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Western scored on all five of its possessions in the first half as well as the first two times it touched the ball after intermission. Boateng came out of the chute running hard with gains of 14, 14, 18 and 20 yards on the first possession. The drive bogged down at the five, and Josh Jones kicked a 22-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 9:37 to go in the first quarter.
The Bears used a 16-yard pass from Brett Meunier to Kennard France and a 29-yard run by Jameil Surratt to move in position for Bryce Rieger's 44-yard field goal and a 3-3 tie with 6:24 to play in the opening period.
Four plays after the kickoff, Rivers unloaded a 67-yard scoring strike to Seward. Jones kicked the first of his five extra points giving WCU the lead for good at 10-3 with 4:02 remaining in the quarter.
Rivers' passing keyed a 65-yard drive in 12 plays. He hit Brian Rucker for 16 yards Caesar Campana for 11 and Lee Williams for 18. Williams scored on a five-yard run, and WCU led 17-3 with 11:18 left in the half.
Rivers passes of 14 yards to Seward, 25 yards to Tracy Biggs and 14 yards to Aaron Wright led to Jones' career best 52-yard field goal and a 20-3 advantage with 5:38 on the clock.
Western got the ball right back when Justin Fryer intercepted Meunier's pass at the L-R 42. A 28-yard run by Walter Gary led to Jones' 27-yard field goal at the 2:51 mark sending the Cats to the dressing room on top 23-3.
WCU's first possession of the second half ended with Jones' 37-yard field goal extending the margin to 26-3 with 10:05 left in the third quarter. Rivers scrambled for 13 yards, and Boateng had an 11-yard gain before the kick.
Terrence Wilson returned the ensuing kickoff 80 yards for a touchdown. Rieger's PAT cut the gap to 26-10 with 9:47 left in the period.
One play after the kickoff, the Cats struck again. Seward bobbled a short pass from Rivers before hauling it in and going 78 yards to paydirt and a 33-10 lead with 9:16 to go in the quarter.
Western was finally stopped on its next possession but scored again after forcing another punt. Williams tallied from the 11 on the first play of the fourth period giving WCU a 40-10 advantage.
Seward's third TD came on a 35-yard pass from David Hunter at the 6:17 mark. The extra point was no good leaving the score 46-10.
Bryant's 44-yard run ended the scoring with 3:59 on the clock.
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Photo by Mark Haskett