College Football - Southern Conference
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Western Carolina Catamounts
| Location: Cullowhee, North Carolina University Founded: 1889  Enrollment: 9,055 UG / 1,945 PG Nickname: Catamounts Mascot: Catamount School Colors: Purple & Gold Joined the SoCon: 1976 Varsity sports: 13 U. President: John W. Bardo Director of Athletics: Chip Smith Football Head Coach: Dennis Wagner Football Stadium: Ramsey Center Current Capacity: 8,000 seat |
New coach Dennis Wagner has given the fan base renewed hope after the Catamounts suffered through one of the worst years in school history. Wagner's no-nonsense approach has grabbed the players' attention.
But WCU lacks the talent at this point to keep up with the rest of the SoCon and rebuilding will take time.
The fall was a quick one for a team that played ASU for a share of the conference title in 2005.
The Catamounts haven't won a conference game since 2005, going 0-14 the past two seasons. Defense was the major problem for WCU last year.
The Catamounts had the worst defense in the SoCon (ranked 114th in FCS), giving up 108 yards more than they gained. They were also negative-18 in turnovers, and gave up nearly 46 points per game.
On the positive side, WCU returns 13 starters, six on defense, including one of the conference's top linebackers, Quinton Phillips (127 tackles), and free safety Chris Collins (94 tackles).
The offense showed some firepower late in games last year, but they lost trackster Mike Malone from the backfield (563 yards, 23.8 average on kickoff returns) and all-SoCon receiver Eddie Cohen (67 catches, 18.0 average, nine TDs).
QB Adam Hearns split time with the graduated Todd Spitzer and threw for 1,375 yards and 12 TDs. Hearns is battling senior Andy Horn and redshirt freshman Zach Jaynes for the starting job. Receiver Kyle Garland (29 catches, 16.4 average) is the top returning threat in that area, but the Catamounts do have three offensive linemen back.
Western Carolina 2009 Schedule
| DATE | OPPONENT | TIME |
|---|---|---|
| September 5 | at Vanderbilt | 7:30 PM ET |
| September 12 | Gardner-Webb | 6:00 PM ET |
| September 19 | at Georgia Southern | 7:00 PM ET |
| September 26 | Furman | 6:00 PM ET |
| October 3 | at Samford | 3:00 PM ET |
| October 17 | Citadel | 1:00 PM ET |
| October 24 | Wofford | 1:00 PM ET |
| October 31 | at Chattanooga | 2:00 PM ET |
| November 7 | Elon | 1:00 PM ET |
| November 14 | at Eastern Kentucky | 1:00 PM ET |
| November 21 | at Appalachian State | 3:30 PM ET |