Chattanooga Football Postgame Notes
Chattanooga at VMI
Foster Stadium – Lexington, Va.
Saturday – Nov. 23, 2019

TEAM
- The Mocs tried to mount a fourth-quarter comeback for the second game in a row, but fell 31-24 at VMI today.  UTC ends the year with a 6-6 overall record, 5-3 in SoCon action.  VMI improved to 5-7 overall and 4-4 in league play.

- Six overall wins and five SoCon wins for first-year head coach Rusty Wright stacks up well with other Mocs head coaches during the SoCon era (since 1977).  He tied Buddy Nix (6-5, 5-1 in 1984) and Bill Oliver (8-3, 5-2) for most SoCon wins in a debut season … tied Nix and Russ HUesman (6-5, 4-4 in 2009) for second-most overall wins in a debut at UTC over the last 40 years.

- Wofford (8-3, 7-1) won the SoCon with a win at The Citadel (6-6, 4-4) today. Furman was second at 8-4 and 6-2 in league play.  Samford (5-7, 4-4) tied The Citadel and VMI for fourth.  Mercer (4-8, 3-5), Western Carolina (3-9, 2-6) and ETSU (3-9, 1-7) round out the rest of the league. 

- Of the 44 players on the first two-deep of the season for UTC, only 29 were available for today's game. 

- Fourth-year junior Gabe Dew made his first career start at right tackle … he was the 18^th Moc to start a game for the first time this season.   

- This is the first loss for the Mocs against VMI since a 35-31 setback in Chattanooga on Oct. 19, 2002 … UTC is 17-8-1 in the all-time series that dates back to 1971 … the Mocs had won five in a row … UTC is 8-5 all-time in Foster Stadium.

- The Mocs gave up two sacks in the game … came into the contest having only allowed 12 all season … that was second in the SoCon and No. 10 in the FCS.

- UTC put up a season-high 268 passing yards.

- The Mocs picked off VMI QB Reece Udinski twice in the game.  He had only thrown three all season.  Earlier in the season he set an NCAA record with 368 consecutive pass attempts without an interception. 

- UTC fumbled a season-high four times, losing two.

- The blocked punt for a TD was the second allowed this season by UTC … Tyler Byrd (block) and Brandon Johnson (24 yard return) had the other one at Tennessee (9/14/19).

- Mocs allowed a fumble return for a TD for the first time since A.J. Newman recovered a strip-sack in the endzone against Western Carolina on Sept. 30, 2017.

- VMI came into the game leading the SoCon and No. 17 in the FCS with 293.2 passing yards per game … held to 214 today … held to just 50 rushing yards and 264 in total offense … lowest numbers against FCS opponents this season.

- Mocs posted 451 yards of total offense.  Topped 450+ yards for the third time this season … 221 rushing and 230 passing.  Sixth game with 200+ rushing yards.

- UTC was 3-2 in games decided by seven points or less this season.

- This was just the second loss in the last three years when UTC outrushed its opponent. 

- UTC is 3-18 over the last three years when it has equal or more turnovers.  It was 2-2 in tonight's game.

- Linebackers Marshall Cooper (105) and Ty Boeck (101) are the first UTC teammates to post 100 tackles in a season since Jackie Washington (114) and Monte Lovelace (106) in 1991.

INDIVIDUAL
Ty Boeck – So.-LB
- Five tackles.
- 101 on the season.

Colin Brewer – Sr.-P
- Four punts for a 46.5 average.
- Two inside the 20.
- Had kicks of 50 and 54 yards.
- 42.4 average on 36 punts this year.
- 183 career punts (40.3 average) passes Pumpy Tudors (1988-91) for fourth-most attempts in school history. 

Marshall Cooper – Sr.-LB
- Team-high 10 tackles.
- Eighth game with 10+ tackles.
- Finished with 105 tackles on the year … career best for a season … most since All-American Nakevion Leslie had 106 in 2016. 

Jay Gibson – Fr.-TE
- Season-high three catches for 18 yards.

Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks – Sr.-RB
- 132 rushing yards on 28 carries.
- Fourth straight 100-yard game.
- Six rushing TDs this season, despite missing four games.
- 630 rushing yards (78.8) in eight games.

Chris James – Sr.-TE
- Four catches for 36 yards and two scores.
- Led the team with seven TD receptions this season.
- Converted from QB to TE at the start of fall camp. 

Jordan Jones – Jr.-DB
- Two PBUs and an INT.
- First career INT.
- 12 passes defended this season … most since Montrell Pardue had 12 in 2016.    

Kam Jones – So.-LB
- Career-high five tackles.
- Included a TFL.

Telvin Jones – Sr.-DL
- Tied a career-high with 2.0 TFLs, including a sack.
- Five tackles total.

Devonnsha Maxwell – So.-DL
- Career-highs with 2.0 sacks and 3.0 TFLs.
- Finishes with 7.0 sacks and 13 TFLs.

Kanore McKinnon – Jr.-WR
- 47-yard catch in the fourth quarter was a season-long.

Bryce Nunnelly – Jr.-WR
- Six catches for 94 yards.
- 57 catches for 794 yards (66.2) and five TDs this season.
- Caught a pass in 25-straight games … fifth-longest streak in school history.
- 143 career receptions is ninth all-time at UTC.
- 2,120 career receiving yards passes C.J. Board (2013-16) and Cos DeMatteo (1998-01) for fourth all-time at UTC.

CaMiron Smith – So.-DB
- Second INT of the season.

Jonathan Stovall – Sr.-RB
- Eight carries for a career-high 52 yards.
- Career-long 29-yard run in the first quarter.
 
Nick Tiano – Sr.-QB
- 19-39 for 230 yards and two TDs.
- Tied a season high for completions and a season-high for pass attempts. 
- Ran eight times for 67 yards and a score … sacked twice for a loss of 30 yards to finish with 37 rushing yards.
- Ninth rushing TD of the season.
- 174-329 (52.9%) passing for 2,242 yards, 14 TDs and 10 INTs on the year.
- 494-865 (57.1%) passing for 5,825 yards and 35 TDs in his career.
- Tied Mickey Brokas (1970-73) for sixth in TD passes at UTC.
- 13th 200-yard passing game ties Brian Hampton (1995-98) for fifth all-time at UTC.
- 13-14 as a starting QB … ninth-most wins in school history.
- Seventh in career completion percentage at UTC.
- Seventh in career passing yards at UTC.
- Fifth in career pass attempts at UTC.
- Fourth in career completions at UTC.
- 6,569 yards of total offense is sixth all-time at UTC.

Victor Ulmo – Jr.-K
- 37-yard FG on the opening drive. 
- Missed from 36 yards at the end of the first half.
- 11-17 (64.7%) on the year.
- 33-48 (68.8%) for his career.
- Fifth in career FGs made at UTC.