WCU 2021 Football Schedule Announced

Eight league games are evenly split between Cullowhee and the road

Cullowhee, N.C. – Eight Southern Conference games equally dispersed between E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field and away venues comprise Western Carolina’s spring 2021 football schedule unveiled today by the league office. WCU’s eight-game locations mirror the previously announced fall slate and open in late February with the 16-team, NCAA FCS Playoffs scheduled to begin on April 24.

Kickoff times and full broadcast information for each league game will be released in the coming weeks. All nine SoCon schools’ home games are slated to air on either ESPN3 or ESPN+ if not selected for national or regional broadcast.

Western Carolina opens its historic spring season with back-to-back road games beginning with chromatic rival Furman at Paladin Stadium on Feb. 20. The Paladins finished 8-5 in 2019, qualifying for the FCS playoffs and closed the year ranked 19th in the AFCS FCS poll. Furman has used a spring practice model this fall with no scheduled competitions. The following week, WCU travels to Birmingham, Ala., to face Samford on Feb. 27 at Seibert Stadium. The Bulldogs, 5-7 a season ago, likewise did not compete this fall semester.

The VMI Keydets storm into Cullowhee as WCU opens the home portion of its schedule on Saturday, March 6 in consecutive match-ups against the league’s two military schools. The Catamounts have won 17-straight over the resurgent Keydets, claiming a shootout in Lexington last November, 43-35. On March 13, The Citadel and its ground attack march into Whitmire Stadium. The Bulldogs (0-4) were the most active of all the SoCon programs this fall, playing four nonconference games in the fall meaning they can only play seven spring games.

Back-to-back road match-ups at Mercer (March 20) and ETSU (March 27) close the month of madness for the Catamounts. WCU will face first-year head coach Drew Cronic and the Bears, who like WCU scheduled three nonconference games this fall. Mercer was edged by perennial power Jacksonville State, 34-28, back on Oct. 10 and travel to Army West Point on Oct. 24. Then, the “Blue Ridge Border Battle” mountain rivalry is rekindled at ETSU’s Greene Stadium on March 27. WCU claimed the traveling trophy in the match-up with the Buccaneers for the first time with a thrilling 23-20 overtime victory last fall in Cullowhee – the second-straight series meeting that needed extra sessions to decide the victor.

Western Carolina concludes the spring regular season with home match-ups against Chattanooga (April 3) and defending league champion Wofford (April 10). The Mocs have one game scheduled this fall – Sat., Oct. 24 at FBS-foe Western Kentucky – while Wofford opened its fall practice this week, scheduled to go through late November. The Terriers have won three-straight conference titles and made four-consecutive appearances in the FCS postseason.

As WCU continues to navigate these unprecedented times, the Catamount Athletics Department is working with local and state officials in determining capacity limits that promote physical distancing as we look to host competitions in Cullowhee. As information becomes clearer on capacity guidelines, WCU Athletics will be in touch with season ticket holders who renewed their season tickets earlier this year regarding procedures of allowing fans at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.

Western Carolina continues its preseason fall practice in advance of its three nonconference road games on Wednesday afternoon on the turf in Cullowhee, working out in helmets and shoulder pads. WCU travels to Liberty on Saturday, Nov. 14 in a game that has been moved to a Noon kickoff in Lynchburg, Va., on ESPN3, it was also announced Wednesday. The Catamounts are also slated to visit FCS-foe Eastern Kentucky (Nov. 21) and in-state directional rival North Carolina (Dec. 11) this semester.

Keep track of everything related to Catamount football and WCU Athletics through social media outlets including Facebook (fb.com/CatamountSports), Twitter (@Catamounts, @CatamountsFB), and Instagram (wcu_catamounts).

WCU’s Spring 2021 Football Schedule:

Sat., Feb. 20 – at Furman (Greenville, S.C.)

Sat., Feb. 27 – at Samford (Birmingham, Ala.)

Sat., March 6 – VMI (Cullowhee)

Sat., March 13 – The Citadel (Cullowhee)

Sat., March 20 – at Mercer (Macon, Ga.)

Sat., March 27 – at ETSU (Johnson City, Tenn.)

Sat., April 3 – Chattanooga (Cullowhee)

Sat., April 10 – Wofford (Cullowhee)

Sat., April 17 – Bye Week

Sat., April 24 – NCAA FCS Playoffs (TBD)