2017 Western Carolina Catamounts football team

American college football season

2017 Western Carolina Catamounts football

Conference| Southern Conference
Record| 7–5 (5–3 SoCon)
Head coach|

* Mark Speir (6th season)

Offensive coordinator| Brad Glenn (6th season)
Offensive scheme| Spread
Defensive coordinator| John Wiley (1st season)
Base defense| 3–4
Home stadium| Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium

Seasons

← 2016

2018 →

2017 Southern Conference football standings

* v
* t
* e

| Conf. |  |  | Overall

|
|
|
|

Team |   | W |   | L |   |  |  |   | W |   | L |
No. 6 Wofford $^  |   | 7  | – | 1  |   |  |  |   | 10  | – | 3  |
No. 18 Samford ^  |   | 6  | – | 2  |   |  |  |   | 8  | – | 4  |
No. 19 Furman ^  |   | 6  | – | 2  |   |  |  |   | 8  | – | 5  |
Western Carolina |   | 5  | – | 3  |   |  |  |   | 7  | – | 5  |
Mercer |   | 4  | – | 4  |   |  |  |   | 5  | – | 6  |
The Citadel |   | 3  | – | 5  |   |  |  |   | 5  | – | 6  |
Chattanooga |   | 3  | – | 5  |   |  |  |   | 3  | – | 8  |
East Tennessee State |   | 2  | – | 6  |   |  |  |   | 4  | – | 7  |
VMI |   | 0  | – | 8  |   |  |  |   | 0  | – | 11  |

* $ – Conference champion
* ^ – FCS playoff participant

Rankings from STATS Poll

The 2017 Western Carolina Catamounts team represented Western Carolina University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2017 NCAA Division I FCS football season. Led by sixth-year head coach Mark Speir, the Catamounts compiled an overall record of 7–5 with a mark of 5–3 in conference play, placing fourth in the SoCon. Western Carolina played home games at Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium in Cullowhee, North Carolina.

## Schedule

[edit]

Date| Time| Opponent| Rank| Site| TV| Result| Attendance

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September 2| 12:00 a.m.| at Hawaii*| |

* Aloha Stadium
* Honolulu, HI

| SPEC| L 18–41| 25,472
September 9| 6:00 p.m.| Davidson*| |

* Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium
* Cullowhee, NC

| ESPN3| W 63–17| 11,763
September 16| 6:00 p.m.| at Gardner–Webb*| |

* Ernest W. Spangler Stadium
* Boiling Springs, NC

| WMYA| W 42–27| 6,152
September 23| 3:30 p.m.| No. 18 Samford| |

* Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium
* Cullowhee, NC

| ESPN3| W 38–34| 12,018
September 30| 6:00 p.m.| at Chattanooga| |

* Finley Stadium
* Chattanooga, TN

| ESPN3| W 45–7| 10,101
October 7| 1:30 p.m.| at No. 5 Wofford| No. 22|

* Gibbs Stadium
* Spartanburg, SC

| ESPN3| L 28–35 OT| 6,982
October 14| 3:30 p.m.| East Tennessee State| No. 21|

* Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium
* Cullowhee, NC

| ESPN3| W 49–10| 8,300
October 21| 1:30 p.m.| at VMI| No. 19|

* Alumni Memorial Field
* Lexington, VA

| ESPN3| W 26–7| 4,119
October 28| 3:30 p.m.| Furman| No. 18|

* Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium
* Cullowhee, NC

| ESPN3| L 6–28| 9,973
November 4| 2:00 p.m.| at The Citadel| No. 24|

* Johnson Hagood Stadium
* Charleston, SC

| ESPN3| W 31–19| 7,384
November 11| 2:00 p.m.| Mercer| No. 22|

* Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium
* Cullowhee, NC

| ESPN3| L 33–35| 10,681
November 18| 3:00 p.m.| at North Carolina*| |

* Kenan Memorial Stadium
* Chapel Hill, NC

| ACCN Extra| L 10–65| 43,000

* *Non-conference game
* Homecoming
* Rankings from STATS Poll released prior to the game
* All times are in Eastern time

[1]

## Game summaries

[edit]

### At Hawaii

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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Catamounts  | 0  | 10  | 8  | 0 | 18
Rainbow Warriors | 7  | 14  | 13  | 7 | 41

See also: 2017 Hawaii Rainbow Warriors football team

### Davidson

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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Wildcats  | 0  | 14  | 0  | 3 | 17
Catamounts | 28  | 21  | 7  | 7 | 63

