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WCU misses several scoring chances in loss at Cincinnati
Western Carolina’s football team has never beaten a Division I-AA opponent, but the Catamounts came ever so close Saturday at Cincinnati.
Four trips inside the 20-yard line, including two inside the 5, yielded just three points as the Bearcats escaped with a 7-3 victory.
Bradley Glattharr carried 18 times for 107 yards and the game’s only touchdown.
Western Carolina’s J.C. Brown caught four passes totaling 41 yards in Saturday’s 7-3 loss at Cincinnati. –WCU photo by Mark Haskett
Bearcat quarterback Dustin Grutza completed 10 of 24 passes for 88 yards.
Darius Fudge had 66 rushing yards in 17 carries for Western (2-1).
Justin Clark completed 19 of 39 passes for 201 yards but was intercepted three times, including two deep in Cincy territory.
The Cats had the game’s first scoring opportunity when they drove from their 44 to the Bearcat 17. On the first play of the second period, Haruki Nakamura picked off Clark’s pass at the 16.
The lone TD of the night came on Glatthaar’s 7-yard run with 1:54 to go in the half. Kevin Lovell added the PAT for a 7-0 lead. The 89-yard drive took nine plays, including Grutza passes of 18 yards to Derick Ross and 28 yards to Connor Barwin, along with the QB’s 11-yard run.
WCU responded by moving from its 26 to the Bearcat 19 while running the two-minute drill. Clark hit Lamont Reid for 10 yards and Fudge for 12 while Fudge ran for 16 yards. A pass interference penalty aided the march. However, the Cats came up empty when Stephen Brown, a former Smoky Mountain standout, was wide right on a 37-yard field goal as time expired.
Cincinnati threatened twice early in the second half. Andre Hemphill intercepted Grutza’s pass in the end zone, and Lovell’s 51-yard field goal try hit the crossbar on the first two possessions.
Primus Glover’s recovery of a Mike Daniels fumble at the WCU 40 set up the Cats’ only points. Clark completed a pair of 17-yard passes to Michael Hines and Darius Fudge and a 13-yarder to J.C. Brown as they reached the 5. Brown’s 23-yard field goal cut the gap to 7-3 with 1:33 left in the third quarter.
Western appeared poised to take the lead after an impressive drive from its 6 to the Bearcat 5, highlighted by Clark’s 50-yard pass to Hines to the 13. On second-and-goal form the 5, Clark’s pass was picked off by Dominic Ross at the 2.
WCU’s final possession ended when Ross again intercepted Clark’s pass, this time at the Cincy 37.
WCU’s defense was led by Lamar Barnes with seven tackles. Corey Smith topped the Bearcats with nine.
Western, ranked from 14th to 21st in the latest I-AA polls, will travel to Nicholls State for a 3 p.m. game Saturday. The Colonels cancelled their first game of the season against Utah State due to Hurricane Katrina. They nearly beat I-A Indiana before falling 35-31 and routed Cheyney 54-0.
WCU Cincy
17 First Downs 16
34-82 Rushes-Yds. 41-185
20-40-3 Passing 10-24-1
202 Passing Yds. 88
9-43.2 Punts-Avg. 9-37.9
1-0 Fumbles-Lost 2-1
5-55 Penalties-Yds. 7-53
WCU 0 0 3 0 3
Cincy 0 7 0 0 7
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