The long wait is over, and it is finally football season in Cullowhee, North Carolina.
The Western Carolina Catamounts host the Samford Bulldogs for their season home opener on Saturday, Sept. 9, at 2:30 p.m.
The last time the Catamounts defeated the Bulldogs was in September 2017 in a game that was decided in the last minute.
Head coach, Kerwin Bell is hopeful and confident that this will be the year they take down Samford and make a run at a conference championship.
“I feel really good. Our team has bounced back from the road loss against Arkansas. We have almost everybody healthy and got a chance to see a lot of things that we need to improve on,” Bell said during practice on Sept. 6.
The team traveled to Little Rock and faced the Arkansas Razorbacks on Sept. 2, but went home with a loss of 13 – 56. They will soon face the reigning conference champions for the home opener and are excited to be back out on their home field.
The football team has been working hard and preparing for this season since the summer. They are ready, but there are always ways to improve and be better.
“We have to play smarter, we play hard, but we have to take care of the football. If we are going to come out of here with a win against a really good Samford team, we have to play very smart football, stay away from the big mistakes, and offensively take care of the football and score touchdowns,” Bell said.
The Western Carolina Catamounts have started off the 2023 season 0-1 but are looking to change that to 1-1 after Saturday’s big game.
Head on over to E.J Whitmire Stadium this Saturday for kickoff at 2:30 p.m. to watch the Catamounts take on the defending conference champions.
