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Western Carolinian Volume 68 Number 05

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  • NEW MONTHLY FEATURE: PULLOUT spon More Furman action - Photo by Joshua Doub WCU Falls Short at Eleventh Ranked Georgia Southern, 31-25; Brian Gaither Sets School Record Cats Next Host Wofford at 2 p.m. for Homecoming Oct. 18 Brian Gaither STATESBORO, Ga. - WCU senior quarterback Brian Gaither had a record-setting game as the Catamounts (3-4, 2-2) raced out to an early 16-3 lead. However, 11th-ranked Georgia Southern got four touchdowns from their quarterback, Trey Hunter, and the Eagles (4- 2, 2-1) held on for a 31-25 victory Saturday afternoon at Paulson Hunter. starting his second straight game in place of injured Chaz Williams, had three one-yard runs for touchdowns, and broke the Catamounts' back on a 53-yard dash in the fourth period. Overall, he finished with 312 yards of total offense. Hunter had 163 yards rushing on 32 carries and completed 10 of 17 passes for 149 yards. Jermaine Austin, who was averaging 143 yards per game going into the contest, only rushed for 92 yards on 12 carries. (Earlier this season, WCU held ETSU's Gavin Varner, who was leading the SoCon in rushing at the time with 123 yards per game, to just 26 rushing yards.) Hunter and the Eagles spoiled an outstanding performance by Gaither, who set a school record with 35 completions, while his 56 attempts and 321 yards were career highs. This game marked Gaither's first 300-yard passing game as it was the 28th in WCU history. The 56 pass attempts was also just one shy of the school record. The Catamounts took an early 10-0 lead, getting their first touchdown on a 59-yard run by freshman Nicholas Wishart with 5:20 remaining in the first period. Wishart had 104 yards rushing in the first period and finished with 128 on 18 carries, marking the Cats first 100-yard rushing game of the season. The 59 yard run was the longest by a Catamount this season and the longest against Georgia Southern this season. John Bush scored on a two-yard run, capping an 80-yard drive, to give the Catamounts a 16-3 lead with two minutes into the second period. The Eagles, however, rallied for a 17-16 halftime lead when Hunter scored with 1:15 to go in the half. After the Eagles' Hunter had scored three unanswered touchdowns, putting GSU up 24-16, Xavier Godard brought the Catamounts to within two points, returning a kickoff 100 yards. Western was not successful on the two-point attempt, making the score 24-22 with 8:17 left in the game. The kickoff return for a TD was Godard's second of his career, duplicating the feat with a 90- yard return versus Appalachian State in the 2002 season finale. The 100-yard return was only the second in WCU history as Harvey Walker did it in 1976 versus East Tennessee State. Hunter added his fourth TD, giving his team a nine-point cushion. The Cats cut the deficit to six on a Chris Vought 28-yard field goal with 44 seconds left. Western's on-sides kick was recovered by the Eagles, who ran out to clock for the win. Helping Gaither have his record setting game were receivers Lamont Seward and Michael Reeder. Each had 10 receptions with Seward tallying 103 yards and Reeder getting 100. It was each players second 100-yard game of the season. Wishart and Godard each added five catches. Rod Dunlap led the Cats defensively with nine tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble and one interception. Rico Reese and Lamar Barnes contributed eight stops each, while Michale Spicer had two tackles for losses and a fumble recovery. Western Carolina will return to action next Saturday (Oct. 18) when the Cats will host SoCon-leader Wofford at 2 pm. Western's meeting with the 10th-ranked Terriers will additionally be the Catamount's Homecoming.
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