Mocs Falls Short in 35-28 Loss to Western Carolina

GoMocs-Despite a late fourth-quarter rally, the Chattanooga Mocs football team fell just short as a late interception in the endzone sealed at 35-28 defeat to Western Carolina in a Southern Conference battle inside Finley Stadium on Saturday afternoon.

Quick Records & Series
Chattanooga: 4-5, 3-2 SoCon
Western Carolina: 6-3, 5-0 SoCon
Series: Chattanooga still leads the all-time series 30-21 after today’s result.

Resources: Stats | Notes | Quotes | History

Breakdown

• Western Carolina QB Taron Dickens connected with WR James Tyre on a pair of short touchdowns (four & seven yards) to give the Catamounts a 14-0 lead midway through the second quarter (8:38).
• Ryan Ingram capped off an eight-play, 70-yard touchdown drive with a one-yard plunge to make it 14-7 (2Q 5:25) before WCU ultimately took a 21-7 halftime lead after the third Dickens to Tyre connection of the game (2Q 2:49).
• Chattanooga scored two third-quarter touchdowns, both from four yards out, with Camden Orth finding TE Nate Eberly-Rodriguez on the first before Orth scampered on the ground on the second to tie things 21-21 (3Q 2:18).
• WCU answered with a quick five-play, 70-yard drive in less than two minutes which ended with a short two-yard rushing touchdown to put the Catamounts ahead 28-21 heading into the fourth.
• Dickens registered his fourth passing touchdown of the game to extend the WCU lead to 35-21 with 9:26 remaining before UTC scored less than two minutes later to make it 35-28 with 7:40 on the board.
• After Chattanooga came up with a huge fourth-down stop at the five-minute mark of the fourth, the offense drove and found themselves at the WCU two-yard line with just seconds remaining. Orth’s pass attempt with 18 seconds left was intercepted in the endzone that ultimately sealed the Catamounts victory.

Scoring Plays
1Q 12:38 (WCU) – J. Tyre 4-yard TD rec. thrown by T. Dickens (XP) – 7-0 WCU

2Q 8:38 (WCU) – J. Tyre 7-yard TD rec. thrown by T. Dickens (XP) – 14-0 WCU
2Q 5:21 (UTC) – R. Ingram 3-yard TD rush (XP) – 14-7 WCU
2Q 2:49 (WCU) – J. Tyre 13-yard TD rec. thrown by T. Dickens (XP) – 21-7 WCU

3Q 9:21 (UTC) – N. Eberly-Rodriguez 4-yard TD rec. thrown by C. Orth (XP) – 21-14 WCU
3Q 2:18 (UTC) – C. Orth 4-yard TD rush (XP) – 21-21
3Q 0:20 (WCU) – M. Townsend 2-yard TD rush (XP) – 28-21 WCU

4Q 9:26 (WCU) – M. Rossin 10-yard TD rec. thrown by T. Dickens (XP) – 35-21 WCU
4Q 7:40 (UTC) – J. Durant 8-yard TD rush (XP) – 35-28 WCU

3 Notes to Know

• Only FCS team to hold Western to fewer than 400 yards of offense…Cats season low came at Wake Forest (238).
• Entered the game 4th in the nation in red zone offense scoring on 95.2 percent of entries…went 4-6 tonight (66.7%)…both misses ended with turnovers both on interceptions.
• The Catamounts entered leading the nation in passing yards per game (340.0)…limited to 225 yards today on 18 of 29 passing.

Quotable
Zion Rutledge, linebacker – “During the week, we knew he was a good player [WCU QB Taron Dickens] and we really stressed on trying to keep him in the pocket. We wanted to get our depth on the passing lanes and really close out on him, that’s something we really stressed this week. We just couldn’t get it done.”

Rusty Wright, head coach – “I’m going to look back on it and it’s not going to be anything crazy. We don’t know how to do just yet [win these types of games] and it’s just a matter of doing it while making it better for them as a coach. I have to be better with them, you know, but we have to execute in those moments and learn how to get it done. The good thing about it is, I still think we grew up a little bit tonight. They fought their tails off when things weren’t going very good, that’s a sign of growth.”