The Citadel Game Notes
Western Carolina Game Notes
Southern Conference Notes
CHARLESTON, S.C. - The Citadel begins a two-game road swing on Saturday when it heads to Cullowhee, N.C., to face Western Carolina in the 39th all-time meeting between the Southern Conference rivals.

The game will be shown on the SoCon Digital Network and broadcast throughout South Carolina on The Citadel Sports Network beginning with the tailgate show at noon.

The Bulldogs will be looking to break into the win column in SoCon play after dropping their first two league contests to Wofford and Chattanooga. The Catamounts, meanwhile, are 3-0 in the conference for the first time since 1994 and 5-2 overall for the first time since 1976.

Last week, The Citadel dropped a 34-14 decision to Chattanooga to drop to 2-5 overall. The Mocs were able to shut down the Bulldogs' high-powered rushing attack, limiting them to only 198 yards on the ground and 236 overall.

The loss was the third for The Citadel against a nationally-ranked team this season. The Bulldogs lost to No. 1 and defending FBS national champion Florida State as well as Coastal Carolina (FCS No. 6 at game time and No. 4 today) and Chattanooga (No. 15 at game time and No. 14 today).

Western Carolina was a 35-21 winner over Mercer last Saturday. Wide receiver Spearman Robinson caught seven passes for 108 yards and three touchdowns and was named the SoCon Offensive Player of the Week for the second time this season.

In addition to their win over Mercer, the Catamounts own SoCon victories over Furman and Wofford.

The Citadel holds a 22-15-1 lead in the all-time series against Western Carolina and has won three in a row and eight of the last 10. The Bulldogs won five in a row from 2004-08 before the Catamounts emerged victorious the following two seasons.

The .592 winning percentage the Bulldogs have against Western Carolina is second highest against a current SoCon school, topped only by the .604 mark (40-26-1) against Wofford.

Last year in Cullowhee, The Citadel raced to a 21-0 lead by the early stages of the second quarter before holding on for a 28-21 victory. The Bulldogs rushed for 343 yards including 126 and two touchdowns by Ben Dupree. Troy Mitchell (106) and Darius Ramsey (102) led the Catamount ground game while Mitchell completed 16 of 22 passes for 136 yards.

Following Saturday's game at Western Carolina, The Citadel heads to Macon, Ga., for a meeting with SoCon newcomer Mercer on Nov. 1 at 4 p.m.

It will be the first game between the Bulldogs and Bears since 1931. Mercer voted to reinstate its football program in 2010 and began play in the Pioneer League in 2013 before officially joining the SoCon in July.