CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. - It was a scary start to a rainy Halloween day game, but the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (5-3/3-3) football team concluded Blue & Gold Week with a 24-20 win over Western Carolina (1-7/1-5) in front of 9,320 fans at Finley Stadium. The Mocs overcame a 20-9 second-half deficit to claim the fifth win of the season. UTC is now one win shy this season of equaling its win total from the previous three years combined.
The winning drive came late in the fourth quarter on a Chris Awuah six-yard scamper untouched to make it 24-20. Mocs QB B.J. Coleman orchestrated a 16-play, 77-yard, seven-minute, 24-second drive to put Chattanooga up for good with 3:33 to play.
After a quick first down, the Mocs defense held the Catamounts on the next four plays to turn the ball over with big plays on a sack by freshman DE Josh Williams and a pass breakup by junior CB Buster Skrine. The offense held the ball until the 16-second mark giving the Catamounts the ball back with too little time to mount a drive.
Coleman was 22-for-41 passing for 248 yards and an interception. He completed passes to seven different Mocs which was quite an accomplishment since 16 of those catches were recorded by senior wideout Blue Cooper. Six other receivers caught one pass apiece.
Cooper tallied 143 yards on 16 receptions setting a career-high for catches in a game, while notching a season high for yards with his third 100-yard receiving game. The 16 catches were two shy of the Mocs game and Southern Conference record set by Alonzo Nix with 18 against Wofford on Oct. 4, 2003.
On a day where the Mocs did not attempt a point-after kick, rather twice going for two-point conversions, the kicking game was a highlight. Senior PK Craig Camay tied a career-high with four field goals hitting from 27, 28, 30 and 37 yards. The kickoff return team was also key to victory with the Catamounts average starting position being their own 25 while averaging just 14.2 yards per return.
Chattanooga's defense held Western Carolina to 217 total yards with senior linebacker Joe Thornton leading the team with eight tackles. Defensive lineman Josh Beard and Joshua Williams each recorded one sack, with Beard extending his league-leading total to 10.5 on the season.
The Mocs were very stingy in the second half limiting the Catamounts to only 77 yards on 27 plays. Sixty of those yards came in Western Carolina's only score of the second half on an eight-play drive with four minutes remaining in the third quarter.
That drive gave the Catamounts a 20-9 lead. But the Mocs would not be deterred. In scoring the final 15 points of the game, Chattanooga overcame a second-half deficit for the first time this season and made a fourth-quarter comeback for the first time since 2000 (Appalachian State, 30-27).
It was a very slow start for the Mocs. On the opening possession, Coleman threw an interception providing Western Carolina good field position on the UTC 36. It was the first pick by the Catamount defense this season. Western's ensuing drive ended with a Blake Bostic 37-yard field goal which are the first first quarter points scored by WCU this year.
On the Mocs' next possession, they moved the ball into apparent field goal range. Lined up for a 40-yarder, UTC instead went for a fake, but it was snuffed out by the Catamounts' defense. Chris Collins caused a Camay fumble on the run and Robert Peele returned it 42 yards to the UTC 29. The Mocs defense held the Catamounts to a field goal as Bostic again converted for three points, this time from 39 yards out to make it 6-0 WCU.
The Catamounts went ahead by 13 on a Michael Johnson one-yard touchdown run on fourth down as the Mocs defense had held from the one-yard line on three straight plays. A 46-yard connection between quarterback Zach Jaynes and wide receiver D.J. McLendon set up the score.
Chattanooga got on the board just before halftime when senior place-kicker Camay connected on a 30-yard field goal. Bo Dyer notched two career-highs on the drive with a 15-yard run and 20-yard catch.
The Mocs defense held the Catamounts to a three-and-out starting the second half. Coleman took advantage of the good field position at the UTC 46 and found Cooper twice for 43 yards including a 36-yard reception down to the WCU 11. Camay connected on his second field goal of the game from 27 yards out cutting into the Catamounts 13-6 lead.
Chattanooga's special teams set up the Mocs at the WU 28 after Joel Bradford's 20-yard punt return. The Catamount defense once again held the Mocs' offense in check as UTC gained one first down and settled for a 37-yard Camay field goal.
Western Carolina responded on it s next possession. QB Zach Jaynes capped a 60-yard touchdown drive with a 19-yard scoring strike to Chris Everett to extend the advantage to 20-9.
The Mocs answered quickly. Coleman hit Chris Pitchford on a 41-yard touchdown strike to ignite the Mocs offense. Chattanooga failed to convert on the two-point conversion giving Western Carolina a five-point 20-15 lead.
Early in the fourth quarter, Chattanooga received a golden opportunity when Western Carolina's Josh Crockett could not handle a Mike Hammons punt and Josh Tippit was there for the recovery at the WCU 18. After the Catamounts stymied the Mocs in three plays, Camay cut the lead to two, 20-18, with a 28-yard field goal.
