Eight-Sack Defensive Effort Powers Catamounts Past Wofford, 26-10

Behind a relentless defensive effort that produced eight sacks and 10 tackles for loss, Western Carolina earned its second straight victory Saturday afternoon, defeating Wofford 26-10 at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.

WCU limited Wofford to 10 points, the fewest surrendered to the Terriers in the series since a 2005 shutout.

Josh Perry rushed for a pair of touchdowns, and freshman Joshua Balloon Jr. recorded his first collegiate score on an 11-yard touchdown rush for the Catamount offense. Reigning SoCon Special Teams Player of the Week Bryan McCollum nailed a pair of field goals as the Catamounts won their sixth straight in the series with the Terriers.

Trystan Anderson paced the Catamount defense with eight tackles, including three tackles for loss and two sacks. Joshua Collins added seven stops with a sack, while veterans Blue Monroe and Ken Moore Jr. finished with five tackles apiece. Moore was credited with half a sack, and Monroe broke up a would-be touchdown pass for a PBU.

Two of the three tackles by Jermiyah Douglas went for sacks, with Fernando Jeanty and Chase Kerns posting a sack, and the latter added a forced fumble. Caleb Turner-Allen added half a sack and recovered a fumble in the win.

Lex Thomas completed 22-of-35 passes for 237 yards, adding 28 rushing yards to lead the Catamount offense. Perry ran for 35 yards and two scores, while Balloon Jr. totaled 70 all-purpose yards with 31 rushing yards and four receptions for 39 yards. AJ Colombo caught a team-high four passes for 46 yards, adding a six-yard rush and 17 yards on two punt returns. Jai Boyd had three receptions for 44 yards for WCU.

Spurred by a 28-yard, third-down completion to tight end Jake Young, Perry capped an 11-play drive with a three-yard touchdown run to break the scoreless deadlock and hand the Catamounts a lead they would never relinquish late in the first quarter.

Early in the second quarter, Bryan McCollum hit a career-long 47-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead, with Joshua Balloon Jr. finding the end zone for the first time on an 11-yard run to stake the Catamounts to a 16-0 lead. Balloon was responsible for all 45 yards on the scoring drive, rushing for 22 yards and hauling in a 23-yard reception before his touchdown run.

Wofford's best first-half scoring opportunity came late in the second quarter when backup quarterback Kaeden Gilstrap guided the Terriers to the Catamount 1-yard line. However, a false start and a holding penalty that erased a touchdown run forced Wofford to settle for a 34-yard Conner Deviney field goal as Western Carolina carried a 16-3 lead into the locker room.

The Terriers pulled to within a score, 16-10, on a 26-yard Terrence Honeywood end-around score midway through the third quarter. WCU responded, though, with McCollum’s second field goal, a 33-yarder that made it 19-10.

Perry capped the scoring with a one-yard TD plunge, set up by a 29-yard AJ Colombo catch-and-run to the one-yard line.

Wofford had chances in the waning moments of the game, but saw a drive stall with around five minutes remaining after back-to-back sacks forced the Terriers to punt. On the ensuing possession, Wofford forced a turnover with a fumble recovery, setting it up at the WCU 23-yard line.

Wofford again reached the Catamount 5-yard line in the closing minutes, but consecutive delay-of-game penalties and back-to-back sacks derailed the drive before Western Carolina forced a turnover on downs to seal the victory.

Wofford tailback Gerald Modest Jr. rushed for 71 yards on 17 carries, hitting the 1,000-yard mark for the season in the loss. Tayshaun Franklin chipped in 52 yards on the ground. Starting quarterback JT Fayard was just 4-of-13 passing for 22 yards, while Gilstrap finished 9-of-18 for 96 yards. Anjuan Coleman Jr. led all receivers with five catches for 51 yards.

Western Carolina (5-5, 3-3 SoCon) hits the road for a final time in the regular season next Saturday, Nov. 14, with a trip to Birmingham, Ala., to face Samford (4-6, 4-3 SoCon), who upset No. 19 ETSU in Johnson City on Saturday. Kickoff from Seibert Stadium is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. ET / 2:30 p.m. CT, and will be streamed on ESPN+ (paid subscription required) with live audio from the Catamount Sports Network.