By Western Carolina Athletics / CatamountSports.com
LITTLE ROCK, Ark. – Western Carolina football scored a pair of Richard McCollum field goals and running back Desmond Reid plunged in from two yards out, but the Catamounts were unable to overcome five turnovers and a strong early start by SEC-foe Arkansas in dropping the 2023 season-opener 56-13 on Saturday afternoon in front of 44,600 fans at War Memorial Stadium.
McCollum, the NC Football News preseason FCS Special Teams MVP, connected on boots of 34 and 32 yards with the latter coming as the final seconds in the game expired to provide the final tally.
Arkansas posted a pair of quick strikes among its three first quarter touchdowns, scoring on passes of 65 and 31 yards to caps drives of two and just one play to lead 21-3 after 15 minutes of play. The Razorbacks capitalized on a pair of Catamount turnovers in the second quarter, adding a 17-yard rushing touchdown by KJ Jefferson and a one-yard rush by Raheim Sanders as time expired for a 35-3 halftime lead.
WCU found the end zone for the first time in 2023 early in the third quarter. Set up by a 40-yard pitch-and-catch from Cole Gonzales to Censere Lee, Reid scored from two-yards out to make it 35-10.
Jefferson threw his third passing touchdown of the afternoon, a 16-yard strike to Andrew Armstrong, that put Arkansas ahead 42-10 after three quarters of play. In the fourth, Arkansas got a 14-yard touchdown pass from Jacolby Criswell to Davion Dozier with an 85-yard interception return for six points by Brad Spence.
Quarterback Brody Palhegyi led WCU’s longest drive of the day, marching into the red-zone on 13 plays with McCollum capping the game with his second three-pointer for the final, 56-13.
Gonzales finished 9-of-14 for 118 yards with an interception while backup Charlie Dean completed 15-of-23 passes but was picked three times. Palhegyi completed one of three passes for 11 yards, adding 14 yards on the ground. Branson Adams ran for a team-best 38 yards while Calvin Jones – who returned after missing the 2022 season due to injury – caught a team-best four passes for 32 yards as 12 Catamounts posted receptions.
Arkansas quarterback K.J. Jefferson completed 18-of-23 passes for 246 yards and three touchdown passes to three different receivers in the winning effort. He added a 17-yard rushing score to lead the Razorbacks. Preseason All-SEC tailback Raheim Sanders scored twice on the ground, rushing 15 times and was held to just 42 yards. Receiver Andrew Armstrong led nine Razorback receivers with five catches for a team-best 78 yards and a score.
Defensively, Andreas Keaton recorded a team-best seven tackles with C.J. Williams and Samaurie Dukes posting six stops apiece. Ed Jones IV tallied a sack and forced fumble for the Catamounts.
Western Carolina returns home next Saturday, Sept. 9, to open Southern Conference play by hosting defending league champion Samford at Bob Waters Field / E.J. Whitmire Stadium. WCU looks to “White Out Whitmire,” presented by Ingles, 99.9 Kiss Country, and Star 104.3. Fans are encouraged to wear their white WCU gear to the game as the squad will wear its all-white Niki uniforms. The first 5,000 fans through the gates will also receive a commemorative “White Out Whitmire” T-shirt.
Kickoff of the home-opening “Ingles SoCon Game of the Week” is scheduled for 2:30 p.m., in a game that will be broadcast on Nexstar and ESPN+ (paid subscription required).
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