# 2023 Western Carolina Catamounts football team

The 2023 Western Carolina Catamounts football team represented Western Carolina University as a member of the Southern Conference during the 2023 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Catamounts were led by third-year head coach Kerwin Bell and played home games at Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium in Cullowhee, North Carolina. The Western Carolina Catamounts football team drew an average home attendance of 11,935 in 2023.

## Schedule

| Date | Time | Opponent | Rank | Site | TV | Result | Attendance |
| September 2 | 1:00 p.m. | at Arkansas* | | War Memorial StadiumLittle Rock, AR | SECN+/ESPN+ | L 13–56 | 44,397 |
| September 9 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 8 Samford | | Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire StadiumCullowhee, NC | ESPN+ | W 30–7 | 12,410 |
| September 16 | 6:00 p.m. | at Eastern Kentucky* | | Roy Kidd StadiumRichmond, KY | ESPN+ | W 27–24 | 13,596 |
| September 23 | 2:30 p.m. | Charleston Southern* | No. 23 | Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire StadiumCullowhee, NC | ESPN+ | W 77–21 | 13,357 |
| September 30 | 2:00 p.m. | at The Citadel | No. 17 | Johnson Hagood StadiumCharleston, SC | ESPN+ | W 49–14 | 12,317 |
| October 7 | 4:00 p.m. | at No. 24 Chattanooga | No. 11 | Finley StadiumChattanooga, TN | ESPN+ | W 52–50 | 8,978 |
| October 21 | 2:30 p.m. | No. 4 Furman | No. 8 | Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire StadiumCullowhee, NC | ESPN+ | L 17–29 | 10,736 |
| October 28 | 2:30 p.m. | Mercer | No. 10 | Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire StadiumCullowhee, NC | ESPN+ | L 38–45 | 12,154 |
| November 4 | 3:00 p.m. | at Wofford | No. 16 | Gibbs StadiumSpartanburg, SC | ESPN+ | W 28–25 | 4,996 |
| November 11 | 1:00 p.m. | East Tennessee State | No. 17 | Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire StadiumCullowhee, NC | ESPN+ | W 58–7 | 11,019 |
| November 18 | 12:00 p.m. | at VMI | No. 14 | Alumni Memorial FieldLexington, VA | ESPN+ | L 24–27 | 5,297 |
| *Non-conference gameHomecomingRankings from STATS Poll released prior to the gameAll times are in Eastern time ||||||||

## Game summaries
### at Arkansas

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Catamounts | 3 | 0 | 7 | 3 | 13 |
| Razorbacks | 21 | 14 | 7 | 14 | 56 |
at War Memorial Stadium • Little Rock, Arkansas
* Date: September 2
* Game time: 1:00 p.m. EDT
* Game weather: Cloudy, 82 °F (28 °C)
* Game attendance: 44,397
* Referee: Ken Williamson
* TV announcers (SECN+/ESPN+): Eric Frede (play-by-play) and Jordan Reid (analyst)
| Statistics | Western Carolina | Arkansas |
| First downs | 18 | 21 |
| Plays–yards | 70–291 | 61–379 |
| Rushes–yards | 30–64 | 36–105 |
| Passing yards | 227 | 274 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 25–40–4 | 20–25–0 |
| Time of possession | 30:43 | 29:17 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Western Carolina | Passing | Cole Gonzales | 9/14, 118 yards, 1 INT |
| Western Carolina | Rushing | Branson Adams | 4 carries, 38 yards |
| Western Carolina | Receiving | Censere Lee | 3 receptions, 41 yards |
| Arkansas | Passing | KJ Jefferson | 18/23, 246 yards, 3 TD |
| Arkansas | Rushing | Raheim Sanders | 15 carries, 42 yards, 2 TD |
| Arkansas | Receiving | Jaedon Wilson | 3 receptions, 83 yards, 1 TD |

### No. 8 Samford

| Pregame line | Over/under |
| SAM –6.0 | 64.5 |
| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Samford | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 |
| Western Carolina | 7 | 13 | 3 | 7 | 30 |
at E.J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, North Carolina
* Date: Saturday, September 9, 2023
* Game time: 1:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 76 °F (24 °C) • Wind: SE 5 MPH
* Game attendance: 12,410
* Referee: Michael Farmer
* TV: ESPN+
| Statistics | SAM | WCU |
| First downs | 15 | 34 |
| Plays–yards | 57–361 | 84–546 |
| Rushes–yards | 23–46 | 49–284 |
| Passing yards | 315 | 262 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 21–34–0 | 29–35–0 |
| Time of possession | 18:51 | 41:09 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| No. 8 Samford | Passing | Michael Hiers | 21/34, 315 yards, TD |
| No. 8 Samford | Rushing | Jay Stanton | 7 carries, 26 yards |
| No. 8 Samford | Receiving | Ty King | 3 receptions, 96 yards |
| Western Carolina | Passing | Cole Gonzales | 29/35, 262 yards, 2 TD |
| Western Carolina | Rushing | Desmond Reid | 27 carries, 170 yards, TD |
| Western Carolina | Receiving | AJ Colombo | 5 receptions, 79 yards, TD |

