The Bucs got off to a rough start in their Southern Conference schedule with a 20-6 loss to Western Carolina Saturday night in Memorial Center.
Like in last year’s contest the Catamounts were able to run the football at will, gaining 249 total yards on the ground, with tailback Fred Boateng leading the way with 186 yards on 38 carries.
“He’s (Boateng) a very impressive running back,” said head coach Paul Hamilton. “He gets tougher as the game goes.
“He finds cracks and goes north and south with the football.”
Boateng gained 142 of his 186 yards and scored both his touchdowns in the second half, helping Western Carolina pull away from ETSU after leading 6-3 at the half.
“Tonight and last year we have not been able to slow down their running game,” Hamilton said.
Boateng was not the Buccaneer football teams’ only problem, as the inability of the Bucs’ offense to stay on the field and finish off scoring drives caused the defense to wear down throughout the night.
“We were tired as a defense,” Hamilton said. “We kept them on the field too long and a game like this could go either way. We didn’t take advantage of their turnovers (to) put points on the board.
“Defensively we played hard, but we have to do a better job tackling people.”
Cornerbacks Tony Tiller and Allen Davis each came up with interceptions and defensive back Ocasio Cofield and defensive lineman Kai Schreckenberg each had fumble recoveries, but the Bucs were unable to pick up any points off the defense’s efforts.
“Right now we’re an offensive football team trying to find itself,” Hamilton said. “We have to get the ball in the end zone . right now we’re not a consistent offensive football team.”
The Bucs started off the game, scoring on their opening drive as Con Chellis connected with a 31-yard field goal, but it was not the kind of score Hamilton wanted for his team.
“I was concerned immediately that we didn’t finish the first drive off and get in the end zone,” said Hamilton of the Bucs 14-play, 65-yard opening drive.
The Catamounts answered the Bucs’ opening drive with a field goal of their own; a 41-yarder by Shon Rowser with 4:46 to go in the first quarter that tied the game at three.
Western Carolina added another field goal with 10 seconds remaining in the half off Rowser’s 40-yard strike, giving the Catamounts a 6-3 lead.
The Catamounts did not take long at the start of the second half before putting another score on the board.
This time Western would not settle for a field goal, as Boateng scored the first touchdown of the game, an 11-yard run, capping an 11-play, 80-yard drive.
After the missed extra point, Western Carolina’s lead stood at 12-3.
The Bucs’ troubles continued on their first possession of the second half as quarterback Matt Wilhjelm’s pass to wide receiver Charvin Clark was picked off by Western’s Marquail Wells.
After his break through performance against Gardner Webb in the Bucs’ home opener, Wilhjelm had a much tougher outing against the Catamounts, completing eight of 23 passes for 83 yards with two interceptions.
“It’s was really frustrating,” Wilhjelm said of the Bucs’ inability to get their offense going. “It was frustrating not being able to get the ball to Cecil (Moore) (or the other receivers), we’re going to come back though.”
The Bucs’ inability to establish their running game, gaining a total of 62 yards, added to the pressure on Wilhjelm in just his third career start at quarterback.
“Not (being able to) run the ball, I put a lot of pressure on myself,” he said. “But I don’t want to make any excuses, we’ll get back to work on Monday.”
Chellis got the Bucs within six points, off a 32-yard field goal with 10:49 to go in the fourth quarter, making the score 12-6, after Schreckenberg’s fumble recovery gave the Bucs excellent field position at the Western Carolina 32-yard-line.
The Bucs, however, were unable to move the chains and get into the endzone and had to settle for the field goal after minimal gains were made on runs by Corey Carter and Scott Carter.
The Catamounts struck again on their next possession with 5:00 to go on Boateng’s second touchdown of the game, a four-yard run that capped a 10-play, 65-yard drive and took almost six minutes off the clock.
After the two-point conversion, Western Carolina led 20-6, which would be the game’s final.
Things will only get tougher for the Bucs, as they travel to Appalachian State next weekend on Sept. 29 and have showdowns with Furman and Georgia Southern looming at the end of the month on Oct. 20 and 27, respectively.
“We have a long way to go to be a good football team,” Hamilton said.

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