A four touchdown, 103-yard performance on the ground by junior running back Derrick Craine helped the Chattanooga Mocs cruise to a 41-13 win over the Western Carolina Catamounts on Homecoming and Halloween. The Mocs (7-1, 5-0 in the SoCon) did not need any tricks to get their treat, as all that was needed was a straight-forward rushing attack that totaled 356 yards for the win.
 
With his success against the Catamounts, Craine was quick to credit his offensive line for opening up holes for him to run through.
 
"It's a huge thank you to the front-five and being behind those guys is a blessing," said Craine, who now has 11 rushing touchdowns on the season. "We kind of feed off each other and those guys are huge for us. We switched some guys around who are trying new positions and after practicing during the week, we were able to get a feel for today's game. With 356 total rushing yards, I think our offensive line works well."
 
While having a perfectly drawn out play on the first try is good, Craine also believes that sometimes, a second-effort is necessary for running backs, and that a player needs to know how to make something out of those seemingly "nothing" situations.
 
In Craine's case, he showed this on a second effort try that resulted in a 21-yard score in the first quarter, giving UTC a 14-6 early lead.
 
He ran up the middle and was stuffed on the initial try, but he kept his feet moving and was able to run through the defensive lineman for extra yards. After seeing brief daylight in the open field, he made contact with the Catamount safety and fended him off with a stiff arm for the score.
 
"When the guy hit me, I stayed on my feet, turned and took off running again," said Craine, who ran the ball 15 times and averaged 6.9 yards per carry. "I stumbled a little bit after the hit and one of the drills we've been working on really helped me on that. I put my hand down and was able to get back up, make contact with the next guy, and I was really able to get a stiff arm on him.
 
"When I came out of it, I was able to get in the end zone for six."
 
For teammate and junior offensive lineman Corey Levin, Craine's success due to his second efforts have been no surprise.
 
"We were just staying on our blocks, and Craine was running hard as he always does," Levin said. "We were getting the right play calls along with the right looks. What we do, is that if he gets (contact) on a safety or corner, we have full faith that he is going to get in the end zone.
 
"If we take care of the guys up front on the defensive line, then our backs can make defenders in the back miss, run over them and run past them. The effort was just incredible today by him (Craine) and the whole team." 
 
Craine's rushing performance puts him in the history books, as the first Mocs to record four rushing touchdowns in a single game since Artis Edwards, who did it on Nov. 6, 1982 against Appalachian State. In Craine's case, he was able to accomplish this feat in the first half.
 
Senior quarterback Jacob Huesman was also a huge part of the rushing attack for the Mocs. He finished with 20 carries for 168 yards, with his longest being a 60-yard gain. He also recorded one rushing touchdown in the win.
 
With the combination of setting up long drives and making big plays offensively, the Mocs were able to find their momentum fast, and never relinquish their big lead to the Catamounts.
 
"The one thing is, obviously the long drives are big, but we had some big plays," head coach Russ Huesman said. "We had some explosive plays. I was proud of our guys because we haven't been having many explosive plays and we got them today.
 
Chattanooga will be back in action next Saturday, Nov. 7, as they will look to continue their rushing attack against the Mercer Bears in Macon, Ga. Kickoff is set for 4 p.m.