See also: 2017 Davidson Wildcats football team

### At Gardner–Webb

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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Catamounts | 7  | 14  | 14  | 7 | 42
Runnin' Bulldogs  | 0  | 13  | 0  | 14 | 27

See also: 2017 Gardner–Webb Runnin' Bulldogs football team

### Samford

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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No. 18 Bulldogs  | 7  | 7  | 13  | 7 | 34
Catamounts | 10  | 7  | 7  | 14 | 38

See also: 2017 Samford Bulldogs football team

### At Chattanooga

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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Catamounts | 10  | 14  | 14  | 7 | 45
Mocs  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 7 | 7

See also: 2017 Chattanooga Mocs football team

### At Wofford

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4| OT | Total

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No. 22 Catamounts  | 7  | 7  | 7  | 7| 0 | 28
No. 5 Terriers | 3  | 10  | 8  | 7| 7 | 35

See also: 2017 Wofford Terriers football team

### East Tennessee State

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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Buccaneers  | 3  | 0  | 0  | 7 | 10
No. 21 Catamounts | 0  | 7  | 21  | 21 | 49

See also: 2017 East Tennessee State Buccaneers football team

### At VMI

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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No. 19 Catamounts | 0  | 13  | 3  | 10 | 26
Keydets  | 7  | 0  | 0  | 0 | 7

See also: 2017 VMI Keydets football team

### Furman

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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Paladins | 0  | 7  | 14  | 7 | 28
No. 18 Catamounts  | 0  | 0  | 0  | 6 | 6

See also: 2017 Furman Paladins football team

### At The Citadel

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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No. 24 Catamounts | 7  | 10  | 7  | 7 | 31
Bulldogs  | 0  | 10  | 9  | 0 | 19

See also: 2017 The Citadel Bulldogs football team

### Mercer

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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Bears | 14  | 14  | 0  | 7 | 35
Catamounts  | 7  | 13  | 3  | 10 | 33

See also: 2017 Mercer Bears football team

### At North Carolina

[edit]

| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total

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Catamounts  | 7  | 0  | 0  | 3 | 10
Tar Heels | 7  | 35  | 10  | 13 | 65

See also: 2017 North Carolina Tar Heels football team

## Ranking movements

[edit]

Ranking movements
Legend: ██ Increase in ranking ██ Decrease in ranking
— = Not ranked RV = Received votes| Week

|

Poll| Pre| 1| 2| 3| 4| 5| 6| 7| 8| 9| 10| 11| 12| Final
STATS FCS| —| RV| RV| RV| RV| 22| 21| 19| 18| 24| 22| RV| RV| RV
Coaches| —| —| —| —| RV| RV| 25| 21| 20| RV| 25| RV| RV| RV

## References

[edit]

1. ^ "2021 Western Carolina Catamount Football Media Guide" (PDF). Cullowhee, North Carolina: Western Carolina University Athletics. 2021. p. 124. Retrieved November 22, 2021.

* v
* t
* e

Western Carolina Catamounts football

Venues|

* Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium (1974–present)

Bowls & rivalries|

* Appalachian State: Battle for the Old Mountain Jug

Culture & lore|

* Paws
* "Fight on! You Catamounts"
* Pride of the Mountains Marching Band

People|

* Head coaches
* NFL draftees

Seasons|

* 1931
* 1932
* 1933
* 1934
* 1935
* 1936
* 1937
* 1938
* 1939
* 1940
* 1941
* 1942
* 1943
* 1944
* 1945
* 1946
* 1947
* 1948
* 1949
* 1950
* 1951
* 1952
* 1953
* 1954
* 1955
* 1956
* 1957
* 1958
* 1959
* 1960
* 1961
* 1962
* 1963
* 1964
* 1965
* 1966
* 1967
* 1968
* 1969
* 1970
* 1971
* 1972
* 1973
* 1974
* 1975
* 1976
* 1977
* 1978
* 1979
* 1980
* 1981
* 1982
* 1983
* 1984
* 1985
* 1986
* 1987
* 1988
* 1989
* 1990
* 1991
* 1992
* 1993
* 1994
* 1995
* 1996
* 1997
* 1998
* 1999
* 2000
* 2001
* 2002
* 2003
* 2004
* 2005
* 2006
* 2007
* 2008
* 2009
* 2010
* 2011
* 2012
* 2013
* 2014
* 2015
* 2016
* 2017
* 2018
* 2019
* 2020
* 2021
* 2022
* 2023
* 2024
* 2025

*[v]: View this template
*[t]: Discuss this template
*[e]: Edit this template
*[Conf.]: Conference record
*[W]: Wins
*[L]: Losses
*[No.]: Number