2024 Western Carolina Catamounts football team

2024 Western Carolina Catamounts football
2024 Western Carolina Catamounts football
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	5–5 (4–2 SoCon)
Head coach	Kerwin Bell (4th season);
Offensive coordinator	Rylan Wells (1st season)
Defensive coordinator	Jerry Odom (1st season)
Home stadium	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium
	Seasons ← 2023 2025 →

2024 Southern Conference football standings
v t e
Team	W		L	W		L
No. 7 Mercer $^	6	–	1	9	–	1
No. 19 Chattanooga	5	–	2	6	–	4
No. 21 East Tennessee State	4	–	2	6	–	4
Western Carolina	4	–	2	5	–	5
Wofford	3	–	4	5	–	5
Samford	2	–	3	3	–	6
The Citadel	2	–	5	4	–	6
Furman	1	–	4	2	–	7
VMI	1	–	5	1	–	9

$ – Conference champion ^ – FCS playoff participant As of November 11, 2024 Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2024 Western Carolina Catamounts football team represents Western Carolina University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2024 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Catamounts are coached by fourth-year head coach Kerwin Bell and play at Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium in Cullowhee, North Carolina.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Rank	Site	TV	Result	Attendance
August 29	7:00 p.m.	at No. 24 (FBS) NC State*	No. 20	Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC	ACCN	L 21–38	56,919
September 7	1:00 p.m.	Campbell*	No. 17	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	ESPN+	L 16–24	12,506
September 14	6:00 p.m.	at No. 22 Elon*		Rhodes Stadium Elon, NC	FloSports/WMYV	W 24–17	5,104
September 21	3:00 p.m.	at No. 9 Montana*	No. 24	Washington–Grizzly Stadium Missoula, MT	ESPN+	L 35–46	25,720
October 5	2:30 p.m.	Wofford		Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	ESPN+	W 21–17	Behind closed doors^[1]
October 12	2:30 p.m.	The Citadel		Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	ESPN+	W 30–16	6,278
October 19	2:00 p.m.	at Furman		Paladin Stadium Greenville, SC	ESPN+	W 52–20	9,897
October 26	3:30 p.m.	at No. 14 Mercer	No. 24	Fiver Star Stadium Macon, GA	ESPN+	L 34–44	7,389
November 2	2:30 p.m.	No. 18 Chattanooga		Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	ESPN+	W 38–34	11,198
November 9	12:00 p.m.	at East Tennessee State	No. 22	William B. Greene Jr. Stadium Johnson City, TN	ESPN+	L 21–24	12,109
November 16	1:00 p.m.	VMI		Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	ESPN+
November 23	3:00 p.m.	at Samford		Pete Hanna Stadium Homewood, AL	ESPN+
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^[2]^[3]

Game summaries

at No. 24 (FBS) NC State

Game One – No. 20 Western Carolina Catamounts (0–0) at No. 24 (FBS) NC State Wolfpack (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 20 Western Carolina	14	0	7	0	21
No. 24 NC State (FBS)	7	7	3	21	38

at Carter–Finley Stadium • Raleigh, NC

Date: August 29, 2024
Game time: 7:00 p.m.
TV announcers (ACCN): Wes Durham (play-by-play), Tom Luginbill (analyst), and Dawn Boyle (sideline reporter)

Game information

First quarter

(5:55) WCU – Jake Young 8-yard pass from Cole Gonzales (Christian Lowery kick) (Drive: 1 play, 8 yards, 0:08; Western Carolina 7-0)
(2:39) NCST – Kelvin Concepcion 17-yard pass from Grayson McCall (Kanoah Vinesett kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:16; Tied 7-7)
(0:05) WCU – AJ Colombo 12-yard pass from Cole Gonzales (Christian Lowery kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:34; Western Carolina 14-7)

Second quarter

(12:03) NCST – Kelvin Concepcion 5-yard pass from Grayson McCall (Kanoah Vinesett kick) (Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:02; Tied 14-14)

Third quarter

(8:00) NCST – Kanoah Vinesett 46-yard field goal (Drive: 14 plays, 39 yards, 6:52; NC State 17-14)
(4:36) WCU – Branson Adams 17-yard run (Christian Lowery kick) (Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:24; Western Carolina 21-17)

Fourth quarter

(14:45) NCST – Kelvin Concepcion 35-yard pass from Grayson McCall (Kanoah Vinesett kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 51 yards, 0:47; NC State 24-21)
(6:33) NCST – Jordan Waters 7-yard run (Kanoah Vinesett kick) (Drive: 9 plays, 81 yards, 5:31; NC State 31-21)
(1:50) NCST – Jordan Waters 50-yard run (Kanoah Vinesett kick) (Drive: 5 plays, 80 yards, 2:28; NC State 38-21)

Statistics	WCU	NCST
First downs	16	28
Total yards	58–364	73–521
Rushing yards	18–123	33–203
Passing yards	241	318
Passing: Comp–Att–Int	24–40–0	26–40–1
Time of possession	24:30	35:30

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Carolina	Passing	Cole Gonzales	22/35, 211 yards, 2 TD
	Rushing	Cole Gonzales	6 carries, 75 yards
	Receiving	AJ Colombo	9 receptions, 97 yards, TD
NC State	Passing	Grayson McCall	26/40, 318 yards, 3 TD, INT
	Rushing	Jordan Waters	20 carries, 123 yards, 2 TD
	Receiving	Kevin Concepcion	9 receptions, 121 yards, 3 TD

Campbell

Game Two – Campbell Fighting Camels (0–1) at No. 17 Western Carolina Catamounts (0–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Campbell	0	0	0	0	0
No. 17 Western Carolina	0	0	0	0	0

at Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, NC

Date: September 7, 2024
Game time: 2:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	CAMP	WCU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Campbell	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at No. 22 Elon

