CULLOWHEE, NC – Brian Gaither completed a 37-yard pass to Xavier Godard on the first play of the game and Western Carolina never looked back in the Catamounts' 26-3 Southern Conference victory over Elon Saturday afternoon at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.
Western Carolina (4-6 overall, 3-4 Southern Conference) also received two rushing touchdowns from Nicholas Wishart, who had 16 carries for 81 yards in the first half to lead the Cats to a 23-0 lead at the break. Wishart, who finished with 18 carries for 87 yards, accounted for 38 of Western's 70 yards on the first drive, which ended with a 22-yard Chris Vought field goal.
Midway through the third quarter, on Elon's second possession of the second half, Western Carolina's Michale Spicer picked off a Phoenix pass and returned it four yards to the Elon 10-yard line. The interception led to Western's final scoring drive of the game. A penalty put Western in a first-and-goal situation. A short pass and two incompletions brought on Vought, who connected from 30 yards out and gave Western a 26-0 lead.
Neither team got much going offensively in the second half until Elon (2-8, 1-5) had a 12-play, 31-yard drive which consumed 3:53 on the clock. William Rawls came on to kick a career-best 48-yard field goal with 3:14 remaining, providing the final margin and keeping the Phoenix from being shut out. The Elon offense has not been shut out in its last 40 contests.
Gaither finished 15-for-28 for 257 passing yards with a touchdown and an interception while the WCU defense was led by Nick McNeil, Jada Sullivan and Ryan Nesby, who each tallied eight tackles.
Rashaud Palmer moved to 12th among Elon's all-time career rushing leaders, gaining 88 yards on 24 carries versus Western. Palmer now has 2,317 career rushing yards.
Phoenix quarterback Anthony Crews completed 15 of 30 passes for 115 yards and only one interception, connecting with 12 different players. He set career highs in both passes attempted and passes completed.
Elon was led defensively by Eddie Bell, who recorded eight total tackles. Teammate Jacobi Jones collected six tackles, broke up four passes and returned an interception 28 yards.
Western Carolina will be off next Saturday, returning to action Nov. 15 at Appalachian State. Meanwhile, Elon hosts Appalachian State next Saturday for its homecoming weekend.
– ELON – Game Box Score