### at Eastern Kentucky

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Western Carolina | | | 0 |
| Eastern Kentucky | | | 0 |
at Roy Kidd Stadium • Richmond, Kentucky
* Date: Saturday, September 16, 2023
* Game time: TBA EST
* Statistics
* First downs
* Plays–yards
* Rushes–yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: comp–att–int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Western Carolina | Passing |
| Western Carolina | Rushing |
| Western Carolina | Receiving |
| Eastern Kentucky | Passing |
| Eastern Kentucky | Rushing |
| Eastern Kentucky | Receiving |

### Charleston Southern

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Charleston Southern | | | 0 |
| Western Carolina | | | 0 |
at E.J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, North Carolina
* Date: Saturday, September 23, 2023
* Game time: TBA EST
* Statistics
* First downs
* Plays–yards
* Rushes–yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: comp–att–int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Charleston Southern | Passing |
| Charleston Southern | Rushing |
| Charleston Southern | Receiving |
| Western Carolina | Passing |
| Western Carolina | Rushing |
| Western Carolina | Receiving |

### at The Citadel

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Western Carolina | | | 0 |
| The Citadel | | | 0 |
at Johnson Hagood Stadium • Charleston, South Carolina
* Date: Saturday, September 30, 2023
* Game time: TBA EST
* Statistics
* First downs
* Plays–yards
* Rushes–yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: comp–att–int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Western Carolina | Passing |
| Western Carolina | Rushing |
| Western Carolina | Receiving |
| The Citadel | Passing |
| The Citadel | Rushing |
| The Citadel | Receiving |

### at Chattanooga

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Western Carolina | | | 0 |
| Chattanooga | | | 0 |
at Finley Stadium • Chattanooga, Tennessee
* Date: Saturday, October 7, 2023
* Game time: 4:00 p.m. EST
* Statistics
* First downs
* Plays–yards
* Rushes–yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: comp–att–int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Western Carolina | Passing |
| Western Carolina | Rushing |
| Western Carolina | Receiving |
| Chattanooga | Passing |
| Chattanooga | Rushing |
| Chattanooga | Receiving |

### Furman

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Furman | | | 0 |
| Western Carolina | | | 0 |
at E.J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, North Carolina
* Date: Saturday, October 21, 2023
* Game time: TBA EST
* Statistics
* First downs
* Plays–yards
* Rushes–yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: comp–att–int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Furman | Passing |
| Furman | Rushing |
| Furman | Receiving |
| Western Carolina | Passing |
| Western Carolina | Rushing |
| Western Carolina | Receiving |

### Mercer

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Mercer | 21 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 45 |
| No. 10 Western Carolina | 7 | 7 | 7 | 17 | 38 |
at E.J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, North Carolina
* Date: Saturday, October 28, 2023
* Game time: 2:30 p.m. EST
* Game weather: Sunny • Temperature: 75 °F (24 °C) • Wind: S 2 mph
* Game attendance: 12,154
* Referee: Jeff Page
* TV: ESPN+
| Statistics | MER | WCU |
| First downs | 26 | 24 |
| Plays–yards | 76–422 | 71–474 |
| Rushes–yards | 48–210 | 19–86 |
| Passing yards | 212 | 388 |
| Passing: comp–att–int | 18–28–1 | 32–52–3 |
| Time of possession | 33:35 | 26:25 |
| Team | Category | Player | Statistics |
| Mercer | Passing | Carter Peevy | 18/28, 212 yards, TD, INT |
| Mercer | Rushing | Al Wooten II | 15 carries, 68 yards, TD |
| Mercer | Receiving | Ty James | 6 receptions, 115 yards, TD |
| Western Carolina | Passing | Cole Gonzales | 32/51, 388 yards, 5 TD, 3 INT |
| Western Carolina | Rushing | Branson Adams | 9 carries, 46 yards |
| Western Carolina | Receiving | David White | 5 receptions, 113 yards, TD |

### at Wofford

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Western Carolina | | | 0 |
| Wofford | | | 0 |
at Gibbs Stadium • Spartanburg, South Carolina
* Date: Saturday, November 4, 2023
* Game time: TBA EST
* Statistics
* First downs
* Plays–yards
* Rushes–yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: comp–att–int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Western Carolina | Passing |
| Western Carolina | Rushing |
| Western Carolina | Receiving |
| Wofford | Passing |
| Wofford | Rushing |
| Wofford | Receiving |

### East Tennessee State

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | Total |
| East Tennessee State | | | 0 |
| Western Carolina | | | 0 |
at E.J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, North Carolina
* Date: Saturday, November 11, 2023
* Game time: TBA EST
* Statistics
* First downs
* Plays–yards
* Rushes–yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: comp–att–int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| East Tennessee State | Passing |
| East Tennessee State | Rushing |
| East Tennessee State | Receiving |
| Western Carolina | Passing |
| Western Carolina | Rushing |
| Western Carolina | Receiving |

