bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 0:00

Welcome to tracking the cats. This is an episode where you've got Bob Saban live in Marietta, Georgia, outside Atlanta and Steve White is right there on the field post game. After the Wofford game we are. It was a tough fight game. We come out on top, but a few things that we need to talk about up front. Steve. 1 is thoughts and prayers to all those folks in Western Carolina, Western North Carolina, who've been totally affected. I'm sure some of the players have some stories to have you heard anything about that.

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 0:34

No, not really. Because some of them has a lot of the problems getting back to campus. Over the last, well, early part of the week anyway. But no, I don't I think everybody was back and there was no major issues with the players that I have heard about. But I'm not sure. But there were so many things going on. Who knows? But Bob, it was a beautiful day here in Callawee, maybe one of the worst football atmospheres I have seen in my 60 plus years of association with Western Carolina football.

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 1:04

Well, you know, I could hear the, I could hear the the, the music playing on the loudspeakers and the

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 1:11

Yeah.

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 1:12

but no fans.

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 1:14

That, that was about it. That was about the atmosphere. I think we counted what six people in the stands and we were two of them.

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 1:21

Wow. Well, you said, you said that the, there were some folks had trouble getting back early in the week, but somebody who got back that was, I was happy to hear, Was Gary Ayres on the radio. He did the Catamount Sports Network. How's he look? How's he sound? I'm sure you got a chance to talk to him. I

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 1:40

He was in full, full bloom. He really was. And Bob, I have no idea. I just felt sorry for WCU's football team this year. It's not their fault. The atmosphere, or lack thereof, really played right into Wofford's game plan, to tell you the truth. I think it was like playing at a Wofford game in Spartanburg. Nothing like Western Carolina. And you could sort of sense it on the field a little bit. Just the lack of, you know, there's no energy from the stands and I think it sort of reflected on the players. Wofford lost their starting quarterback during the week. Well, actually last the last ball game, they thought he might be able to play. They started the guy who was really, I don't think maybe taking a few snaps and What turns up defense was prepared for a running game with Odom and replaced with Sealy and he had a pretty good arm. Not real accurate, but he could throw the football. And I think that caused a lot of problems. We didn't foresee coming into the ball game. I just, I really several situations there on some patterns. He again, if he had been an accurate passer, I think would have been a big, big, big trouble. Catamounts

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 2:50

agree.

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 2:51

Yeah, they struggle pretty much all day long and the offense just couldn't convert third and fourth downs. What four times we were inside the 10 yard line down in this I guess you'd call it the North end zone at Webmire Stadium and couldn't convert, could not put anything. We put two field goals on the board, missed two other times trying to score touchdowns that would have iced the ball game. But again, failed to score a touchdown on four possessions inside the 10.

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 3:19

Yeah. And that was frustrating to watch and we'd get down there and he'd be excited. And I'm thinking, you know, we should have 42 points at this, at this point. And, and it, and it showed in the final stats, the final yardage. We really, particularly in the second half, we took off. We had 476 total yards to their 355. We had 257 passing yards to their 216, 219 rushing yards to their 139. Like you said it was more of a passing game for them. Time after time on third down, it was like third and long. We got this, let's turn it over. And, poof, frustrating.

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 4:05

Yeah, we got that. We got the ball back with 5 32 to play at our own 26 yard line and drove down to the 36. And when we missed that field goal, I thought we could be in real trouble. But again, They got the balls. 136 to play. I think in the game at their own 30 and we held them on fourth down 45 seconds to play and just ran out the clock. But it tell you it was a game that was never, you know, like you say, never in doubt. But this game was in doubt the entire time. With the entire afternoon

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 4:39

I know,

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 4:40

not not a great, but it was a win and we've got the Citadel next week, even though I think they beat Furman, didn't he? As

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 4:48

actually, no, Furman came back. They took a touchdown away from Citadel in the, in the fourth quarter and Furman came back and, and won. I'm not exactly sure what the score was, but yeah, they came out on top just in the last minute. And so although as this minute Chattanooga and East Tennessee are tied up three, three, I think early in the fourth quarter or late in the third quarter.

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 5:13

Yeah, that's that's interesting. But getting the Citadel here at home, hopefully we'll have some kind of atmosphere. Hopefully that the people in charge of our university will step up and say. Hey, football is important at Western Carolina University, and there's no reason why not to hold a game on this campus. There's absolutely nothing in Cullowhee as far as destruction is concerned. It's just, I understand what's at Haywood County and other places are going on, but this would bring the community together. It could be a great public relations ploy for Western Carolina to come in here and bring trucks, or they could bring food in for the relief effort, and there are other things, but I think it's very important to get there. The stadium back open for our fans the next Saturday for the Citadel game. Then we go down to Furman, which looks to me like is beatable this year

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 6:03

Yeah,

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 6:03

home field.

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 6:04

yeah.

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 6:05

things could really turn around over the next couple of weeks. We hope.

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 6:08

Well, you know, and to your point about getting folks back in and color, we, I know everybody's talking about it and hoping for that. To kudos to the folks at East Tennessee who made a big deal out of coming in here. Getting their fans to bring supplies and relief things for, for their game against Chattanooga this week. They do have more resources in town. They got more hotel rooms for, for their people. But they've got Unicoi County right next door. They've got Carter County. It's been

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 6:37

miles

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 6:38

hit.

