Once upon a time, Western Carolina football was 0-3, the sky was falling in Cullowhee and a very special season seemed to be slipping away.
Amazing how very long ago that feels now. The return of quarterback Taron Dickens to the lineup has certainly provided a huge spark. WCU is now 4-0 with Dickens under center.
But Saturday’s dominating 52-7 win over Furman showed that Western Carolina is more than just a one-horse show. Dickens had another solid outing for sure, throwing four touchdown passes and completing 70.8 percent of his passes.
But the Catamounts also flexed a potent rushing attack, piling up more than 300 yards on the ground. And a defense that had seemed like such a liability during those early losses – and some of the earlier wins, too – played its most complete game to date.
WCU picked off three Trey Hedden passes. Ken Moore Jr. snatched two of them, returning one 64 yards for a touchdown. The Catamounts forced two fumbles, recovering both of them (Moore and Justin Wallace). All told, WCU outgained the other purple team in the Southern Conference 522-356.
Western Carolina improved to 4-3 overall, 3-0 in the SoCon with Saturday’s dismantling of the Paladins – keeping pace with 4-0 Mercer in the league standings. Furman and The Citadel each have 2-1 SoCon records, while Chattanooga is 1-1.
There is still a lot of football left, but Western Carolina has found its footing just in time. Everything is back on schedule, Kerwin Bell’s bunch is improving in multiple phases, and all of the team’s goals remain in front of them.
Western Carolina travels to The Citadel next Saturday, then takes a bye week before another road trip to Chattanooga. Mercer, East Tennessee State and VMI await after that.
WCU’s last playoff berth came in 1983. The last SoCon championship … well, never. Will this be the year both of those droughts come to an end?
🏈 How It Happened: Catamounts Dominate Every Phase
Furman hung around for a quarter, but once Western Carolina’s offense found its rhythm, the game turned into a rout.
After a Marcus Trout 44-yard field goal opened the scoring early in the second, Taron Dickens went to work—hitting Michael Rossin on a 50-yard strike and Joshua Perry from nine yards out. Moments later, Moore jumped a route and raced 64 yards for a pick-six that pushed the margin to 24-0.
The Paladins managed their lone touchdown before halftime, but the Catamounts never let up. Dickens tossed two more scores in the second half—to Malik Knight (41 yards) and Josiah Thomas (6 yards)—while Markel Townsend and Isaac Lee added rushing touchdowns.
Statistically, it was one of Western’s most balanced efforts of the season. Dickens completed 17 of 24 passes (70.8%) for 220 yards and four touchdowns with no interceptions. He still has no interceptions on the season (16 TDs).
Seven different players caught a pass, and eight different ball-carriers combined for 302 rushing yards on 45 attempts, highlighted by Lee’s 66-yard sprint late in the fourth quarter. On defense, Moore Jr. recorded two of the team’s three interceptions, while Hasaan Sykes added a sack and forced fumble as the Catamounts dominated both lines of scrimmage.
