• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1987-10-15_Vol53_No10_10

The Western Carolinian Page - Thursday October 15,1987 SHOWERS, from previous page freshman team. Last winter, he averaged 10.7 points per game. His Jump shot with nine seconds to play In overtime carried the Catamounts to an upsetof Tennessee-Chattanooga in the first round of last season's SouthernConference tournament and earned him a spot on the all tournamenrteam. He has scored in double figures in 33 of his 56 games at WCU. Showers will miss early season games against Kansas, Tennessee and several other non-conference opponents. FRESHMEN, from previous page MARK SMITH 6-2 188 Freshman York, SC Has appeared In two games lor the Catamounts... hi the season opener against Clemson he completed 1 of 6 passes lor 7 yards and suffered 1 Interception...against Mars Hill last Saturday night, he completed 6 of 7 passes lor 52 yards and 1 touchdown...led York High School to the South Carolina J-A State Championship last year as he completed 103 ol 210 passes lor 1,448 yards and 14 touchdowns .was named to the 3-A all-state team, was his conference's MVP, and played In the South Carolina Coaches North-South All- Star game In Myrtle Beach...will start lor the Catamounts against North Carolina Ail . A&T from previous page back Alan Hooker. Hooker has thrown for more than 6,000 yards and has 53 touchdown passes in his career. If the Catamounts have a problem this weekend, it is their injury list. Besides Cottrell, It includes all-Southern Conference defensive tackle Chris Spach, who has a fractured wrist and Is listed as possible for Saturday; tight end Raymond Taylor, strained knee, doubtful; outside linebacker Kell Helms, sprained knee, out indefinitely; and offensive guard Lee Smith, strained knee, out indefinitely. Waters said the Catamounts had suffered too many Injuries Saturday night. "That's what happens a lot of times when you stand around and don't play hard every play," he said. "Now, that's not place blame on Todd or Chris or any of the others, but that Just seems to be the nature of the game. When you're not going 100 percent, you have "N.C. A&T has a lot of players that we label 'big play people. They had a lot of success last season and appear to be headed the same direction this season..." a tendency to get hurt." Waters has been quite pleased with the development of the Catamounts' running game. Western rushed for 339 yards against Mars Hill, Its first 300-yard game since 1978. "We're the best team we can be when we balance the run and the pass," he said. "I'm glad to see we've been able to move the football. It always makes you a better team." What They're Saying: About the Quarterback Situation l»iur»d Ouortnrhnr* Tnriri Cottrerl« "Something <Jood's gotta come Out of this. I know it wilL.Thii is on opportunity tof Mar* (Smith) and Mike fThoma*}... » °^'™n9' (J win mote* the Imm ploy border. I do have hopes of eomthfl bock It will jg*it* difficult watehlna fromthe iWeline* again. I wish I could contribute. That s port of me game, though, mere ate going to be a tot more diuopoinhnent*.* NtWftUfflttftMClUtoaLMIIi" 1 hope to hondte It th. besf way t can Jt wMbeo big situation {Saturday/* game). Therell be a lot of pre**ure on m». Sut my i*°™"* have confidence in me... Now'* my chance, and I have to do my best. I've learned a lot watching Todd and some of the decisions he's mode. He's made »°m*JJ™ decisions the past tew game*.....! ve picked up a lot studying fitmend It • helped me get ready lor the week* Head Coach Sob Waters - 'Mark * our quarterback now. rf * too bad <orT«W ond tor the re*t ofthe learn (not he got Injured. He wa* doing an outstanding )ob tor us. Sut | also have a lot of conlidenee In Mark, He did o good |ob Saturday night. Not only doe* he show confidence, but he uses confidence In the tight way.. We are going to get Mark Smith and Mrk» Thomas ready to play. They have a lot «•«"•"'- but they ate freshmen.. We don t plan to change our offenie for Irethmen. We recrunea fhem because we thought they could tun our offense ' Traifi»r f-«d Conrl.r - -» e a fractured loft fibula. It wo* o aired blow, If* not art uncommon injury,..He'll be In a cast for six to eight weeks, and then hell have to strengthen the ankle (through rehabMrotlort} and get it bock Into playing shape-. »uf there * otto Nationally 12th Ranked Wettern Carolina VS. North Corollna AftT Saturday, 1 mOQ pm, E.X Whitmire Stadium MIKE THOMAS 6-2 188 Freshman