### at VMI

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | Total |
| Western Carolina | | | 0 |
| VMI | | | 0 |
at Alumni Memorial Field • Lexington, Virginia
* Date: Saturday, November 18, 2023
* Game time: TBA EST
* Statistics
* First downs
* Plays–yards
* Rushes–yards
* Passing yards
* Passing: comp–att–int
* Time of possession
| Team | Category |
| Western Carolina | Passing |
| Western Carolina | Rushing |
| Western Carolina | Receiving |
| VMI | Passing |
| VMI | Rushing |
| VMI | Receiving |

## Statistics
### Team

* Scoring
* Points per Game
* Points per Turnovers
* First Downs
* Rushing
* Passing
* Penalty
* Rushing yards
* Avg per play
* Avg per game
* Rushing touchdowns
* Passing yards
* Att-Comp-Int
* Avg per pass
* Avg per catch
* Avg per game
* Passing touchdowns
* Total Offense
* Plays
* Avg per play
* Avg per game
* Fumbles-Lost
* Penalties-Yards
* Avg per game
| | Western Carolina | Opp |
| Punt-Yards | | |
| Avg per play | | |
| Avg per punt net | | |
| Punt Return-Yards | | |
| Avg per punt return | | |
| Kickoffs-Yards | | |
| Avg per play | | |
| Avg per kick net | | |
| Kickoff Return-Yards | | |
| Avg per kickoff return | | |
| Interceptions-Yards | | |
| Avg per play | | |
| Time of possession / game | | |
| 3rd Down Conversions (Pct%) | (0%) | (0%) |
| 4th Down Conversions (Pct%) | (0%) | (0%) |
| Touchdowns Scored | | |
| Field Goals-Attempts | | |
| PAT-Attempts | | |
| 2 point conversion-attempts | | |
| Sack by Yards | | |
| Misc Yards | | |
| Safeties | | |
| Onside kicks | | |
| Red zone scores | (0%) | (0%) |
| Red zone touchdowns | (0%) | (0%) |
| Attendance | | |
| Date/Avg per date | | |
| Neutral Site | | |

### Individual leaders

Passing statistics :
| # | NAME | POS | RAT | CMP-ATT-INT | YDS | AVG/G | CMP% | TD | LONG |
| | | QB | 0.0 | 0-0-0 | 0 yrds | | 0.0% | 0 TDs | 0 |
| | TOTALS | | 0.0 | 0-0-0 | 0 yrds | 0.0 | 0.0% | 0 TDs | 0 |
Rushing statistics :
| # | NAME | POS | ATT | GAIN | AVG | TD | LONG | AVG/G |
| | | RB | 0 | 0 yrds | 0.0 | 0 TDs | 0 | 0.0 |
| | TOTALS | | 0 | 0 yrds | 0.0 | 0 TDs | 0 | 0.0 |
Receiving statistics :
| # | NAME | POS | CTH | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG | AVG/G |
| | | WR | 0 | 0 yrds | 0.0 | 0 TDs | 0 | 0.0 |
| | TOTALS | | 0 | 0 yrds | 0.0 | 0 TDs | 0 | 0.0 |

#### Defense

Defense statistics :
| # | NAME | POS | SOLO | AST | TOT | TFL-YDS | SACK-YDS | INT-YDS-TD | BU | QBH | RCV-YDS | FF | BLK | SAF |
| | | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 yrds | 0-0 yrds | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| | TOTAL | | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0-0 yrds | 0-0 yrds | 0-0 yrds- 0 TDs | 0 | 0 | - | 0 | 0 | - |
Key: POS: Position, SOLO: Solo Tackles, AST: Assisted Tackles, TOT: Total Tackles, TFL: Tackles-for-loss, SACK: Quarterback Sacks, INT: Interceptions, BU: Passes Broken Up, PD: Passes Defended, QBH: Quarterback Hits, FR: Fumbles Recovered, FF: Forced Fumbles, BLK: Kicks or Punts Blocked, SAF: Safeties, TD : Touchdown

#### Special teams

Kicking/off statistics :
| # | NAME | POS | XPM-XPA (XP%) | FGM-FGA (FG%) | 1–19 | 20–29 | 30–39 | 40–49 | 50+ | PTS | LNG | KICKS | YDS | AVG | TB | OB |
| | | PK | 0-0 (0.0%) | 0-0 (0.0%) | -/- | -/- | -/- | -/- | -/- | 0 pts | 0 | 0 | 0 yrds | 0.0 | 0 | - |
| | TOTALS | | 0-0 (0.0%) | 0-0 (0.0%) | -/- | -/- | -/- | -/- | -/- | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 yrds | 0.0 | 0 | - |
Punting statistics :
| NAME | POS | PUNTS | YDS | AVG | LONG | TB | FC | I–20 | 50+ | BLK |
| | P | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | - |
| Team | -- | 0 | - | - | - | - | - | - | - | 0 |
| TOTALS | | 0 | 0 yrds | 0.0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Kick return statistics :
| # | NAME | POS | RTNS | YDS | AVG | TD | LNG |
| | TOTALS | | 0 | 0 yrds | 0.0 | 0 TD's | 0 |
Punt return statistics :
| # | NAME | POS | RTNS | YDS | AVG | TD | LONG |
| | TOTALS | | 0 | 0 yrds | 0.0 | 0 TD's | 0 |