It’s not exactly been a dream season for the Western Carolina Catamounts this year.
Under first-year head coach Mark Speir, the team has a 1-9 record overall with an 0-8 record in SEC play. Their only win came in the first week of the season against Division II Mars Hill College.
But there is hope, said Ryan Michaud, sports editor of The Western Carolinian, the school’s student newspaper. In addition to Speir, director of athletics Randy Eaton is in his first full year at the position.
“Western has a very new spirit in terms of sports,” Michaud said. “We’re all hoping for a new Catamount era.”
Still, the new era isn’t off to an ideal start.
After starting off with a win against Mars Hill, the team reeled off nine straight losses, eight of which were by double digits. The streak included a loss to Appalachian State, the school’s biggest rival and where Speir was an assistant coach for eight years before taking the head job at Western Carolina.
And now, it faces its biggest test – Alabama in Bryant-Denny Stadium.
“This week, preparing obviously for a pretty good football team that got beat last Saturday,” Speir said. “But they’re still one of the best teams – if not the best team – in the country. Obviously that presents a huge challenge in itself.
“But, our big deal again is this week, just focusing on Western Carolina and getting our program better. We’re going to scrimmage and do some things with our young players this week, as well as put in a game plan for Alabama. We want to go down there and play well, and try to get our program better.”
Michaud said Speir’s strength is in recruiting. He served as Appalachian State’s recruiting coordinator for seven of his eight years with the Mountaineers.
“You win football games with players – players, they make plays,” Michaud said. “And that’s how you win games. And honestly, we just don’t have that many talented players on the team right now.”
The students don’t exactly have high hopes for Saturday’s game.
“The buzz around Western is that it’s gonna be a manslaughter,” Michaud said. “People are wondering if Alabama is gonna play their first string. Now, because Alabama’s just lost, people are saying they’re mad so they’re going to take out their anger on Western. Some people are saying Western won’t score. Everybody knows we have no chance of winning.”
Speir said the advantage of playing a team like Alabama is two-fold. One is recruiting, while the other is the $475,000 payout it will receive just for playing the game.
“At our level, where our program is right now, it’s something you have to do,” Speir said. “You always like to play one [money game]; it’s good for recruiting to be able to say that you’re going to play The University of Alabama. A lot of young players, they like the thought of playing those games. You hate to play multiple big games, but early right now where we are with our program with this new coaching staff, it’s certainly not something you want to do. But it’s something I’m in agreement with.”
The money, on the other hand, is already being spent – largely on a new video editing system.
“We were archaic here – 20 years behind with our video editing system,” Speir said. “As a result of what we’re doing this year, we were able to go get state-of-the-art video equipment.
“Now, hopefully in my mind and Randy [Eaton’s] plans down the road to get it to where you are only playing one a year. When you’re still young in your program, it gives you some opportunities to go do some things. You get your programs, your players and your systems in that you want, and then you get it to where you’re not playing as many [money games].”