Conway, SC Appeared In on* game thli season...played In fourth quarter again* Mars Hill and led the Catamounts on a 72 yard scoring drive In which he completec his only pass lor 17 yards...led Conway Hlgt to region championship the past two seasons...was the starling quarterback las December lor South Carolina's All-SIa team In the Shrine Bowl...also an all-sla performer In baseball al Conway High. lines, wearing a warm-up suit and sporting crutches. Post-game X-rays confirmed that he had broken his left fibula. The fiubla Is the thinner and outer of the bones that connect the knee and the ankle. His leg will be In a cast for six to eight weeks. Freshman Mark Smith came in and finished things off for the Catamounts, completing six of seven passes for 52 yards and a touchdown. Cottrell said Smith played "real well." "Something good's got to come out of this," he added. "I know it will. If anything. It will make the team play harder. I do have hopes of coming back. It will just be difficult watching from the sidelines again. I wish I could contribute. "That's part of the game, though. There are going to be a lot more dlssapointments." VIARS HILL, from previous page For the Uons (3-2), ranked No. 9 In the NAIA poll last week, It was a learning experience just like the one the Catamounts received early this season at Clemson. It was a case where the Catamounts had too much size, depth, and talent for the NAIA Lions. It was supposed to be an opportunity for the Catamounts (3-2) to get their young players a chance to see some action before the stretch drive toward a possible conference championship. The way Injuries are piling up, the experience might be the best thing to happen to the Catamounts. Catamount Football Notes 200TH GAME THIS SATURDAY Bob Waters will be coaching in his 200th game at Western Carolina this Saturday afternoon when the Catamounts host North Carolina A&T. His record at WCU Is 113-80-6. His first game at WWCU was a come-from- behind win over Carson-Newman (20-17) In September of 1969. His 100th game was a 31-21 win over Tennessee-Chattanooga in November of 1978. BOB WATERS FIELD WINNING STREAK NOW STANDS AT EIGHT The Catamounts 41 -0 win over Mars Hill last Saturday night extended their winning streak on Bob Waters Field to eight. WCU's football teams have not lost on their home field since It was named for the school's present head coach during the last game of the 1985 season, a come-from- behind 35-30 win over VMI. JACKSON'S 200 YARD RUSHING PERFORMANCE IS A RECORD SETTER Darryl Jackson's 200 yard rushing performance In the Catamounts' 41-0 rout of Mars Hill put the freshman's name in the Western Carolina record book in a couple of places. First, it was the most yards ever gained by a freshman. Secondly, It was the fifth best rushing performance In WCU history and the first time a WCU running back has hit the 200 yard mark since the 1981 season when Anthony James rolled up 243 against Marshall. Jackson, a product of North Rowan High School in Spencer, NC, is now listed fifth on WCU's list for best rushing performances behind the following: Darrell Llpford (243 vs Marshall In 1977), Anthony James (243 vs Marshall in 1981), Darrell Llpford (231 vs Presbyterian In 1975), and Paul Smith (228 vs Elon in 1968). 339 RUSHING YARDS IS MOST FOR WCU IN NINE SEASONS Darryl Jackson's 200 yards and fellow rookie Preston Jones' 101 yards helped establish a nine-season high for single game rushing yardage Saturday night In the Catamounts 41-0 romp over Mars Hill. The 339 rushing yards posted by the Catamounts Is the fourth best single game total in WCU's 54 season history. It was the most for a WCU team since the 78 Cats rolled up 342 yards en route to a 38-24 win over the Citadel. The school record for the most rushing yards In a game is 383 which came against Carson-Newman In 1969. Incidentally, that was Bob Waters' first game as head coach at WCU. FOUR EX-CATAMOUNTS WERE ON NFL ROSTERS; 8TH MOST PRODUCTS OF AN NCAA l-AA PROGRAM Four products of Western Carolina University's football program were on the NFL's opening day rosters which represents the 8th most players sent to the NFL from a NCAA Division l-AA school. Tennessee State heads the list of players that were active In the NFL on opening day as the Tigers had elghtproducts. Nevada-Reno had seven. Grambling, Jackson State and Middle Tennessee State each had six actives. Alcorn State and South Carolina State had five apiece. The Catamounts active on opening day