TUESDAY PRESSER | GAME WEEK PRIMER | GAME NOTES
 
CHATTANOOGA---The 19th-ranked Chattanooga Mocs have what all the hard work making dreams come true at hand. Funny story, so do the Mercer Bears as the Southern Conference tri-leaders square off Saturday in Macon at Five Star Stadium.

Both have control of their destiny in the Southern Conference race. The two combatants are 5-1 and tied with ETSU atop the SoCon standings. It sets up as one of the most important games in the country this weekend.
 
It's also a week with the immovable force facing an unstoppable object. The Mocs elite run defense and the Bears strong rushing offense is a big part of this weekend's story.
 
The game features two of the best rushing attacks in the nation. The Bears average 234.4 yards per game on the ground, while the Mocs yield just 105.7. Chattanooga registers 213.1 yards per game rushing with Mercer checking in third against the run in the SoCon at 150.8 per contest. Both squads will try to control the ball.
 
The line of scrimmage is a major focus for the Mocs. The offensive line is one of the best in the country ranking fourth nationally in sacks (0.78) and 10th in tackles for loss (3.89) allowed. They lead an offense that's fourth in time of possession (33:55). All those numbers pace the conference.
 
The defense boasts similar accolades. Sacks? 15th averaging three per game behind Devonnsha Maxwell's 11.0 which has him eyed closely on the Buck Buchanan Award watch list. Tackles for loss? 16th at 7.1 per game. Once again, both numbers lead the league. In fact, the Chattanooga defensive front averaged one TFL every four plays in a dominating performance last weekend in Spartanburg.
 
But that was last weekend. This Saturday is just the next chapter in both units' story. The game kicks off at 3 p.m., on ESPN+.
 
Chattanooga at Mercer
Game 10 | Nov. 13 | Macon, Ga. | Five Star Stadium (10,200)
 

Team	Record	SoCon	Stats Perform Top 25	AFCA Coaches Top 25
Chattanooga	6-3	5-1	T22	19
Mercer	6-2	5-1	RV	RV

 
 
MEDIA
TV - ESPN+: Frank Malloy (PxP), Jason Patterson (Analyst) & Kristin Banks (Sideline)
 
Radio - WFLI 97.7 FM/1070 AM: Jim Reynolds (PxP), Todd Agne (Analyst) & Will Poindexter (Sideline)
 
Listen Live - Radio broadcast is available for free online at GoMocs.com & on the Varsity Network App.
 
SERIES VS. MERCER
Game: 32 | Record: 20-10-1 | Home: 16-4-1 | Away: 4-6 | SoCon: 3-4 | Last 5: 2-3
L, 28-35; Mar. 27, 2021; Chattanooga

• 19 student-athletes made their first starts - 9 offense/10 defense. Fourteen of those were freshmen including the entire offensive line. The three "returning" starters: Drayton Arnold (5th year), Tyrin Summers (3rd) & Kameron Brown (3rd).
• Lance Jackson had 135 rushing yards & two TDs on 19 carries in his first career game...most yards by a freshman in a debut in school history.
• Christian Snyder registered a game-high 20 tackles...most in a game since Josh Cain had 20 against Appalachian State on Nov. 2, 2002.

More on the series & notes from last meeting on page 11 of the Chattanooga game notes.
 
COACHES
UTC: Rusty Wright (Chattanooga '96) | UTC: 15-11 (3rd) | Career: Same | vs. MU: 1-1
Mercer: Drew Cronic (Georgia '97) | MU: 11-8 (2nd) | Career: 58-14 (5th) | vs. UTC: 1-0
 
3 NOTES TO KNOW

• 3-2 on the road in 2021 including winning last two at Samford (55-13) and Wofford (35-10). 6-3 under Rusty Wright in SoCon road games, 4-1 over last five.
• Allowing 16.0 ppg in SoCon play allowing just 266.2 yards per game (116.2 rush/150.0 pass). Averaging 33.8 ppg in league games with 441.2 yards per contest (242.3 rush/198.8 pass)
• Just 487 yards allowed over the last three weeks. +889 yards difference in total offense over last three weeks (1,382-493)…296.3 yards per game.

 
TICKETS
Mercer tickets can be found here or on the GoMocs.com football schedule page. Home tickets are available by calling (423) 266-MOCS (6627) or online here at GoMocs.com. Fans also can go through the GoMocs app available on Android and Apple IOS devices in their respective app stores.

NEXT 3 WEEKS
Nov. 13: at Mercer, 3 p.m. | Current Record: 6-2/5-1 | This Week: #19 Chattanooga
Nov. 20: The Citadel, 1:30 p.m. | Current Record: 2-7/1-5 | This Week: Wofford
 
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