The Chattanooga Mocs improved to 2-1 for the first time since the 2005 season with a 29-13 win at Presbyterian College (0-3) in Clinton, S.C., today. The Mocs (2-1, 0-1 SoCon) were led by senior RB Bryan Fitzgerald's 181 yards rushing and a strong second half surge by the defense to post their first road win in almost two seasons.
After the Mocs' opening drive stalled, PC took over deep in its own territory. Freshman linebacker Ryan Consiglio snagged his first career interception on the Blue Hose' first offensive play, giving UTC excellent field position on the PC 16-yard-line.
The Mocs gave six of those yards back and the drive ended with senior Craig Camay missing a 39-yard FG attempt. The Blue Hose responded with a 69-yard drive that ended in a 26-yard FG by Aaron Mayes, giving PC a 3-0 lead.
Camay tied it at the end of the first quarter with a career-long 52-yard FG. It equaled the second longest in school history and was the first of 50+ yards since Scott Kielbock connected on the school record 53-yarder against Samford on Sept. 3, 1998.
The Blue Hose went up 10-3 with 12:54 left in the first half on a one-yard run by Trandon Dendy. The Mocs' ensuing drive seemed to stall after two plays, but Coleman hit junior TE Garrett Huges over the middle for a 41-yard reception to get to PC's 24 yard line. Three plays later, Coleman found junior Chris Pitchford on the far side to tie the game again at 10-10.
The Mocs forced a three-and-out by PC and drove 78 yards for the go ahead score on its next possession. The drive included a 43-yard hook-up between Coleman and Davis and ended with a 15-yard TD run by Fitzgerald. Camay missed the PAT, snapping his streak of 25 consecutive made, but UTC still took a 16-10 halftime lead.
UTC's defense settled down in the second half and only allowed 107 yards of total offense after the break. Chattanooga scored again on a 22-yard TD pass from Coleman to Davis with just over 10 minutes left in the third quarter. The PAT was blocked and the score remained 22-10. The final score of the game came at the end of the third on a three-yard TD run by Fitzgerald.
Fitzgerald's 181 yards on the ground set a new career-high and was the first 100-yard rushing game by a Moc since he and Erroll Wynn topped the century mark in the last game of the 2007 season.
Sophomore QB B.J.Coleman finished the game 16-29 passing for 224 yards and a pair of TDs. It is his third consecutive 200-yard passing game. Davis finished with three catches for 76 yards and a touchdown while seniors Blue Cooper (45 yards, Clint Woods (39 yards) and Pitchford (23 yards, 1 TD) all had four catches each.
Consiglio led Chattanooga's defense with a season-high 12 tackles and a sack to go with his early interception. UTC posted five sacks on the night and senior Joeseph Thorton added his fifth career interception.
The Mocs now look to Homecoming Week when they host No. 14 Wofford (1-2, 0-0 SoCon) at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tenn., on Saturday, Sept. 26 at 6:00 p.m. Tickets are available now on GoMocs.com or by calling the UTC Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627).