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 6:38

10 miles away.

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 6:40

of those places have been real hard hit and we wish them the best and hope that they get back on their feet.

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 6:46

And Bob, it could be a real positive thing to get back. And even though we're not gonna have students on campus for the next two weeks, we could still get the community could really get involved in this effort. And I think it's just a plus. I hope that our people and in charge of the university step up this week and make the right decision.

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 7:06

And if that happens, it wouldn't surprise me. The student participation has been pretty good. I would think hopefully we could get one or two thousand students from the area back in this stadium next weekend and to be able

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 7:20

on campus and in the apartments adjacent, well within a mile of campus. And I'm sure that the people in Jackson County are looking for something different to do than would come to a football game if there was this effort made to make it community. Positive for the disaster situation.

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 7:37

Yep. Yep. Stepping back to the football game real quick. I was looking at some stats. There were 11 receivers that got yardage today. Leading was Redick. He had 58 yards. Johnson had 32 yards, Colombo 32 yards. But we had, yeah, almost every one of those 11 receivers had more than 10 yards receiving. So that's that was a joint effort today.

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 8:04

And great to have Jalen Williams back carried the ball. I think twice during the game, one of them was a touchdown, a huge touchdown for us. And I know that another factor bob, we were talking about this with coal with that separated left shoulder, that partial separation. It really, I think, affected our offense a little bit. It was times when he would scramble with the ball in a normal situation when the receivers were covered out in a flat and pick up first downs, but I think he was very hesitant and he probably had orders not to do that today, except for one time in the ballgame when he had that huge run that he had in the fourth

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 8:39

Well, it's a

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 8:41

think that was a factor today.

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 8:42

It scared me when I saw him go down at the end of the first half and he walked off the, the, the stage with his holding his left arm. I was like, Oh man, this is like back in Montana where he got hurt. So he actually had. 65 yards rushing today. He was our second leading rusher Branson Adams with 84. So yeah, we had a pretty good team effort today. I, I just wish we'd been able to put more points on the board and, and, and breaking through that red zone would've meant it, I mean, it shows in the stats we had a lot more first downs than they did. I think it was like 25 to 18 or something. So, yeah, it was our game. I just would have liked for it to show in the score as well.

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 9:29

Yeah. I'm sure there's gonna be a big emphasis this week. Work on third down situations inside the 10 yard line, converting those and coming up with something a little more creative. I'm just not sure. But I think a cold shoulder had a lot to do with that. I really think that,

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 9:44

Yeah, I agree. Well, thanks to oh, one other thing I wanted to point out today. Usually I'm not happy. A lot of folks aren't happy with the SOCON refs. However, I thought they did a really good job today. Nothing I could really complain about. Did you see anything one way or another, Steve?

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 10:03

No, no, I know. But I'll tell you, this was again, You know, the press operation was great. Everything on the field, referees, referees. Yeah, yeah. Everybody did it, did a good job. And a very, very minimal staff here at the stadium. But the biggest thing was guarding the gates to make sure nobody came in. That was the number one effort.

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 10:27

Well, I'm glad I'm glad you could get your son Dan in there. He's holding the camera for us being the production manager this afternoon.

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 10:34

he's my geek. He's my, he's my computer guy. That's his job.

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 10:38

I tried, you know, I mean, I got, I asked Alex, can I get a press pass? You know, and he, I couldn't come through. I was, you know, ready to jump in the car as late as 10 30 this morning to get up there, but not going to happen.

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 10:52

hopefully hopefully next week things will change and we'll have people in the stands and the players can feed off of some of the energy that we're going to have. And after a clutch win like we had today that could make a big difference.

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 11:04

Yep. Yep. Well, again, you know, I was talking to my wife before the game and all through the week, as a matter of fact, and she and I met in Asheville off of Merriman Avenue there. 45 years ago, I think it was, yes, in 1979. And, and so we think a lot about the folks in Buncombe County. I mean, Swannanoa,

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 11:25

right.

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 11:25

Black Mountain just really got in the sack. Yeah,

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 11:31

And anything quite like it, and it's going to be a long recovery. One thing we probably don't have to worry about now, Bob, is the redoing 107 between Selva and Cullowhee. I think that's probably going to be two years later, because they're going to have to spend all their money fixing the other roads, the infrastructure in western North Carolina.

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 11:51

O. T. is going to be busy there for sure.

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 11:53

wasn't looking forward to that construction on 107.

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 11:57

Well, it's going to happen sooner or later, but maybe, maybe after our time around here, huh?

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 12:03

Right.

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 12:04

All right. Well, let's wrap things up. Say thanks to Stanbury insurance with three locations, Silva, Waynesville, and cashers that sponsors our podcast, covers our costs. We really appreciate them. Feel free to give a call to Kevin at Stanbury insurance. Steve White in color week. Thank you so much, Whitey. We appreciate your time. Bob Saban signing off for tracking the cats. We'll see you all again, either next week or the week after.

squadcaster-75e3_2_10-05-2024_175602: 12:32

All right, and go Cats!

bob-sabin_2_10-05-2024_175603: 12:34

Go catamounts.