CULLOWHEE, N.C. -- Taron Dickens passed for 220 yards and four touchdowns and Western Carolina used a 24-point second quarter to take command on the way to a 52-7 Southern Conference victory over Furman Saturday afternoon at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.
Dickens' touchdown strikes covered 50, 9, 41, and 6 yards to power the Catamounts (4-3, 3-0 SoCon) to their fourth consecutive victory and second straight triumph over the Paladins (4-2, 2-1 SoCon).
After a scoreless first quarter, Western Carolina opened its 24-point second quarter with a Marcus Trout 44-yard field goal.
Dickens followed with 50-yard scoring strike to MJ Rossin and nine-yard toss to Josh Perry to extend the lead to 17-0.
Ken Moore finished off the second period run when he intercepted Furman quarterback
Trey Hedden's pass at the Catamount 36 and covered 64 yards to the end zone to give the Catamounts a 24-0 advantage.
Furman put together its only scoring drive of the contest before halftime, covering 75 yards in 10 plays for
Joshua Burrell's 8-yard touchdown catch 13 seconds on the clock.
Western Carolina doused any hope of a Paladin comeback in the first two minutes of the second half when Dickens found Malik Knight behind coverage for a 41-yard scoring pass that extended the lead to 31-7.
Dickens hit on 17-of-24 passes in the game and also added 48 rushing yards.
The Catamounts outgained the Paladins 522-366 and accounted for 302 rushing yards.
Furman suffered four turnovers, including a pair of interceptions in the end zone and another that went as a "pick-six."
Ethan Harris paced Furman with 12 catches for 95 yards.
The Paladins' top receiver,
Ja'Keith Hamilton, exited the game midway through the first quarter and did not return.
Furman returns to action next Saturday with a noon contest at Wofford.