Western Carolina’s defense held Wofford to 182 yards of total offense as the Catamounts posted a 24-0 win on Saturday afternoon at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.
The shutout marked the first time the Terriers have been blanked since the 2003 season opener when Air Force posted a 49-0 win. It also marked the first time Wofford (5-4, 3-3) has been shutout in a Southern Conference game.
With the win, WCU improved to 5-3, 4-2 in the SoCon.
“We did some great things on defense and the kicking game,” said Wofford head coach Mike Ayers. “Offensively is where we didn’t get it done. We had some opportunities for big plays. Those guys are good defensively. They’re physical, they’re fast and they’re sound. They don’t give you anything.”
Dan Tavani blocked a punt on Western Carolina’s first possession but the Terrier offense could not capitalize and the drive ended in a 41- yard missed field goal attempt by Nick Robinson.
Western Carolina scored first when Lamont Reid scored on a 2-yard run with 3:31 to play in the first quarter. The score culminated a 13-play drive that covered 76 yards.
Jonathan Parsons added a 34-yard field goal for Western Carolina with 39 seconds remaining in the half for a 10-0 halftime lead. Wofford’s Chris Tommie had a 51-yard field goal attempt blocked as time expired at the half.
After a scoreless third quarter, Western Carolina extended its lead to 17-0 with 11:55 to play in the game when Reid scored on an 11-yard run. WCU had taken possession at the Wofford 34 after Josh Collier was sacked on a fourth and 4 from Wofford 44.
The Catamounts tallied their final score after WCU’s Francis Brown returned a punt 28 yards to put Western at the Wofford 38. Darius Fudge ripped off a 36-yard run down to the 2. On third and goal from the 1, quarterback Justin Clark fumbled the ball and Reid recovered it in the end zone for his third touchdown of the day.
“The frustrating this is we had a chance right from the get go,” said Ayers. “We blocked a punt, we had a chance to start out with three points. We tried three kickers (today) and all three didn’t make it.”
Wofford quarterback Josh Collier led the Terriers with 69 yards rushing while Adrian Young had 64 yards on 21 attempts. Collier was 1 of 10 passes for two yards.
Fudge led the Catamounts with 97 yards rushing. Reid had 52 yards on 11 carries to go along with his three touchdowns. Clark completed 16 of 23 passes for 162 yards.
Wofford will visit Furman on Saturday, Nov. 12 for a 12:30 kick in a game to be televised nationally on College Sports Television (CSTV).
Wofford Notes
The Terriers won the toss for the fourth straight game.
Dan Tavani blocked a punt for the second time this season. It was the fourth time the Terriers have blocked a punt this season.
Wofford’s opponent scored first for the seventh time in nine games this year.
Chris Tommie attempted his first career field goal as time expired in the second quarter.
Shiel Wood carried for the first time this season.
Brandon Berry’s third quarter 31-yard punt return was his second-longest of the season.
Wofford completed its first pass of the day with 6:28 remaining in the game
Three different Wofford placekickers missed field goals today:
Nick Robinson missed from 41 yards in the first quarter
Chris Tommie missed from 51 yards on the last play of the second quarter (his first career attempt)
Patrick Mugan missed from 36yards in the third quarter, his first career attempt.
Wofford’s 182 yards of total offense was its second-lowest total of the season, behind the 154 yards at West Virginia.
Freshman punter Chris Tommie had his best day of the year, averaging 46.5 yards on six punts.
This marked the first time the Terriers have been shutout in a Southern Conference game.
The last time Wofford was shutout was a 49-0 loss at Air Force on August 30, 2003.
The four sacks by the Wofford defense were the second-most this season. The season-high is 8 against VMI.
