Mocs go 0-12 on third down in 10-3 loss to Mercer
GoMocs- The No. 14 Chattanooga Mocs football team suffered from offensive struggles during a tough 10-3 loss to No. 23 Mercer during its home and Southern Conference opener on Saturday evening inside Finley Stadium.
Following the defeat, Chattanooga drops to 0-3 overall and opens league play 0-1. Mercer remains unbeaten and improves to 3-0 overall and 1-0 inside SoCon action.
Despite a strong defensive effort, the Mocs offensive unit failed to reach the endzone during the contest and was limited to just 19 rushing yards on 20 attempts. In addition, an 0-of-12 total on third down attempts proved to hinder any scoring opportunities.
“A lot of credit to Mercer. They came in here and won a football game. They won possession, which in the Southern Conference can win you a football game,” said head coach Rusty Wright following the game.
“We had talked about it all week that we were going to get their best shot, and we got it. We’re our own worst enemy sometimes. We have to fix ourselves before we worry about anything else.”
HOW IT HAPPENED
Kameron Brown delivered a spark for the Chattanooga defense in the opening quarter with an interception over the middle before the two teams ended the opening frame knotted at 0-0. Mercer broke the scoreless lock and took a 7-0 lead following an 11-play, 82-yard touchdown drive with 5:55 left in the half.
Chattanooga answered with a short scoring drive that spanned 61 yards in just five plays and was capped off with a 32-yard Jude Kelley field goal, cutting the deficit to 7-3 at the break. The lone score the rest of the way would be a 35-yard field goal from Mercer’s Reice Griffith with 5:30 left in the fourth, ultimately amounting to the 10-3 final decision.
UTC finished the game 0-of-12 on third down attempts and saw its last six offensive drives come up empty. The Mocs did outgain the Bears in total yards-per-play during the contest (5.15-4.16), but suffered a hefty 12-plus minute deficit in time of possession (36:17-23:43).