Defensive End Geno Segers (99), is shown pressuring South Carolina quarterback (odd tills. Sogers' 20 solo tackles and 15 assists have helped to anchor a progressively stingy Catamount defense. ——_____^__—____■_______^_______^^^_^^^_ill^^_1-iJ>am^tlrtPhoto In the NFL were Dean Blasuccl. a placement specialist for the Indianapolis Colts; Lewis Cooper, an outside linebacker with the Kansas City Chiefs; Tiger Greene, a defensive back with the Green Bay Packers; and Clyde Simmons, a defensive back with the Philadelphia Eagles. Ex-WCU players now In the NFI. as replacement players are Fred Davis, a defensive back with the Seattle Seahawks, and Leonard Williams, a running back/ wide receiver with the Buffalo Bills. NOWELL'S STREAK IS NOW 29 GAMES LONG Vincent Nowell's two receptions In the Mars [Hill game ran the senior wide receiver's pass reception streak to 29 games. The streak started late in the 1984 season. The Athens, G A product had caught 130 passes |in his career at WCU, 7th best on the Catamounts all-time Jist. CATAMOUNTS TURNOVER-LESS IN THE LAST, NINE QUARTERS In the Catamounts three-game win streak, they have suffered only one turnover and have not given up the football on a fumble or pass Interception in the last nine quarters. Meanwhile, over the same period, thev have claimed five turnovers from the opposition. SPORTSSTAFF Chris Geis Editor Billy Graham Design Steve Afmasy Mike Thompson Wr iters Edwin Carlton Mark Haskett Danny Hirt Photography "Mediocrity Embodied" _—__ iSOUTHERN.from previous page decades. Credit the resurgence to Erk Russell, the Kojack of southeastern Georgia. Russell Is as bald as the former television detective, and he wins football games. Russell was the defensive coordinator at the University of Georgia for 17 years and was I the creator of the famed •■,., "Junkyard Dogs." (Current : Western assistant Tommy Scott, In fact, was a linebacker for the Dogs while Russell was at Georgia.) In 1981, he decided to attempt to reconstruct the football program. He's been successful. The Eagles have gone 47-15-1 under Russell, who has the best winning percentage of I- AA coaches In the nation. "Erk Russell Is the biggest thign to hapen to Statesboro, Ga., since Sherman burned the courthouse," wrote Brooks Clark of Sports Illustrated last year. Russell said before the season that he didn't expect his club to score 40 points a game as it did last year, and true to his words, the Eagle offense has been a little off. It has alternated quarterbacks, going with Junior Ken Burnette, who has an artificial eye, and freshman Raymond Gross, who rushed for 89 yards In one game. But don't expect the Eagles to be hurting too bad when they visist Cullowhee next week. Incidentally, If you're looking for them, just look for their uniforms. They're generic blue and whites, with no stripes, no fancy designs. Just like Penn State's. Japan Import Car Repair Q SUPRI ASz supnico AUTO SERVICE JAPAN IMPORTS Major And Minor Repairs Scheduled And General Maintenance TUNE UP BRAKES ELECTRICAL DRIVE TRAIN FUEL INJECTION AIR CONDITIONING 586-3952 Owners Bob Price and Tommy Sumner NEW LOCATION: 68 East Main St., in Sylva (across from Sylva Fire and Police Depts.) Motion Makers! Bicycle & Skateboard Sales & Repairs 350 E. Main St. Sylva, NC 586-6925 Diamond Back Mountain Bikes Centurion Racing Bikes Zebra Touring Bikes Clothing & Accessories, Skateboards, Skate Rags, Skate Shoes, Posters & Videos Open 10-6 Mon-Sat Co-Sponsors of the WCU IronCat Biathlon The 'Brothers of Sigma 'Shi 'EpsUon "Wish the, Cats the (Best of Luck^ Against 9{grth Carolina ftdrf GO CATS!

The Western Carolinian is Western Carolina University's student-run newspaper. The paper was published as the Cullowhee Yodel from 1924 to 1931 before changing its name to The Western Carolinian in 1933.

• Creator
  • Western Carolina University
• Format
  • Publications (documents)
• Type
  • Text
• Date
  • Date original: 1987-10-15
  • Date digitized: 2019-04-11
• Extent
  • Dimension: 22.75" x 15"
  • Pages: 12 pages
• Subject - Topic
  • College student newspapers and periodicals
  • Cullowhee (N.C.) -- Newspapers
  • Universities and colleges -- North Carolina -- Cullowhee -- Newspapers
• Location
  • Jackson County (N.C.)
  • Cullowhee (N.C.)
• Source institution
  • Western Carolina University
• Source Collection
  • WCU Students Newspapers Collection
• Identifier
  • HL_WesternCarolinian_1987-10-15_Vol53_No10
• Repository
  • Western Carolina University Hunter Library