W. Carolina 42, Mars Hill 14

Published Aug. 31, 2012 12:57 a.m. ET

foxsports

Darius Ramsey rushed for 120 yards and Michael Johnson and Troy Mitchell ran for two scores each as Western Carolina topped Mars Hill 42-14 on Thursday night.

The win was the first for new coach Mark Speir, the 13th coach in program history. Speir ordered the Catamounts to pound the ball on the ground, with the team totaling 344 yards on 63 carries. Four different players tallied at least 12 rushes, led by Ramsey's 20.

The Catamounts went into the half up 17-0 on second-quarter touchdowns by Mitchell and Johnson -- the latter following a fumble forced by linebacker Rock Williams. Western Carolina extended the lead on the first play from scrimmage in the second half, when sophomore Trevor Taylor returned a fumble 9 yards for a score.

For Mars Hill, Shaikel Davis ran the ball 18 times for 111 yards.