CULLOWHEE, N.C.---Only one thing could have made the day better on an absolutely perfect autumn day in the mountains of western Carolina. But the score did not go the way of the Mocs as the Catamounts (3-7/1-5) captured a 27-7 win over visiting Chattanooga (1-8/0-5). WCU was opportunistic with 21 points following Mocs miscues.
The Catamounts opened the scoring with a four-yard scoring toss from Zack Jaynes to Adam Hearns at 6:41 in the first quarter. The play came immediately after a Jeff Lloyd fumble on a botched snap on a punt attempt from the Mocs own endzone.
A 20-yard field goal by Blake Bostic made it 10-0 Western Carolina with 11:31 to play in the second quarter. Both teams traded punts until Bostic hit a 26-yard field goal with 3:38 left in the half.
The game got a little crazy from there. A Jare Gault fumble on a sack and return by Jeff Bradley gave the Catamounts the ball on the Mocs one-yard line. On the next play, redshirt freshman safety J.D. Dothard fell on a Levon Curtis fumble to give Chattanooga the ball inside its own one. That led the teams into the half with Western up 13-0.
After holding the Catamounts to a punt to start the second half, Chattanooga marched 73 yards down the field before a sack on fourth-and-six from the WCU 16 gave the ball back to the Catamounts at its own 28. WCU then drove 48 yards to set up a missed 40-yard field goal attempt by Bostic.
After the Mocs offense had a three-and-out, the defense came up with a big play. On second-and-nine, senior CB Raeshon Ball picked off a Jaynes pass in the flat and returned it 41 yards to cut the lead to 13-7 at 3:51 in the third quarter.
WCU then took advantage of two costly Chattanooga mistakes scoring on touchdown passes by Jaynes to Andrerius Thomas of 21 and 17 yards following a blocked punt and an interception.
The Catamounts defense limited the Mocs to 178 yards in total offense forcing five turnovers. Chattanooga's defense was up to the task today as all three WCU touchdowns came on drives of 4, 14 and 17 yards.
Erroll Wynn was the story on offense with a season-high 95 yards on the day on 22 rushes. The defense was led by Ball who had four tackles to go with his touchdown return. Joseph Thornton added seven tackles, while Rodney Beamon added six of his own along with one-and-a-half sacks.
Jaynes was 14-25 with an interception for just 146 yards, but his three scoring strikes made the difference. Hearns was his favorite target with seven catches for 59 yards. Levon Curtis made his first start at RB and responded with 104 yards on 18 carries.
The Mocs return to action next Saturday, Nov. 8, returning home to host SoCon leader Appalachian State with a game time of 2 p.m.
NOTES:
>Chattanooga won the toss and chose to receive.
>RT Brian Heflin made his first appearance, and first start, of the season. He had been out with a back injury.
>Jeff Lloyd's first quarter punt of 70 yards is a career long. It was also the first touchback of the season for a UTC punter.
>Chris Pitchford tied his career high for receptions with four in the first half and receiving yards with 34 finishing the game with those totals.
>Sloan Allison started the second half at quarterback for the Mocs for Jare Gault.
>The 73 yards on the Mocs first drive of the second half was eight more yards than the offense recorded in the first half.
>The Ball interception return for touchdown in the third quarter (3:51) is the first score on a return of any kind for the Mocs this season. It is the first interception return for touchdown since Buster Skrine last year against Western Kentucky (45 yards, 11/3/07).
>The block of the Lloyd punt late in the third quarter marked the ninth game with a block, for or against, in a Chattanooga game this season. The Wofford game is the only game without one.