After a WCU three-and-out, Coleman showed great poise in leading the decisive scoring drive to key the win. The Mocs converted five third downs on the drive including a third-and-five pass to TE Garrett Hughes that was good for 17 yards. Awuah scored his second touchdown of the season giving Chattanooga its first lead of the game, 24-20.
The Mocs' running game struggled most of the afternoon, but it was there when it counted most. In the final scoring drive, four of the five third-down conversions came on the ground as did the deciding score. Awuah led the Mocs on the ground with 29 yards on 17 carries, while fellow freshman Bo Dyer chipped in 17 yards on 10 rushes.
The Catamounts defense held Chattanooga to just 53 yards total on the ground, while yielding 248 in the air. Offensively, WCU gained 75 yards on the ground along with just 142 yards passing.
Johnson led all rushers with 66 yards on 20 carries for Western Carolina. Jaynes finished 15-28 passing for 142 yards with one interception and touchdown. Adrian McLeod led the way defensively with a game-high 14 tackles. Abram Scott added nine along with one the Cats eight tackles for loss. The Mocs did not allow a sack to the Catamounts' defense, while generating two of their own.
The Mocs head to Boone, N.C. for a showdown with Appalachian State on Nov. 7 with the kickoff set for 2:30 p.m.
SCORING SUMMARY
1st Quarter/10:14: (WCU) Blake Bostic 37 yd field goal
Drive: 6 plays, 16 yards, 2:37
Key play(s): Mitchell Bell interception of UTC QB B.J. Coleman and 24-yard return gives the Cats the ball at the UTC 36.
WCU 3, UTC 0
1st Quarter/1:26: (WCU) Blake Bostic 39-yard field goal
Drive: 4 plays, 7 yards, 2:12
Key play(s): 4/7/V22: Chris Collins forced a Craig Camay fumble on a fake field goal and Robert Peele returned it to the H29 setting up the drive.
WCU 6, UTC 0
2nd Quarter/7:31: (WCU) Michael Johnson one-yard run
Drive: 64 yards, 8 plays, 3:31
Key play(s): 2/10/H47: Zach Jaynes pass compete to D.J. McLendon for 46 yards. 4/G/H1: Michael Johnson 1 yard touchdown run.
WCU 13, UTC 0
2nd Quarter/2:33: (UTC) Craig Camay 30-yard field goal
Drive: 57 yards, 9 plays, 4:47
Key play(s): 1/10/H43: Bo Dyer career long 15-yard run. 3/8/V40: Bo Dyer 20 yard career-long reception from B.J. Coleman.
WCU 13, UTC 3
3rd Quarter/11:44: (UTC) Craig Camay 27-yard field goal
Drive: 45 yards, 6 plays, 1:41
Key play(s): 1/10/V11: Blue Cooper 36-yard catch from B.J. Coleman
WCU 13, UTC 6
3rd Quarter/7:39: (UTC) Craig Camay 37-yard field goal
Drive: 8 yards, 6 plays, 2:09
Key play(s): 4/21/V6: Joel Bradford 20-yard punt return to the WCU 28.
WCU 13, UTC 9
3rd Quarter/4:00: (WCU) Chris Everett 19-yard catch.
Drive: 60 yards, 8 plays, 3:39
Key play(s): 4/1/H20: Zach Jaynes quarterback sneak for 1 yard. 1-10/H19: Chris Everett 19-yard catch from Zach Jaynes.
WCU 20, UTC 9
3rd Quarter/2:38: (UTC) Chris Pitchford 41-yard catch.
Drive: 54 yards, 3 plays, 1:12
Key play(s): 1/10/V41: B.J. Coleman connects with Chris Pitchford for a 41-yard touchdown.
WCU 20, UTC 15
4th Quarter/12:55: (UTC) Craig Camay 30 yard field goal
Drive: 7 yards, 4 plays, 1:15
Key play(s): 4/12/V47: Jordan Tippit recovered a Josh Crockell fumble at V18.
WCU 20, UTC 18
4th Quarter/3:33: (UTC) Chris Awuah six-yard rush.
Drive: 77 yards, 16 plays, 7:24
Key play(s): 3/1/H35: Chris Awuah three-yard rush. 3/5/H40: Garrett Hughes 17-yard reception. 1/10/V43: Blue Cooper sets career-high with 14th reception a gain of eight yards. 3/2/V35: Bo Dyer two yard rush. 3/1/V24: B.J. Coleman quarterback sneak for two yards. 3/3/V15: B.J. Coleman gains nine on a quarterback draw. 1/G/V6: Chris Awuah six-yard touchdown run.
WCU 20, UTC 24
