The second week of the North Carolina college football season brings a marquee in-state FCS matchup as No. 24 Western Carolina visits Campbell on Saturday, Sept. 5, in Buies Creek.
Both teams opened the season Aug. 29 with impressive wins behind standout quarterback performances from Western Carolina’s Lex Thomas and Campbell’s Kamden Sixkiller, who were named offensive players of the week by their respective conferences.
Here’s everything to know about Western Carolina at Campbell, including kickoff time, TV and streaming information, radio coverage, stats and key story lines.
🔄 Last Updated: September 2, 2026 10:03 am
🏟️ No. 24 Western Carolina at Campbell Game Center
Date: Saturday, Sept. 5, 2026
Time: 3:30 p.m. ET
Location: Barker-Lane Stadium (Buies Creek, NC)
Records: WCU 1-0 | Campbell 1-0
TV/Stream: FloCollege
WCU Radio: Catamount Sports Network – 105.7 FM/540 AM WRGC (Sylva), 104.9 FM/1050 AM WFSC (Franklin), 1310 AM WISE (Asheville); free audio stream at CatamountSports.com.
Campbell Audio: Campbell football games are available with free audio through GoCamels.com.
Weather Forecast: Hot with a high near 95°F. A stray shower or thunderstorm is possible in the afternoon.
The Creek is the place to be this weekend for our home opener! Faith & Family Day and Youth Sports Day on Saturday with a top-25 opponent coming to town. C-U there!
🎟️ https://t.co/7W6vHke1dP#FightAsONE | #RollHumps 🐪🏈 pic.twitter.com/9cyudkSTsI — Campbell Football (@GoCamelsFB) August 31, 2026
🔍 What to Know About WCU vs. Campbell football
What time is the WCU at Campbell football game?
The Western Carolina-Campbell football game will kick off at 3:30 p.m. ET Saturday, Sept. 5, at Barker-Lane Stadium in Buies Creek, N.C.
How to watch the WCU-Campbell football game
The WCU-Campbell football game, like all Campbell home football games, is available on the FloCollege streaming platform (subscription required). This game also will be available on the FloSports channel on Amazon Prime Video.
How can I listen to Western Carolina-Campbell on the radio?
Western Carolina’s radio broadcast is available on the Catamount Sports Network, including 105.7 FM/540 AM WRGC in Sylva, 104.9 FM/1050 AM WFSC in Franklin and 1310 AM WISE in Asheville. Fans also can listen to a free audio stream at CatamountSports.com. Gary Ayers handles play-by-play alongside analyst Daniel Hooker.
Campbell also offers a free audio stream through GoCamels.com for the matchup.
All eyes on the quarterbacks
Western Carolina’s Lex Thomas and Campbell’s Kamden Sixkiller enter Saturday coming off remarkably similar season-opening performances. Saturday’s matchup offers an early-season opportunity to see two of the FCS’s hottest quarterbacks on the same field.
Thomas accounted for 389 yards of total offense and four touchdowns in Western Carolina’s 45-21 win over Eastern Kentucky, throwing for 320 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 69 yards and another score.
Sixkiller produced 438 yards of total offense and four touchdowns in Campbell’s 49-37 win at ETSU, passing for 343 yards and two touchdowns while adding 95 rushing yards and two scores.
Both quarterbacks enter Week 1 as their team’s leading passer and leading rusher. Thomas was named Southern Conference Offensive Player of the Week, while Sixkiller earned CAA Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Sixkiller also was named the Stats Perform FCS National Offensive Player of the Week.
Western Carolina breaks into the Top 25
Western Carolina’s impressive opening victory earned the Catamounts some national recognition this week. WCU debuted at No. 24 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and No. 25 in the FCS Nation Radio Top 25. The Catamounts also received votes in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll, sitting just outside the Top 25 at No. 26.
Campbell also received votes in the AFCA coaches poll after its season-opening win at ETSU.
Campbell gets its first home test
Campbell makes its 2026 home debut Saturday after opening the season with a 49-37 road victory over ETSU. The Camels are promoting the matchup as Faith & Family Day and Youth Sports Day at Barker-Lane Stadium, with a nationally ranked Western Carolina team coming to Buies Creek.
Familiar opponents meet for third straight season
Western Carolina and Campbell meet for the third consecutive season Saturday in what could be developing into an intriguing in-state FCS series.
Campbell upset the Catamounts in Cullowhee in 2024 before WCU returned the favor with a 42-35 victory in Buies Creek last season. The series is scheduled to continue Sept. 18, 2027, in Cullowhee.
📊 WCU-Campbell Stats & Leaders
2026 statistics entering Saturday’s game.
Western Carolina
Passing: Lex Thomas — 320 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT
Rushing: Lex Thomas — 69 yards, 1 TD
Receiving: Michael Rossin — 6 catches, 94 yards
Tackles: Joshua Collins — 7 tackles
Campbell
Passing: Kamden Sixkiller — 343 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT
Rushing: Kamden Sixkiller — 95 yards, 2 TD
Receiving: Evan Austin — 4 catches, 93 yards, 1 TD
Tackles: Charles Battaglia — 12 tackles
📈 WCU-Campbell Team Stats
Western Carolina
Scoring offense: 45.0 ppg
Scoring defense: 21.0 ppg
Total offense: 508.0 ypg
Total defense: 370.0 ypg
Rushing offense: 188.0 ypg
Rushing defense: 65.0 ypg
Passing offense: 320.0 ypg
Passing defense: 305.0 ypg
Time of possession: 32:15
Turnover margin: Even
Third-down conversions: 8-of-14 (57.1%)
Third-downs allowed: 5-of-13 (38.5%)
Campbell
Scoring offense: 49.0 ppg
Scoring defense: 37.0 ppg
Total offense: 514.0 ypg
Total defense: 528.0 ypg
Rushing offense: 171.0 ypg
Rushing defense: 155.0 ypg
Passing offense: 343.0 ypg
Passing defense: 373.0 ypg
Time of possession: 32:53
Turnover margin: +2
Third-down conversions: 6-of-14 (42.9%)
Third downs allowed: 5-of-12 (41.7%)
📚 Series History
Campbell leads the all-time series 3-1, with two games being played in the late 1930s and the last two in 2024 and 2025.
- Last Meeting: WCU 42, Campbell 35 (Sept. 27, 2025) – Taron Dickens threw for 427 yards and four touchdowns, and the Catamounts held off the hard-charging Camels down the stretch.
- First Meeting: Campbell 7, WCU 6 (Sept. 1, 1937)
- Campbell took advantage of five Western Carolina turnovers en route to a 26-24 upset in Cullowhee in 2024 – the first time the teams had met in football in nearly 90 years.
🔗 More North Carolina College Football Coverage
- Western Carolina Football Schedule
- Campbell Football Schedule
- 2026 week-by-week schedule
- North Carolina college football scores
