The Western Carolina Catamounts, who visit Washington-Grizzly Stadium Saturday at 1 p.m. for a non-conference football game, are tough to figure.

“They look really good on film,” Montana coach Bobby Hauck noted Monday, in his weekly press conference. “I thought they could’ve beat North Carolina State in their opener — they were up in the fourth quarter.” 

That 38-21 loss was followed by a 24-16 home loss to Campbell of the Colonial Athletic Conference, which then in turn lost its CAA league opener to Rhode Island. 

Meanwhile the Catamounts were dealing then No. 22 Elon a 24-17 home loss Saturday. Branson Adams’ 1-yard TD run was their first touchdown in eight quarters, and quarterback Cole Gonzales’ 6-yard run put WCU up for good with 3:48 left in the game. 

With 1:15 left Jordy Lowery returned a blocked field goal 55 yards for a 24-14 cushion. 

Gonzalez seems very capable, and in 2023 the Catamounts led all of the Football Championship Subdivision in total offense. Gonzales had 28 touchdown passes last fall and has two in three games this season. He’s also the team’s second-leading rusher, behind Adams. 

AJ Colomo is a pretty dynamic punt returner for the Catamounts, now ranked No. 24 by Stats Perform. They play in the venerable Southern Conference, a league that has changed from the days of Appalachian State and Georgia Southern, who left for the FBS (and Virginia Military Institute came in). But still. ...   

“We did play a SoCon team last year,” Hauck noted. “And they were really good.” 

That was Furman, who took the Griz to overtime in the FCS playoffs in a 38-35 loss. 

Among the more interesting things about WCU is coach Kerwin Bell, who guided Valdosta (Ga.) State to a DII championship in 2018, was offensive coordinator at South Florida for one 4-8 season in 2019, then was hired to take over the Catamounts in 2019. 

His first three WCU teams went 4-7 (after an 0-6 start), 6-5 and 7-4. 

During an injury-marred season in a lengthy pro career, the former Florida Gator was a graduate assistant in 1990 under Steve Spurrier. Florida was fully “Run-and-Fun” back then. 

Finally, Bell had what the DIL submits is the greatest touchdown celebration in CFL history.

Lakers Filling In 

Mercyhurst comes to Bozeman to help 3-0 Montana State shake off the rust of a bye week Saturday at 1 p.m. The Lakers out of Eria, Pennsylvania are 1-2, having beat DII Wheeling University 28-25 before losing at Howard of the SWAC (32-21) and at Northeast Conference rival Robert Morris (55-28). 

Saturday will be their fourth straight road game, and they were a late addition to the schedule after Stephen F. Austin canceled a home-and-home series in May. 

“Late=late,” MSU coach Brent Vigen said. “I think it was almost June when this game got scheduled.” 

Mercyhurst, which is taking SFA spot on next year’s schedule as well, plays in a league that caps football scholarships at 45 (MSU has the FCS limit of 63). The small Catholic school is not a power, but quarterback Adam Urena has completed 67 percent of his passes for 704 yards and eight touchdowns, with just one interception. 

Earnest Davis, Brian Trobel and Ayron Rodriguez have combined for the Lakers’ four rushing TDs. 

“They have a good stable of running backs that can certainly run with power,” Vigen said.  

Gone Mental 

A lot went on in Weber State’s 17-16 loss at Lamar Saturday, including but not limited to: A missed PAT kick that left the Wildcats up 16-10 early in the third quarter; and a 72-yard reception by the Cardinals’ Damien Moore (with a successful PAT) on Lamar’s ensuing possession. 

Then Weber had a 44-yard field goal attempt blocked; made a goal-line stand and took over at its 3-yard line with 10:50 left in the game; then drove 96 yards to inside the Lamar 1, only to have a fourth-and-goal handoff to Damon Blankston stuffed by the Cardinals’ Ken Savanah with 1:55 remaining. 

Weber forced a punt and got to Lamar’s 23, but missed a game-ending, game-winning 40-yard field goal. An 18-yarder seems a lot more makeable, but perhaps Weber State coach Mickey Mental was mindful of the earlier missed PAT. 

“I trust my O-line, I trust my backs,” Mental told the Ogden Standard-Examiner. “We gotta get a yard at the end of the day. I trust my players to make plays and that’s why I went with Damon Bankston. 

“Credit Lamar for the stop. They played a tremendous game, but we’ve got to be better.” 

Old Friends Alert 

We’d be remiss if we didn’t note an interesting game that took place in the Southland Conference, between McNeese State and visiting Stephen F. Austin last Saturday. 

McNeese’s 28-24 win came on the strength of two fourth-quarter touchdown runs by 2023 Grizzlies quarterback Clifton McDowell. That was after another 2023 Griz QB, Sam Vidlak, hit Isaiah Davis for a 61-yard catch-and-run touchdown that put SFA up 24-14 with 4:36 left in the third quarter. 

McDowell marshalled two 12-play drives, ending the first with a 6-yard run — during which a Lumberjack defender lost his helmet, which McDowell gently kicked around the end zone for a personal foul — with 8:03 left. 

McDowell then scored from 11 yards out with 31 seconds left, and this time it was his helmet that came off. The bareheaded senior, on his sixth college team, flung the ball into the stands and drew a second unsportsmanlike penalty —  and an ejection. That means McDowell, who also threw for 313 yards and two touchdowns, won’t be available for the first half Saturday when the Cowboys (2-2) face SWAC member Alcorn State (1-2). 

Vidlak, who the Griz benched in favor of McDowell in Week 5 last season, threw for 241 yards and three TDs, with one interception. 

QUICK KICKS: In their 28-24 loss at Southeastern Louisiana, Eastern Washington turned the ball over on downs at the SELA 18-yard line with 5:22 left, and the Lions ran all the time off. ...   Montana and Idaho are tied for seventh in the FCS for team sacks at 11. ... Idaho’s Andrew Marshall (47-yard punt return touchdown), NAU quarterback Ty Pennington (2 TDs passing and rushing) and Sac State LB Will Leota (10 tackles, 2 sacks) were named Big Sky’s players of the week. ... UM nominated freshman Malae Fonoti on offense, Hayden Harris and on special teams, Isaiah Childs. ... Weber State fell out of the FCS polls, but five Big Sky teams remain ranked: MSU (No. 3/3), Idaho (No. 4/4), Montana (No. 9 in Stats Perform/No. 10 in Coaches), Sac State (No. 11/11) and UC Davis (No. 13-12). 

 the greatest touchdown celebration in CFL history