Final
EKU 21 · WCU 45
ML W
our logged sides, graded on the record
Our side
MoneylineWCU to win logged
ours 74%
Our number: WCU by 5.1 — WCU to win.
Projected score
24–36
EKU – WCU
2026-08-29 · 7:00 PM
E.J. Whitmire Stadium · Cullowhee, NC
Early season
The books
No book has priced this game. Nothing to compare, and no ticket to build.
Series
Eastern Kentucky and Western Carolina split 6 (3–3)
· 6 meetings since 2006
2025 unit ranks —
last completed season, from games actually played
Run game
even
27 ranks apart
Eastern Kentucky Colonels #192 rush offense
Western Carolina Catamounts #219 run defense
Pass game
edge Western Carolina Catamounts
48 ranks
Eastern Kentucky Colonels #253 pass offense
Western Carolina Catamounts #205 pass defense
Run game
even
20 ranks apart
Western Carolina Catamounts #162 rush offense
Eastern Kentucky Colonels #182 run defense
Pass game
even
30 ranks apart
Western Carolina Catamounts #24 pass offense
Eastern Kentucky Colonels #54 pass defense
Eastern Kentucky Colonels
Run-heavy · 64% run
Ball-control
Western Carolina Catamounts
Balanced · 46% run
Avg pace
Dual-threat QB · 36 rush ypg
Ranked by team-unit strength
(rush & pass offense vs. run & pass defense) across all 265
D1 teams, not by individual players. Identity, tempo and unit strength are measured from the
2025 season.
The evidence 2025 production and power ratings · supporting the number above
Who carried each team in 2025
Eastern Kentucky Colonels
LB
Cam Jessee
23 tkl · 0.5 sacks · 2.5 TFL
#42 LB
DB
Derek Taylor
24 tkl
#137 DB
RB
Brady Hensley
225 rush yds · 2 TD · 3 rec
#62 RB
DB
Jeffrey Kinley
19 tkl · 1 PD
#266 DB
Western Carolina Catamounts
DB
Andre Jackson Jr.
18 tkl · 4 PD
#80 DB
DL
Caleb Turner-Allen
8 tkl · 2.0 sacks · 2.0 TFL
#144 DL
TE
Bode Burns
10 rec · 99 yds · 1 TD
#40 TE
LB
Joshua Collins
19 tkl · 2.0 sacks · 3.0 TFL
#121 LB
Top-rated players from last season, ranked within their
position across D1. A grade measures what a player produced, and no
2026 game has been played yet — so this is who produced for
these programs in 2025, not a claim about who is on the field this year.
Power breakdown
Def is higher = better. The projection assumes a 2.4-pt home edge (0 at neutral sites).
Where the number comes from
Eastern Kentucky offense vs Western Carolina defense-1.1 pts
Western Carolina offense vs Eastern Kentucky defense+7.4 pts
Altitude · context only355 m higher than the visitor's home elevation
An efficiency adjustment from season-to-date EPA and success rate applies once teams have
played enough games; before then it is 0 and the number is the power rating alone.
Situational spots are shown for context, not baked in: travel, altitude and rest
were tested against 6,000+ games and the power and efficiency ratings already account for them.
Adding them again would double-count.