2003 Western Carolina Catamounts football team

2003 Western Carolina Catamounts football
Conference	Southern Conference
Record	5–7 (3–5 SoCon)
Head coach	Kent Briggs (2nd season)
Defensive coordinator	Geoff Collins (2nd season)
Home stadium	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium
Seasons ←  2002 2004  →

2003 Southern Conference football standings

v t e	Conf.							Overall
Team		W		L					W		L
No. 3 Wofford $^		8	–	0					12	–	2
Appalachian State		6	–	2					7	–	4
No. 24 Georgia Southern		5	–	3					7	–	4
Furman		4	–	4					6	–	5
The Citadel		4	–	4					6	–	6
Western Carolina		3	–	5					4	–	7
Chattanooga		3	–	5					3	–	9
East Tennessee State		2	–	6					5	–	7
Elon		1	–	7					2	–	10
$ – Conference champion ^ – NCAA Division I-AA playoff participant Rankings from The Sports Network I-AA Poll

The 2003 Western Carolina Catamounts team represented Western Carolina University as a member of the Southern Conference (SoCon) during the 2003 NCAA Division I-AA football season. The Catamounts were led by second-year head coach Kent Briggs and played their home games at Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium in Cullowhee, North Carolina. Western Carolina compiled an overall record of 5–7 with a mark of 3–5 in conference play, tying for sixth place in the SoCon.

Schedule

Date	Time	Opponent	Site	TV	Result	Attendance	Source
August 30	6:00 p.m.	at No. 16 (I-A) NC State *	Carter–Finley Stadium Raleigh, NC		L 20–59	53,800	[1]
September 5	6:00 p.m.	at Duke *	Wallace Wade Stadium Durham, NC		L 3–29	18,022	[2]
September 13	6:00 p.m.	Johnson C. Smith *	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC		W 45–0	10,083	[3]
September 20	3:30 p.m.	The Citadel	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC	TFN	W 28–21	8,549	[4]
September 27	1:00 p.m.	at East Tennessee State	Memorial Center Johnson City, TN		W 28–21	4,868	[5]
October 4	6:00 p.m.	No. 6 Furman	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC		L 13–19	10,557	[6]
October 11	1:00 p.m.	at No. 11 Georgia Southern	Paulson Stadium Statesboro, GA		L 25–31	15,708	[7]
October 18	2:00 p.m.	No. 8 Wofford	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC		L 6–38	11,021	[8]
October 25	6:00 p.m.	at Chattanooga	Finley Stadium Chattanooga, TN		L 0–38	6,693	[9]
November 1	2:00 p.m.	Elon	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC		W 26–3	7,994	[10]
November 15	2:00 p.m.	at Appalachian State	Kidd Brewer Stadium Boone, NC (rivalry)		L 18–26	14,443	[11]
November 22	2:00 p.m.	Gardner–Webb *	Bob Waters Field at E. J. Whitmire Stadium Cullowhee, NC		W 39–16	8,028	[12]
*Non-conference game Homecoming Rankings from The Sports Network Poll released prior to the game All times are in Eastern time

^{[13] [14]}

References

1. "Hall worth his wait". The Herald-Sun. August 31, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
2. "Smith pitches Duke past Western". Winston-Salem Journal. September 7, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
3. "W. Carolina rolls against J.C. Smith". The Charlotte Observer. September 14, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
4. "Catamounts' defense rises to the occasion". The State. September 21, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
5. "Catamounts repel East Tennessee St". Elizabethton Star. September 28, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
6. "Cats let game slip away". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 5, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
7. "Hunter runs, passes Eagles past W. Carolina". The Macon Telegraph. October 12, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
8. "Cats fall hard, Terriers' tricks drop WCU from race". Asheville Citizen-Times. October 19, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
9. "Catamounts fall in road shutout". News and Record. October 26, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
10. "Cats give Phoenix a beating". Asheville Citizen-Times. November 2, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
11. "Cats cough up ball, lose heartbreaker". Asheville Citizen-Times. November 16, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
12. "Western Carolina runs past G–Webb". The Charlotte Observer. November 23, 2003. Retrieved July 12, 2025– via Newspapers.com.
13. "2021 Western Carolina Catamount Football Media Guide" (PDF). Cullowhee, North Carolina: Western Carolina University Athletics. 2021. p. 123. Retrieved November 22, 2021.
14. "2003 Football Schedule". catamountsports.com. Retrieved August 2, 2024.