NOTES | QUOTES
 
SPARTANBURG, S.C. (November 6) --- The 25^th-ranked Chattanooga Mocs football team used a stingy defensive effort and a balanced offensive attack to earn its fourth-straight Southern Conference victory, cruising past Wofford 35-10 on a blustery Saturday afternoon inside Gibbs Stadium in Spartanburg, S.C.
 
Following the win, Chattanooga improves to 6-3 overall and 5-1 in SoCon play, controlling its own destiny toward a conference championship. Wofford falls to 1-8 and 0-7 in the league.
 
"I was kind of just proud of how these guys, you know, we had a crazy week because they had Tuesday off [NCAA Civil Engagement Rule]," said head coach Rusty Wright.
 
"But I'm just proud of how these guys handled themselves. Because it's hard to go on the road. And I don't care what anybody's record is, I mean, it is [hard]. We went out there and did the things we were supposed to do today."
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
The two teams combined for five offensive drives in the opening quarter and all five ended in a change of possession to leave the game scoreless after the first 15. Chattanooga took a 7-0 lead with 13:06 in the second quarter on a Cole Copeland touchdown sneak from the one that capped off a 10-play, 81-yard touchdown drive spanning 2:57.
 
After forcing a pair of punts, Ailym Ford broke off a 27-yard touchdown run to finish off a 9-play, 75-yard drive before Chris James hauled in a 44-yard touchdown reception down the sideline to extend the lead to 21-0 with 4:29 left in the half. Wofford connected on a 43-yard field goal at the halftime buzzer to make things 21-3 at the break.
 
Both teams punted on their first offensive drives in the second half after Chattanooga received the opening kick. After regaining possession, the Mocs went 50 yards in nine plays and saw Tyrell Price punch it in from eight yards out to put UTC ahead 28-3.
 
Wofford responded immediately on the ensuing kickoff when linebacker James Wells took the kick and shed multiple tackles for a 73-yard house call to make things 28-10 with 5:20 left in the third. The Mocs went up 35-10 just two minutes later when Gino Appleberry picked up his second touchdown of the season on a 12-yard carry. The drive went seven plays for 75 yards in just 2:41.
 
Chattanooga went to its roots in the final frame and held the ball for 10:09 of game time, rushing for 76 yards and picking up three first downs. The contest eventually ended in the 35-10 final as both teams went scoreless.

BY THE NUMBERS
The Chattanooga defense held its opponent to 200 yards or less for the third straight game and now hasn't surrendered a defensive touchdown in the last nine quarters. UTC out-gained Wofford 470-136 in total offense which includes a 200-9 mark in the passing category and a 25-9 spread in first downs.
 
Copeland finished the game with an efficient line, going 14-of-20 through the air for 200 yards and a touchdown in addition to a rushing touchdown on a one-yard sneak. Ford (98, TD) and Price (81, TD) paced the rushing attack while Appleberry (52, TD) and Reggie Davis (36) chipped in with quality yards. Davis' first career rushing attempt went for all 36 yards on the day.
 
James posted a team-high 59 receiving yards and a touchdown on two catches. KeShawn Toney went for 34 yards in his only catch while Kanore McKinnon added 31 yards on three catches. Of the 200 yards receiving, 78 came after the initial catch.
 
Defensively, Jay Person added to his impressive season with a team-leading seven total tackles that includes the team's only sack (1.0-6). Person added 2.0 TFLs for a combined loss of seven yards while Ty Boeck notched 3.0 TFLs that racked up 14 yards of negativity. UTC finished the game with a season-high 12.0 TFLs against the run-heavy Terriers.

RECORDS – CHATTANOOGA (6-3, 5-1) | WOFFORD (1-8, 0-7)
 
SERIES – Wofford leads the all-time series 15-13.

3 NOTES TO KNOW
- Nine yards passing… fifth-fewest yards allowed in the DI era… there were zero in the 23-21 loss at Georgia Southern on Sept. 27, 2013… Shorter managed just two on Sept. 1, 2016 with the other two instances coming against The Citadel with three on Oct. 1, 2011 (L, 27-28) and seven on Oct. 15, 2016 (L, 14-22).
- 270 yards rushing… second-highest total on the year behind 271 in the win over Western Carolina… 15 of the 18 SoCon games under Rusty Wright have topped the 200-yard mark.
- 136 yards allowed to Wofford… third straight game and fourth overall with 200 or fewer given up (90 at UNA/200 at Samford/157 vs Furman)… only the SECOND time in the modern era to do it three straight games with the other coming in 1981 (Oct. 10-24): Marshall (112), at Arkansas State (184) and at Western Carolina (200).

Check out all the extra info at the notes link at the top of the story.
 
QUOTABLE
"This team has seemingly taken the strides that you've been really kind of wanting to see over the past month or so. Just a group that's doing things like they're supposed to be doing it, you know, we practice better last month or so that's led to better playing. And we're understanding everybody's got a role. They're kind of fitting into it and no matter what it may be, the biggest thing is we've just stopped looking at results and we just go out and play." – head coach Rusty Wright on the team's recent play.
 
"The run game got going. What I love about our offensive line and our running back group, as the game goes on, you start seeing them bust eight yards a carry, ten yards a carry. Once we get the lead, those guys hold the lead well. It's not fun getting hit in the mouth every play." – quarterback Cole Copeland on the offensive line and ground attack.

Check out all we heard at the quotes link at the top of the story.
 
NEXT GAME – Chattanooga at Mercer, 3:00 p.m. ET | Nov. 13 | 2021 Schedule
 
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