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 Michael Reeder (left) and Justin Clark (right) were two of the heroes from the 2004 Western Carolina win over Appalachian State in the |
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Nov. 21, 2008
Cullowhee, N.C. - The next chapter in the Western Carolina - Appalachian State football rivalry will be written this Saturday, Nov. 22 as the Catamounts host the arch-rival Mountaineers at 3:00 pm at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field in the annual "Battle for the Old Mountain Jug."
A very limited number of tickets still remain online at www.CatamountSports.com, or through walk-up sales at the Ramsey Center ticket office. Fans are encouraged to purchase tickets in advance as there is no guarantee of inventory on the day of the game.
Saturday's game will be broadcast live on SportSouth as a part of the Southern Conference's "SoCon Saturday" package (check local listings). Fans can also follow all of the action live on the Catamount Sports Network with air time at 2:00 pm and kickoff slated for just after 3:00 pm. The game can be heard locally on WWCU-FM, Power 90dot5 in Cullowhee and 680 AM WRGC in Sylva. Fans can also tune in on 1480 WPFJ, the Dove in Franklin; 1590 AM WBHN in Bryson City; and 1600 AM WTZQ in Hendersonville.
Fans can also listen online at www.WWCUFM.com, www.WRGC.com or www.WPFJ.com.
Also, WWCU-FM Power 90dot5 in Cullowhee will air a special one-hour edition of "WCU Game Day," your official countdown to kickoff. Air time is 1:00 pm.
The second-ranked Mountaineers, who clinched at least a share of their fourth-straight SoCon title with last week's 24-16 win over Elon, lead the all-time series with WCU, 53-18-1, and have won 21 of the last 23 meetings overall in the series history. Appalachian has won three-straight overall in the 73-game old match-up, the oldest for both institutions.
ASU will be looking to close out its second perfect season in conference play - and just the third in the past 10 years, with a win Saturday. However, a WCU victory coupled with a Wofford win over Furman in Spartanburg would create a two-way tie for the second-straight season between the Apps and Terriers with the two sharing the seasonal crown.
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For the 33rd time since 1976, the "Old Mountain Jug" will again be up for grabs as the two schools with similar backgrounds and histories compete on the gridiron. The brainchild of the schools' sports information offices and respective student government associations in 1976, the replica moonshine jug offers a visible reminder of the bragging rights that come with the in-state rivalry.
the "Battle for the Old Mountain Jug"
"You couldn't be here (at Western Carolina) and not know about the Jug," said WCU first-year head coach Dennis Wagner during the weekly SoCon Head Coaches Teleconference. "Obviously, it's a tradition that was started years back and that is what college football is all about. We haven't done our part to be as competitive as we need to be, and that is something that we are certainly striving for. It's our goal here every year to keep that Jug here at our place."
Appalachian State has retained possession of the Jug for the past three seasons since relinquishing it in 2004 after a dramatic, come-from-behind Catamount victory in Cullowhee.
"(Western Carolina vs. Appalachian State) that's one of the real, real rivalries in the Southern Conference; playing the Catamounts and playing for the Jug," said Appalachian State head coach Jerry Moore. "It's a great battle and a great tradition. It's one of those things that everyone points towards whether you are an Appalachian person or from Western."
WCU will need a solid performance from its defensive unit, which has created 13 takeaways in its last three games and leads the SoCon in pass defense, limiting foes to 176.1 yards per game. The Mountaineers lead the conference in scoring, averaging just under 40 points per game, and are fourth in passing offense (215.2 yds/gm).
Question marks on individuals' availability abound on both sides as ASU junior QB Armanti Edwards and running back Devin Radford are both listed as questionable for the game. For the Catamounts, leading rusher, red-shirt freshman Quan Warley, and wide receiver threats red-shirt sophomore Marquel Pittman and senior Donald James are all listed as questionable to game-time decision status for Saturday.
Also on Saturday, Western Carolina will recognize 20 individuals on the football team pregame - as well as additional cheerleading, dance team and marching band members - who will be participating in their final home game in Cullowhee.
Kickoff is set for just after 3:00 pm on Saturday afternoon. Following the game, at 7:00 pm, the Lady Catamounts will host their second game of the Preseason WNIT in the Ramsey Center against either Liberty or UC-Riverside.
