Post by The Cats on Jul 15, 2023 17:32:28 GMT -5
By SoCon John, writing for Redshirt Sports
Here is how he sees the SoCon, picking Furman is no big surprise for SoCon John as he lives and breathes Furman football & basketball... But this is a pretty good overall article even with his biases, and I recommend reading it...
1. Furman
2. Samford
3. Mercer
4. Western Carolina
5. Chattanooga
6. The Citadel
7. Tennessee State
8. VMI
9. Wofford
he does have some good things to say about Catamount football and the HC...
Here is how he sees the SoCon, picking Furman is no big surprise for SoCon John as he lives and breathes Furman football & basketball... But this is a pretty good overall article even with his biases, and I recommend reading it...
1. Furman
2. Samford
3. Mercer
4. Western Carolina
5. Chattanooga
6. The Citadel
7. Tennessee State
8. VMI
9. Wofford
he does have some good things to say about Catamount football and the HC...
Samford, Furman, Mercer, Western Carolina and Chattanooga, in some order, look like the teams to beat again this season. With that said, look for the gap between the top five of the SoCon and the next four looks to have gotten significantly closer.
Kerwin Bell’s Western Carolina Catamounts is a program SoCon football fans might want to keep a close watch on, as the Purple and Gold will likely enter the 2023 season as the dark horse for many to find their way into that upper echelon and perhaps compete for a playoff spot and Southern Conference title this fall. It’s been a long time. Forty years to be exact, however, the SoCon has already seen some long held streaks snapped in 2023, with Furman’s basketball program ending a 43-year NCAA Tournament drought this past spring, so the Catamounts will hope to keep the purple magic alive this fall by qualifying for the postseason this fall.
It’s something that the program will certainly be striving for, as the 2023 season will mark the 40-year anniversary of Western Carolina’s most-significant accomplishment as a football program, which was an appearance in the 1983 national championship game against Southern Illinois in Charleston, dropping what was a 43-7 contest to the Salukis at Johnson-Hagood Stadium in Charleston. The Catamounts are coming off a 2022 campaign, which saw them post a 6-5 record overall, which included a 4-4 mark in league action.
Western Carolina ended the season as hot as any team in the Southern Conference, closing the campaign with wins over Wofford (W, 36-29), vs. at East Tennessee State (W, 20-17/Blue Ridge Border Battle) and vs. No. 15 Chattanooga (W, 32-29), as the Purple and Gold secured their first win over a ranked foe for the first time since the 2017 season, when the Catamounts were victorious against No. 17 Samford, posting a thrilling 38-34 late September win over the Bulldogs in Cullowhee.
Bell will have to go about finding some new pieces to help contribute to an offense that was among the most prolific in the nation last season, as WCU finished the campaign ranked sixth nationally in total offense (485.4 YPG), 31st in scoring offense (31.9 PPG) and seventh in passing offense (301.1 YPG).
While both starting quarterback Carlos Davis (transferred to UMass) and leading wide receiver Raphael Williams (transferred to San Diego State) are no longer with the Catamount football program, there are some really good pieces returning on the offensive side of the ball for the Catamounts in 2023, with the most notable of those being quarterback Cole Gonzales, running back Desmond Reid, and wide receiver Censere Lee.
Continued improvement on the defensive side of the ball, however, will determine whether or not the Catamounts are knocking on the proverbial door of a potential FCS playoff bid and competing for a SoCon title when November rolls around.
Kerwin Bell’s Western Carolina Catamounts is a program SoCon football fans might want to keep a close watch on, as the Purple and Gold will likely enter the 2023 season as the dark horse for many to find their way into that upper echelon and perhaps compete for a playoff spot and Southern Conference title this fall. It’s been a long time. Forty years to be exact, however, the SoCon has already seen some long held streaks snapped in 2023, with Furman’s basketball program ending a 43-year NCAA Tournament drought this past spring, so the Catamounts will hope to keep the purple magic alive this fall by qualifying for the postseason this fall.
It’s something that the program will certainly be striving for, as the 2023 season will mark the 40-year anniversary of Western Carolina’s most-significant accomplishment as a football program, which was an appearance in the 1983 national championship game against Southern Illinois in Charleston, dropping what was a 43-7 contest to the Salukis at Johnson-Hagood Stadium in Charleston. The Catamounts are coming off a 2022 campaign, which saw them post a 6-5 record overall, which included a 4-4 mark in league action.
Western Carolina ended the season as hot as any team in the Southern Conference, closing the campaign with wins over Wofford (W, 36-29), vs. at East Tennessee State (W, 20-17/Blue Ridge Border Battle) and vs. No. 15 Chattanooga (W, 32-29), as the Purple and Gold secured their first win over a ranked foe for the first time since the 2017 season, when the Catamounts were victorious against No. 17 Samford, posting a thrilling 38-34 late September win over the Bulldogs in Cullowhee.
Bell will have to go about finding some new pieces to help contribute to an offense that was among the most prolific in the nation last season, as WCU finished the campaign ranked sixth nationally in total offense (485.4 YPG), 31st in scoring offense (31.9 PPG) and seventh in passing offense (301.1 YPG).
While both starting quarterback Carlos Davis (transferred to UMass) and leading wide receiver Raphael Williams (transferred to San Diego State) are no longer with the Catamount football program, there are some really good pieces returning on the offensive side of the ball for the Catamounts in 2023, with the most notable of those being quarterback Cole Gonzales, running back Desmond Reid, and wide receiver Censere Lee.
Continued improvement on the defensive side of the ball, however, will determine whether or not the Catamounts are knocking on the proverbial door of a potential FCS playoff bid and competing for a SoCon title when November rolls around.