NOTES | QUOTES | STATS | PHOTOS
 
CHATTANOOGA---The Chattanooga Mocs football season closed with a hard-fought 10-3 win over the ETSU Bucs. The Mocs used a stout defensive effort along with timely offense for the win.
 
How good was the defense? The notes and stats below bear it out, but a simple number tells the tale. The Bucs recorded just 116 yards of total offense. Thirty-three of those yards, or 28.4 percent, came in the final two possessions.
 
The defense was the story. The Bucs ran the ball 20 times for just 24 yards. Cleveland, Tenn., native Austin Herink completed just 13 of 37 for 92 yards as the Mocs recorded just one sack, but they had him on the run all day with 12 hurries and seven pass break-ups.
 
Special teams played a role in the first two scores. Colin Brewer's punt into a stiff wind landed on the helmet of one of his coverage team at the UTC 45. Five plays later, the Bucs faced a third-and-seven at the 27.
 
Senior linebacker Dale Warren shot through the line to sack Herink at the 34 setting up a long field attempt. J.J. Jerman nailed the 51 yarder to put ETSU up 3-0 in the opening quarter.
 
Marshall Cooper came up big for the Mocs early in the third quarter. He blocked Marion Watson's punt which was snared by Alphonso Stewart give the offense a short field at the ETSU 27.
 
Cole Copeland took little time exploiting the pivotal play by Cooper. He hit Bryce Nunnelly on a 15-yard catch-and-run to the 12. After an incompletion Darrell Bridges ran for four yards. On third-and-six at the eight, Copeland perfectly led Joseph Parker in the flat. Parker ran the reaming yards for the 7-3 lead.
 
After another defensive stop, Copeland led a long scoring drive starting from his own 20. He converted a third down early with a 10-yard strike to Stewart. The drive went 13 plays before stalling at the Bucs 17 setting up a 34-yard field goal by Victor Ulmo.
 
Both defenses got stingy from there. The closest ETSU got to putting a scare into the home crowd came mid-way through the fourth quarter. Brewer's 52-yard punt pinned the Bucs at their own 11. Eight plays later at the Mocs 48, Herink dropped back on 3rd-and-10. Pressure from Taylor Reynolds forced an errant throw ending the Bucs best chance at tying the score.
 
At the end of the day, it's a fitting end for 22 young men honored for their commitment to this program. From graduate transfers like Chris Jones and Darrell Bridges to fifth-year seniors such as Lucas Webb and Alex Hooper, this group carried it through adversity to a strong finish.
 
"I'm really proud of our team and our seniors," coach Tom Arth stated. "Not just today, but all season long. How they responded to difficult situations and challenges. Not just one or two challenges, it's a list that goes on and on.
 
"In this game, it's never about the talent. It's about the character. This group has incredible character. These seniors I'll never forget. What they have given to me, to each other, to the school and this program, I'll never forget.
 
"I'm so proud to coach a group like this."
 
NOTABLE
Three notes from today's contest. Check out the full complement of facts and figures in the link above.

• 116 yards total offense by ETSU is the fewest by a SoCon opponent since 102 by Western Carolina in the 51-0 win in Cullowhee on Nov. 1, 2014. It is the lowest offensive output by a league opponent in Finley Stadium.
• Copeland completed 20 passes to 10 difference receivers...including himself.
• The Mocs honored 22 seniors prior to kickoff. The class won two SoCon titles and made three FCS Playoff appearances. Their 31 wins as a class ties the 1981 and 1982 groups for the fourth-most wins over a four-year period in school history.

 
QUOTABLE
Check out all we heard at the quotes link at the top of this story.
 
"A lot of people face adversity and shy away from it. This senior class welcomed it and showed me so many things about life and football. I can't really put into words what they mean to this program. Their character is what is most important. Their backs were against the wall all year. They bowed their backs and were unbelievable (leaders)." – Freshman QB Cole Copeland.
 
STATS
Check out the final stats at the link above. Here are three stats of note…

• 74 yards rushing for Darrell Bridges gives him a final total of 587. He gained 392 of those yards (66.8%) over the final four games (98.0/per game).
• The two teams combined for 354 yards of total offense, that's the fewest in Finley Stadium history.
• 21 rushing yards allowed is the fewest by an opponent since VMI on Oct. 22, 2016.

 
NEXT UP
This wraps up the 2017 season for the Mocs. Signing day is December 20 for early period and February 7 for the regular period. Keep an eye on GoMocs.com for news on all Mocs programs.
 
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