back to Clinton on Sept. 24 for their lone kickoff at home to take place in the evening, hosting the Davidson Wildcats at 7:00.
- Continuing the Battle for the 1919 Cup in the 34th all-time meeting between the two Carolina rivals, Presbyterian will hope for a repeat result to that of the last time Davidson visited Bailey Memorial Stadium, a 29-24 triumph for the blue and white in the abbreviated spring 2021 campaign.
- Next weekend's duel in Clinton will be broadcasted live via ESPN+.
