SPARTANBURG, S.C. – The Wofford College football team had over 600 yards of total offense to defeat Western Carolina 59-7 on a rainy Saturday afternoon at Gibbs Stadium. The Catamounts scored on the first play of the game, but the Terriers scored the next five touchdowns for a 35-7 halftime lead. Wofford added three touchdowns and a field goal in the second half for the 59-7 final score.
 
Wofford is 4-2 overall and 3-1 in the Southern Conference. Western Carolina is 1-6 on the season and 0-4 in the league. The Terriers were led by Joe Newman with 104 rushing yards and two touchdowns, along with 7-of-11 passing for 162 yards and two touchdowns. D'mauriae VanCleave added four catches for 112 yards and a touchdown, plus had a punt return touchdown. Catamount quarterback Tyrie Adams left the game in the first quarter, while Will Jones was 9-of-16 for 39 yards.
 
"It was good to get back out there and just keep going to put ourselves in a good position," said Wofford head coach Josh Conklin. "We were rolling on offense and defense today. We are doing a really good job of executing right now and playing with a lot of confidence. It goes back to trying to get better every week and that is what they have done. We are doing some really good things at a high level."
 
The Catamounts had the ball first and on the first play of the game Tyrie Adams found Jaylin Young for a 69-yard touchdown reception. The Terriers went three-and-out on their first drive of the game. Western Carolina then went three-and-out and punted. Wofford had a 41-yard run by Irvin Mulligan for a first down and Jacquez Allen added a first down. Blake Moragan capped the eight-play drive with a four-yard touchdown run to tie the game at 7-7 with 5:46 left in the first quarter.
 
After another three-and-out by the Catamounts, the Terriers had one first down before punting. On the next drive by Western Carolina, Jireh Wilson was called for targeting and was disqualified from the game. After one first down, the Catamounts punted to D'mauriae VanCleave who went 87-yards down the far sideline for a touchdown. Wofford had a 14-7 lead at 13:01 in the second quarter. The Catamounts went three-and-out and punted. On the first play of the drive Joe Newman found D'mauriae VanCleave for a 67-yard reception. Newman scored from three-yards out on the next play for a 21-7 lead at the 10:29 mark of the half.
 
After a three-and-out, the Catamounts punted and the Terriers took over at the 35-yard line after a penalty. A 41-yard run by Joe Newman moved the ball inside the red zone. Newman capped the drive with a 12-yard touchdown run for a 28-7 lead with 5:26 left in the half. Both teams traded three-and-outs and punted. With 1:15 remaining, Joe Newman had a 29-yard pass complete to Landon Parker to move into the red zone. With four seconds left, Newman hit KeiAndre Sanders for a seven-yard touchdown and a 35-7 advantage.
 
To open the second half, the Terriers had three first downs before a 47-yard field goal attempt by Luke Carter was wide left. The Catamounts were sacked on third down to force a punt on their first possession of the second half. After two first downs, Joe Newman hit D'mauriae VanCleave with a 39-yard pass for a touchdown as Wofford took a 42-7 lead with 5:04 on the clock in the third quarter. The Catamounts went three-and-out for the sixth straight possession. On the second play of the ensuing drive, Jacquez Allen went 78-yards down the near sideline for a touchdown and a 49-7 lead with 3:10 left in the quarter.
 
After a punt by the Catamounts, Miller Mosley completed a first down pass to Evan Suggs and then Mosley ran it in from 46-yards out for a 56-7 lead with 14:11 left in the game. Western Carolina went three-and-out again and punted. The Terriers picked up two first downs and ended the drive with a 44-yard field goal by Luke Carter to make it a 59-7 game with 6:57 remaining. After trading three-and-outs, the Catamounts had a first down with under two minutes to play and were able to run out the clock.
 
Wofford had 613 total yards, with 428 rushing yards. Western Carolina had 172 total yards, 108 of which were passing. Wofford had 21 first downs, while Western Carolina had four. Wofford was 7-of-13 on third down and Western Carolina was 0-of-12 on third down. Both teams were called for seven penalties. Wofford had a 33:15 to 26:45 time of possession advantage.
 
Wofford vs. Western Carolina Post-Game Notes
Wofford leads the series 27-14, including the last four games. The 59 points are the most ever scored by the Terriers against the Catamounts and the 52 points is the largest margin in the series.
 
The punt return for a touchdown by D'mauriae VanCleave was the first by a Wofford player since Octavius Harden on September 9, 2012 against Lincoln. The 87 yards ranks as the third longest in school history.
 
VanCleave had 112 receiving yards, becoming the first Terrier this season to cross the 100 mark and only the ninth since the 2001 season.
 
Joe Newman had 104 rushing yards, his third 100+ rushing game of the season and the sixth of his career. He also had over 100 passing yards in the game and was responsible for four touchdowns.
 
Ryan Titus led the team with seven tackles, while Joe Beckett added six. Eight different players had a tackle for loss.
 
Three Terriers had over 100 rushing yards in the game – Irvin Mulligan (106), Jacquez Allen (105) and Joe Newman (104). It was the first time since September 15, 2012 against Western Carolina that has happened (Eric Breitenstein 160, Michael Weimer 141, Donovan Johnson 126).
 
Game captains were Joe Newman, Justus Basinger, Mason Alstatt, Jireh Wilson and Blake Morgan.    
 
Attendance was 5,733 at Gibbs Stadium.
 
The Terriers remain at home on October 26 against Chattanooga as part of family weekend.
 
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