BUIES CREEK – Ranked for the first time this season, Western Carolina spent Sunday afternoon (Sept. 6) trying to climb out of an early hole they never fully escaped.
Campbell jumped out to a 28-10 halftime lead and held on for a 28-19 upset versus the No. 24th-ranked Catamounts at Barker-Lane Stadium. Originally supposed to be played at 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, Sept. 5, a lightning delay forced the rare Sunday morning kickoff at 11 a.m.
Western Carolina quarterback Lex Thomas threw two touchdown passes to Jai Boyd, and the defense intercepted Campbell quarterback Kamden Sixkiller three times while holding the offense scoreless in the second half. Western Carolina could not manage to put the ball in the end zone on multiple drives and repeatedly stalled, settling for field goals and punts that ultimately left the Catamounts short.
Thomas finished 25-of-44 for 326 yards and the two scores to Boyd. Bryan McCollum connected from 23 and a career-long 40 yards. The Catamounts outscored Campbell 9-0 after intermission but left points on the field with a missed extra point and a late 43-yard field goal try.
Sixkiller, who won FCS National Offensive Player of the Week last week, needed only a couple of series to put the Camels in firm control. He found tight end Brady Ambrose for a 6-yard touchdown and later scored himself on an 8-yard run, building a 14-0 lead by the end of the first quarter.
Western Carolina answered early in the second with McCollum’s 23-yard field goal. Campbell responded immediately as Ethan Lawrence punched in a 1-yard touchdown run to make it 21-3.
Thomas then found Boyd deep down the middle for a 48-yard strike that cut the margin to 21-10. Campbell answered again before the break, with Sixkiller hitting Spencer Jones on a 32-yard touchdown pass that restored the 18-point cushion at 28-10.
The second half belonged more to the Catamounts’ defense. Defensive back Jayden Cornelius intercepted Sixkiller and returned it 47 yards to the Campbell 8-yard line. After the offense stalled, McCollum drilled the 40-yard field goal to make it 28-13 with 9:49 left in the third quarter.
Western Carolina continued to move the ball in the fourth quarter. Thomas methodically drove the Catamounts into the red zone and capped the march with a 1-yard touchdown to Boyd. McCollum’s extra point failed, leaving Western Carolina needing two scores with 9:24 remaining in the fourth quarter and the deficit still at 28-19.
Campbell answered with a long drive that reached the Western Carolina 4-yard line before defensive lineman Fernando Jeanty intercepted a tipped pass from Sixkiller, who was rolling right on a desperation throw into the end zone. Thomas marched the Catamounts back into field-goal range, but McCollum’s 43-yard attempt missed with 3:47 left in the game. Campbell ran out the clock from there.
Western Carolina’s offense showed flashes after the break, and the defense forced two second-half interceptions while holding Campbell scoreless after intermission. But the Catamounts offense could not figure out a way to fully get going, which cost them the upset loss in week 2.
Sixkiller accounted for three first-half touchdowns despite three interceptions. Running backs Lawrence and JJ Cowan controlled the ground game, combining for 155 rushing yards. The Fighting Camels’ defense shut down the Catamounts’ offense enough to be the deciding factor, including leaving WCU’s ground game to just one net rushing yard on 18 carries.
AJ Colombo led the Catamounts with six receptions for 91 yards. Tight end Bode Burns added five catches for 42 yards, while receiver Matthew Keener posted career highs with four receptions and 53 yards, playing his brother Stevie Keener on Campbell’s defense. Defensively for the Catamounts, linebacker Joshua Collins recorded a career-high nine tackles and a sack. Safety Braylon Jones, who had been ejected in the season opener, finished with eight tackles and a pass breakup. Cornerback Andre Jackson Jr. also had a career-best eight tackles and a breakup.
The loss drops the Catamounts to 1-1 after a season-opening win over Eastern Kentucky. Western Carolina could not find the rhythm they needed that carried them to victory last week against the Colonels. It was just the second Sunday game in program history. The previous contest came in 1989 after Hurricane Hugo forced a relocation. The Catamounts’ strong defensive effort was not enough to overcome crucial offensive mistakes against Campbell (2-0).
The Catamounts hit the road again next Saturday, Sept. 12, to face FBS opponent Cincinnati. The game starts at 7 p.m. Thomas and the offense will look to bounce back quickly after the delayed setback and the red-zone mistakes that kept them from completing the comeback in Buies Creek.
