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 Senior Mike Malone rushed for 151 yards and two scores en route to 326 all-purpose yards at Appalachian State. |
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Nov. 11, 2007
Cullowhee, N.C. - Several Western Carolina Catamounts posted strong, career performances in last Saturday's ball game against archrival Appalachian State in Boone.
Senior running back Mike Malone finished Saturday with a career-best 151 yards rushing. It was the second time this season that the Gainesville, Ga., native recorded 100 yards in a game with the first coming against Presbyterian in the home opener. His two rushing touchdowns - also the second time this season he had reached pay-dirt on the ground twice in a single-game - gave him six rushing scores and eight total TDs this year.
Malone enters this weekend with 539 rushing yards this season, his highest single-season out-put of his career.
In addition to his 151 yards on the ground, Malone added 171 yards on kick-off returns and a leaping reception for four yards to amass a career-best 326 all-purpose yards. It is the second time this season he had tallied 300-plus, all-purpose yards in a game (322 at Eastern Kentucky).
For the sixth-straight game, senior wide receiver Eddie Cohen recorded 100-yards receiving on Saturday with eight catches for 156 yards and two touchdowns. His other five 100-plus yard performances including a Paulson Stadium record 212 yards at Georgia Southern; 177 against Elon; 109 at Chattanooga; 104 against The Citadel and 124 yards at home against Wofford.
Currently with 1,115 yards this season, Cohen now stands third on the single-season charts just 30 yards shy of Gerald Harp's single-season receiving record of 1,145 yards. His nine touchdown receptions stand alone in fourth on the seasonal charts, while his 15 career TDs stands tied for sixth with five others - including all-time greats Lamont Seward (2000-03), Craig Aiken (1991-94), Kerry Hayes (1991-94), Steve Spradling (1967-70) and Paul Smith (1967-70). His 62 catches this season are tied for fifth on the single-season charts.
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Senior quarterback Todd Spitzer posted his third, 200-yard passing game after throwing for a career-high 254 yards on 14-of-22 passing. Late in the second quarter, Spitzer hooked up with Cohen for an 82-yard pass and catch, the career-long for both. The 82-yard scoring strike is also the longest in the Southern Conference this season, surpassing an 81-yard toss from Georgia Southern's Jayson Foster against West Georgia earlier this season.
Junior Quinton Phillips snagged just the Catamounts' second interception of the season midway through the third quarter. Yet, in a microcosm of how things played out for WCU on Saturday, the Mountaineers' Dexter Jackson forced a fumble which was recovered by quarterback Armanti Edwards who had thrown the pick.
Additional Post-Game Notes:
* Western Carolina has not won in Boone since 1984 - a string of 12 straight losses ... the loss was Western's 14th-straight in Southern Conference play dating back to 2005;
* Appalachian State's 79 points were the most ever scored by the Mountaineers in a WCU-ASU game as well as a Southern Conference contest ... it was also the second-most ever scored in a game by ASU ... Western Carolina's 35 points were the most scored by the Catamounts on the road this season ... It was also WCU's most points scored against ASU in Boone since tallying 34 in 1984, the last time the Cats have won in Boone;
* Western Carolina sported an all-white uniform look on Saturday marking the first time since 2004 that WCU had not gone with the white-over-purple look;
* Western's 80-yard opening drive for a touchdown - capped by a five-yard bootleg run by Adam Hearns - marked the Catamounts' first opening drive for a score since the Elon game, three games ago ... WCU has only scored on three of its opening drives this season, all rushing touchdowns ... Hearns' touchdown run came on his first play in the game;
Western Carolina returns home to wrap up its 2007 season next Saturday, Nov. 17 against the Furman Paladins at E.J. Whitmire Stadium/Bob Waters Field. Kickoff is set for Noon as WCU will celebrate both Senior Day and Hall of Fame Day with the 1949 Football team, Dave Bristol and Jim Garrison all inducted into the Hall on Saturday morning.
The Catamounts dropped last year's meeting between the two nationally-ranked teams in Greenville preventing WCU from winning back-to-back games in the series. Western dominated the last time the two teams squared off in Cullowhee, winning 41-21, back in 2005
Saturday's game will be televised by CSS (check local listings for availability) and also broadcast by the Catamount Sports Network. Fans can listen to the game on six radio stations in Western North Carolina including 680 AM WRGC in Sylva; 920 WPTL in Canton; 1480 AM WPFJ "The Dove" in Franklin; 1590 AM WBHN in Bryson City; 1600 AM WTZQ in Hendersonville; and on the flagship station, WWCU-FM, Power 90dot5 in Cullowhee. Fans can also listen online by logging on to www.CatamountSports.com, www.WWCUFM.com and www.WRGC.com.