Game Three – Western Carolina Catamounts (0–2) vs No. 22 Elon Phoenix (1–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Western Carolina	0	0	0	0	0
No. 22 Elon	0	0	0	0	0

at Rhodes Stadium, Elon, NC

Date: Saturday September 14, 2024
Game time: 6:00 PM
TV: FloSports

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WCU	ELON
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Elon	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at No. 9 Montana

Game Four – No. 24 Western Carolina Catamounts (1–2) vs No. 9 Montana Grizzlies (2–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 24 Western Carolina	14	13	0	8	35
No. 9 Montana	0	21	14	11	46

at Washington–Grizzly Stadium, Missoula, MT

Date: Saturday September 21, 2024
Game time: 3:00 PM
Game attendance: 25,720
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WCU	MONT
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Montana	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

Wofford

Game Five – Wofford Terriers (2–2) at Western Carolina Catamounts (1–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Wofford	0	0	0	0	0
Western Carolina	0	0	0	0	0

at Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, NC

Date: Saturday October 5, 2024
Game time: 2:30 p.m.
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
Game attendance: 6,278
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WOFF	WCU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Wofford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

The Citadel

Game Six – The Citadel Bulldogs (2–4) at Western Carolina Catamounts (2–3) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
The Citadel	0	0	0	0	0
Western Carolina	0	0	0	0	0

at Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium • Cullowhee, NC

Date: Saturday October 12, 2024
Game time: 2:30 p.m.
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
TV announcers (ESPN+): TBD

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	CIT	WCU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
The Citadel	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Furman

Game Seven – Western Carolina Catamounts (3–3) vs Furman Paladins (2–4) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Western Carolina	0	0	0	0	0
Furman	0	0	0	0	0

at Paladin Stadium, Greenville, SC

Date: Saturday October 19, 2024
Game time: 2:00 PM
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WCU	FUR
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Furman	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at No. 14 Mercer

Game Eight – No. 24 Western Carolina Catamounts (4–3) vs No. 14 Mercer Bears (6–1) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 24 Western Carolina	0	0	0	0	0
No. 14 Mercer	0	0	0	0	0

at Five Star Stadium, Macon, GA

Date: Saturday October 26, 2024
Game time: 3:30 PM
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WCU	MER
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Mercer	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

No. 18 Chattanooga

Game Nine – No. 18 Chattanooga Mocs (5–3) vs Western Carolina Catamounts (4–4) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 18 Chattanooga	0	0	0	0	0
Western Carolina	0	0	0	0	0

at Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

Date: Saturday November 2, 2024
Game time: 2:30 p.m.
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	UTC	WCU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Chattanooga	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at East Tennessee State

Game Ten – No. 22 Western Carolina Catamounts (5–4) vs East Tennessee State Buccaneers (5–4) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
No. 22 Western Carolina	0	0	0	0	0
East Tennessee State	0	0	0	0	0

at William B. Greene Jr Stadium, Johnson City, TN

Date: Saturday November 9, 2024
Game time: 12:00 PM
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WCU	ETSU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
East Tennessee State	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

VMI

Game Eleven – VMI Keydets (0–0) vs Western Carolina Catamounts (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
VMI	0	0	0	0	0
Western Carolina	0	0	0	0	0

at Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium, Cullowhee, NC

Date: Saturday November 16, 2024
Game time: 1:00 p.m.
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	VMI	WCU
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
VMI	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

at Samford

Game Twelve – Western Carolina Catamounts (0–0) at Samford Bulldogs (0–0) – Game summary

Quarter	1	2	3	4	Total
Western Carolina	0	0	0	0	0
Samford	0	0	0	0	0

at Pete Hanna Stadium • Homewood, AL

Date: Saturday November 23, 2024
Game time: 3:00 p.m. EST
Game weather: 0 °F (−18 °C)
TV: ESPN+

Game information
First quarter Second quarter Third quarter Fourth quarter

Statistics	WCU	SAM
First downs
Total yards
Rushing yards
Passing yards
Passing: Comp–Att–Int
Time of possession

Team	Category	Player	Statistics
Western Carolina	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving
Samford	Passing
	Rushing
	Receiving

References

^ Morris, Julia. "Wofford football game at Western Carolina to be played without spectators". WYFF-4. WYFF-TV. Retrieved October 4, 2024.
^ "Western Carolina Catamounts 2024 football schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved March 28, 2024.
^ Phillips, Carey (February 7, 2024). "WCU's football slate announced". The Sylva Herald and Ruralite. Retrieved March 28, 2024.

[1] Morris, Julia. "Wofford football game at Western Carolina to be played without spectators". WYFF-4. WYFF-TV. Retrieved October 4, 2024.

[2] "Western Carolina Catamounts 2024 football schedule". FBSchedules. Retrieved March 28, 2024.

[3] Phillips, Carey (February 7, 2024). "WCU's football slate announced". The Sylva Herald and Ruralite. Retrieved March 28, 2024.

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[2]

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v t e Western Carolina Catamounts football
Venues	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium (1974–present)
Bowls & rivalries	Appalachian State: Battle for the Old Mountain Jug
Culture & lore	Paws "Fight on! You Catamounts" Pride of the Mountains Marching Band
People	Head coaches NFL draftees
Seasons	1931 1932 1933 1934 1935 1936 1937 1938 1939 1940 1941 1942–1944 1945 1946 1947 1948 1949 1950 1951 1952 1953 1954 1955 1956 1957 1958 1959 1960 1961 1962 1963 1964 1965 1966 1967 1968 1969 1970 1971 1972 1973 1974 1975 1976 1977 1978 1979 1980 1981 1982 1983 1984 1985 1986 1987 1988 1989 1990 1991 1992 1993 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 2014 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024