CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. --- The Chattanooga Mocs fell 14-7 Saturday afternoon to the visiting Furman Paladins at Finley Stadium. Chattanooga?drops to 4-5, 2-4 in the Southern Conference, while Furman improves to 5-3 overall, 4-2 in league play.
It was a defensive struggle with both teams stingy from the start. UTC managed just 169 yards while allowing 261 hard-earned to the Paladins.
After a scoreless first half, Furman?lit the scoreboard first with a 30-yard field goal by Ray Early after an interception gave the Paladins a short field. On the second play of the half, Ryan Steed picked off a Terrell Robinson (South Pittsburg, Tenn.) offering at the Mocs 42.
The score stayed 3-0 until Early connected again?from 44 yards out with 10:51 left in the game for a 6-0 lead. That drive came after a fake field goal attempt failed for the Mocs. It remained 6-0 until a weird break came UTC's way for the second straight week.
Joel Bradford's (Chattanooga, Tenn.) rugby-style punt took a hop into Furman blocker which Don Cope (Maryville, Tenn.) pounced on to put the Mocs in business at the Furman 43.
Chattanooga methodically ran down the field opening with a seven-yard J.J. Jackson (Marietta, Ga.) rush. Marquis Green (Palmetto, Fla.) had two, big third down runs of 10 and six yards, but it was Jackson who made the most noise on a third down run.
The Mocs converted for the third time on third down on the drive with Jackson bullying his way for eight yards to the Paladin two. Two plays later, Robinson snuck in from a yard out giving the Mocs a 7-6 lead with 4:16 to go.
Furman turned a negative quickly into a positive. Hank McCloud fumbled the kickoff, but recovered and ended up returning it 31 yards to his own 47 to give the Paladins excellent field position.? Chris Forcier hit Sederrick Cunningham on the first play of the drive for 23 yards and then two plays later for 13 yards to get to the Mocs 12.
Jerodis Williams cashed in from 10 yards out to retake the lead. Forcier found Ryan Culbreath to complete the two-point conversion to make it 14-7 Furman with 2:06 left in the contest.
The Mocs got two chances late to mount a tying drive but both ended in turnovers. Furman sacked Mocs quarterbacks Robinson and Graham Nichols (Franklin, Tenn.) forcing fumbles on the first play of both possessions to seal the win.
Yards were precious for each offense on this day. Chattanooga out-rushed the Paladins 166 to 84, as the Mocs limited Furman to just 2.2 yards per carry. But UTC managed only three passing yards compared to the opposition's 177.
Robinson carried the ball 32 times for 87 yards and the only score. Jackson added 15 rushes for 42 yards.
Ryan Consiglio (Franklin, Tenn.) led the Mocs defense with nine stops. Davis Tull (Knoxville, Tenn.) had a season-high eight tackles with two for loss, including a sack, and a forced fumble. Gunner Miller (East Ridge, Tenn.) and Wes Dothard (Carrollton, Ga.) each had eight tackles as well.
Forcier completed nine of 14 passes for 177 yards with five of the nine completions going for 22 or more yards. Williams found tough sledding with 60 yards on 20 totes and the game-winning score.
Kadarron Anderson had a game-high 13 tackles. Mitch McGrath was a huge factor on the blitz for the Paladins with nine tackles, four sacks, a forced fumble, a fumble recovery and an interception. Furman racked up six sacks forcing the Mocs to the ground game.
Chattanooga is back on the road next weekend heading to Birmingham to square off with Samford for a Noon eastern time kick. The Mocs and Bulldogs continue the Southern Rail Rivalry series won in its inaugural year in 2010-11 by UTC.
Fans can access live stats on GoMocs.com and follow @GoMocs for notes and stats on twitter. The game is being televised on ESPN3.com as well.
SCORING SUMMARY
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Quarter
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Score
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Time
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Play
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3
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0-3
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12:22
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Ray Early 30 yd Field Goal
Drive: 6 plays, 29 yards, 1:54
Key Play(s): Terrell Robinson intercepted at own 42 by Ryan Steed
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4
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0-6
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10:51
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Ray Early 44 yd Field Goal
Drive: 5 plays, 46 yards, 1:17
Key Play(s): 1/10/V27 - Chris Forcier to Tyler Maples for 45 yards
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4
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7-6
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4:16
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Terrell Robinson 1 yard Run (Nick Pollard Kick)
Drive: 11 plays, 43 yards, 4:59
Key Play(s): Don Cope recovers fumble on punt cover at Furman 43
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4
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7-14
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2:06
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Jerodis Williams 10 yard Run (Early Kick)
Drive: 5 plays, 53 yards, 2:04
Key Play(s): 1/10/V47: Chris Forcier to Sederrik Cunningham for 23
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