Catamounts Snap Skid with Road Win at Wofford

Cole Gonzales tossed a pair of touchdown passes to Calvin Jones and Censere Lee, and Richard McCollum connected on a pair of field goals including the game-winner midway through the fourth quarter as No. 20/16 Western Carolina snapped a two-game seasonal slide with a 28-25 road win over Wofford on Saturday afternoon in Southern Conference action at Gibbs Stadium.

WCU twice rallied back from eight-point deficits and also climbed out of a four-point hole, leading on just three occasions in the road win. McCollum capped an 11-play, 60-yard drive midway through the fourth with the go-ahead 3-pointer from 33 yards away to put the Catamounts on top for good. WCU’s defense forced a turnover on downs on Wofford’s final possession of the fourth quarter to ultimately win the game.

Gonzales finished 19-for-31 for 229 yards including second-quarter touchdown passes of 15 yards to Jones and 23 yards to Lee in carrying an 18-15 lead into halftime. The two teams mirrored each other in the second half, both tallying a rushing touchdown and field goals to score 10 points aside. Lee finished with five catches for a team-best 86 yards while Jones hauled in four passes for 60 yards and the score.

Branson Adams finished with 101 total yards coming on six receptions for 50 yards 10 rushes for 51 yards and a five-yard third-quarter touchdown. Camury Reid rushed for a career-best 65 yards on 11 touches with Gonzales adding 61 yards on the ground to finish with 290 total yards. Reid also caught three passes for 22 additional yards gained as WCU finished with 400 yards of offense on 63 total plays.

For Wofford (0-9, 0-6 SoCon), QB Byrce Corriston finished 11-of-19 for 148 yards and a score, connecting with Jordan Davis on a 35-yard TD on the game’s opening drive. Ryan Ingram rushed for 159 yards and a 12-yard touchdown with JT Smith adding 29 rushing yards including a three-yard TD in the third quarter.

WCU safety Andreas Keaton was credited with a game-high 10 tackles including eight solo stops while Antoine Williams finished with eight tackles including one for loss. The Catamounts sacked Corriston twice in the second half as WCU ramped up the pressure to create negative plays after intermission.

Western Carolina (6-3, 4-2 SoCon) returns home for its final home game of the 2023 regular season next Saturday, hosting mountain-rival ETSU (2-7, 1-5 SoCon) in the “Blue Ridge Border Battle” trophy game. Last year, WCU scored the walk-off victory as McCollum split the uprights on a walk-off field goal in Johnson City, Tenn. Kickoff is scheduled for 1 p.m. as WCU celebrates both its Hall of Fame Day as well as 2023 Senior Day.

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