ELON, N.C. --- Elon scored 35 points in the first half and made it stand up to defeat Chattanooga 38-28 Saturday in a Southern Conference football game.
Elon quarterback Scott Riddle threw for his seventh consecutive 300-yard game, throwing fof 359 yards while completing 36-of-51 passes with three touchdowns and one interception.
Elon, 6-2 and 4-1 in the SoCon, scored on all but its first possession in the first half and led 35-21 at the break.
“I didn't think we were out of it at halftime,” UTC Head Coach Rodney Allison said. “There were a couple of plays we didn't make that would have made a difference in the game.”
Riddle threw three touchdown passes and ran for another. UTC took a 7-0 lead on Blue Cooper's 21-yard touchdown catch from Antonio Miller and Spencer Nolen's extra-point kick. The Phoenix drove 52 yards in eight plays, and running back Dontay Taylor tied the score with a five-yard run.
Riddle threw his first TD pass on the first play of the second quarter. He hit Terrell Hudgins on a seven-yard toss for a 14-7 advantage then added a four-yard run himself at the 11-minute mark of the quarter to extend the advantage to 21-7.
“Riddle is a great decision-maker,” Allison said. “It is pretty impressive for a young guy to make those type of decisions. He always knew where his guys were.”
The Mocs, 2-6, 2-3, cut into the deficit with a trick play. Wideout Clint Woods took a pitch from receiver Matthew Angeloni on an end-around, and Woods threw a perfect strike to Miller down the right side for a 33-yard touchdown at 9:24 of the second quarter. It was Miller's second touchdown catch of the season as a quarterback and got UTC to within 21-14.
The Phoenix wasted little time pushing the margin to 28-14. On Elon's first play, Riddle connected with Hudgins in the end zone on a 51-yard bomb. Hudgins, the SoCon's leading receiver, finished with nine catches for 156 yards. Michael Mayers made 11 receptions for 114.
The Mocs, who were only outgained by the Phoenix 293 yards to 286 in the opening half and 445 to 430 for the game, marched 75 yards and got to within 28-21 on Bryan Fitzgerald's eight-yard touchdown run 4:26 before halftime. Elon added a five-yard scoring pass from Riddle to Bo Williamson at 1:20.
Craig Camay, whose injured hip was evident on a field goal attempt, missed a 41-yard field goal try at the halftime horn.
The Mocs held the Phoenix to just three points in the second half, but UTC was forced to punt three straight times and threw an interception while only managing seven points. Andrew Wilcox kicked a 37-yard field goal at 10:34 of the third quarter for Elon's only second-half points.
Receiver Jordan Hazard caught a three-yard scoring pass from Miller with 11:43 to play to cut the deficit to 38-28.
Miller set a career high with 27 completions on 46 attempts for a season-best 268 yards. Woods set personal standards with 11 catches for 94 yards, the first double-digit reception game of his career. Erroll Wynn was UTC's ground leader with 65 yards on 15 carries, and safety Jeff Phillips and linebacker Chris Johnson led the Mocs with nine tackles apiece.
The Mocs return home next Saturday, hosting Western Kentucky in an out-of-conference game at 2 p.m. at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga.
