CULLOWHEE, N.C. — Western Carolina’s defense turned a tight game into a comfortable one Saturday, piling up eight sacks and shutting Wofford out in the fourth quarter as the Catamounts beat the Terriers 26-10 at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.
The win was WCU’s second straight, its first back-to-back wins of the season and its sixth in a row over Wofford. The Catamounts improved to 5-5 overall and 3-3 in the Southern Conference. Wofford fell to 5-5 and 3-4.
Head coach Kerwin Bell was not entirely satisfied. “We were, to a point, disappointed a little bit that we didn’t win bigger,” he said, “but anytime you get a win in the SoCon, you take it.”
WCU took control early. Josh Perry capped an 11-play, 75-yard opening scoring drive with a 3-yard touchdown run in the first quarter. Bryan McCollum added a 47-yard field goal in the second, and freshman Joshua Balloon Jr., who had to step up to a depleted running back room, scored on an 11-yard run to make it 16-0. McCollum’s extra point on that touchdown was missed.
The defense did the rest. Wofford managed only 95 total yards in the first half and did not score until Conner Deviney‘s 34-yard field goal on the final play of the half made it 16-3. The Terriers went 1-for-8 on third down before halftime.
Bell, asked about the defense’s first half, steered the conversation toward his offense. “We didn’t punch it in,” he said of a missed chance early in the third quarter.
That chance came right out of halftime. Balloon returned Deviney’s opening kickoff 83 yards to the Wofford 4-yard line, but the Catamounts came away with nothing. Perry lost two yards on one carry, then quarterback Lex Thomas was sacked by linebacker Javario Tinch and fumbled. Defensive lineman Nicholas Mathious recovered for Wofford at the 18.
“Those two are big mistakes by our offense,” Bell said.
Wofford took advantage in the second half, but only briefly. Receiver Terrence Honeywood broke loose for a 26-yard touchdown run to finish an 11-play, 90-yard drive and cut the lead to 16-10. WCU answered with a 12-play, 74-yard drive that ended in a 33-yard McCollum field goal, and Perry sealed it in the fourth with a 1-yard touchdown run, set up by a 29-yard catch by wide receiver AJ Colombo, to make it 26-10.
A second Thomas fumble nearly gave Wofford life. With WCU trying to run out the clock, defensive back Zayd Rogan recovered at the WCU 23 with 4:10 left. The Terriers drove nine plays but ran out of downs, and the Catamounts took a knee to end it.
WCU had only two sacks at halftime and finished with eight, along with 10 tackles for loss. Trystan Anderson led the way with eight tackles, two sacks, and three tackles for loss. Jermiyah Douglas also had two sacks, and Joshua Collins added seven tackles and a sack. The defense also forced a Tay Franklin fumble in the third quarter, when defensive lineman Chase Kerns knocked the ball loose, and Caleb Turner-Allen recovered it.
Wofford finished 4-for-16 on third down and totaled 264 yards. Quarterback Kaeden Gilstrap completed 9 of 18 passes for 96 yards, and running back Gerald Modest Jr. ran for 71 yards on 17 carries. The Terriers were also flagged 16 times for 115 yards, including two holding penalties in the first half that wiped out big plays.
On offense, Thomas threw for 237 yards on 22-of-35 passing, without a touchdown or an interception. Colombo caught four passes for 46 yards, and Jai Boyd had three for 44. Perry carried 14 times for 35 yards and two touchdowns.
Bell singled out Balloon, who also had four catches for 39 yards. “He’s dynamic, fast, and really can make people miss at the second level,” Bell said. “Josh got his chance today, and he really turned it on and made some crucial plays for us.”
Bell said the locker room was more focused than celebratory. “We know we can do better,” he said. “But we’re proud.” He pointed to the team’s youth and inexperience as the reason it started the season slowly and said the last three or four weeks of practice have been the best of the fall.
The Catamounts also have a chance to finish strong. “Confidence is one thing when you’re a young football team. You start winning, you can really become a better football team off of that,” Bell said. “I’m hoping that will carry over these last two weeks.”
WCU travels to Samford next Saturday at 3:30 p.m. ET on ESPN+, a game Bell called a tough one on the road. “Samford’s getting better and better,” he said. The Bulldogs upset the No. 21-ranked East Tennessee State on Saturday, an opponent WCU got blown out by early in the season. The Catamounts close the regular season on Nov. 21 at home against The Citadel on Hall of Fame and Senior Day.
