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Catamounts Suffer First SoCon Loss
It would feel wrong to start this article the way I start every game recap because this wasn’t just another game. This was a sellout homecoming crowd for the single biggest game in Catamount football history. The crowd, the town of Cullowhee, and WCU delivered in every way for gameday. But the result on the field did not. The Catamounts lost a thriller to the Mercer Bears on the final play of the game Saturday by a score of 49-47.
Taron Dickens put on maybe the best performance of his career with 33/49 passing for 551 yards, and 7 TDs. The normally mistake-free QB coughed up a fumble and a pick, something the defense just couldn’t overcome. The defense put the Catamounts in a difficult position. Heading into the 4th quarter, the Catamounts were down 39-27. While it was remarkable that the Catamounts were able to score 20 points in the 4th, the fact that they needed to would seal their fate.
The Catamount offense utterly dominated this game, but the defense was unable to find any turnovers. This is a departure from the norm of the last couple weeks. WCU has had one of the best turnover-creating defenses in the country since entering SoCon play. The running game also never really stood a chance. It was clear, the Bears gameplan was “make Taron Dickens beat us.” And, to his credit, Dickens was able to do so. There is no universe where a team should score 47 points on 7 passing TDs and still lose.
It was all on the line for the Catamounts. Everything they wanted was right there for the taking, they just had to reach out and take it. I want to thank everyone that was able to attend this game in person. You made Catamount Country proud on Saturday. But the season isn’t over just yet. The Catamounts can still make an argument for an at-large playoff bid, but will need to win out decisively to do so. That means this team will still need your support moving forward, just like it did this weekend. Imagine what Whitmire would be like if WCU could get a crowd like that for every home game.
Up next, the Catamounts host their final game of the year against the ETSU Buccaneers on Saturday at noon on ESPN+. There is no longer any room for error. If the Cats from Cullowhee want to keep the season alive, they must blow out both ETSU and VMI to earn an at-large playoff bid. Missing Taron Dickens for those first three games of the season will likely keep the Cats out of the playoffs. The committee would be incredibly foolish to punish a team for games they lost due to missing their best player. WCU absolutely deserves to be in, but only if they can win out.
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