CULLOWHEE — Troy Mitchell and Michael Johnson rushed for a pair of touchdowns apiece while rookie tailback Darius Ramsey racked up a career-best 120 yards on the ground as Western Carolina pulled away from Mars Hill, 42-14, Thursday night in the season opener for both squads at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.
The win snapped a nine-game losing skid for WCU that dated back nearly a full year. It also extended the Catamounts’ winning streak in the head-to-head series to 14-staight.
But overall, the night seemingly belonged to the new faces as first-year Mark Speir earned his first collegiate win as a head coach. Prior to the opening kickoff, over 600 students representing this year’s freshman class were led through the Catamount tunnel in the second-annual freshman run.
“No. 1, we ...