2021 Chattanooga Mocs Football
At Kentucky – Sept. 18 – Kroger Field
Postgame Notes
 
GENERAL
- The 22nd-ranked Chattanooga Mocs dropped a heart-breaking 28-23 loss at SEC-leading Kentucky Saturday afternoon at Kroger Field...,UTC is now 1-2, while the Wildcats move to 3-0.
- Breaks three game road winning streak…won at No. 11 Furman and The Citadel in the spring before last week's triumph at North Alabama…last loss was 13-10 at Western Kentucky on Oct. 24, 2020.
- Closest margin against an SEC school since 31-29 nail-biter at Vanderbilt on Nov. 22, 1980.
- 14-10 halftime deficit was closest against a "Power 5" team since 14-3 at No. 1 Alabama on Nov. 19, 2016…led that contest 3-0 after 1st quarter losing 31-3.
- Defense held UK 12 points below scoring, 140.5 yards below rushing and 45 below passing averages on the season...the Cats ran up 1,083 yards and scored 11 TDs offensively against ULM and Missouri the last two weeks before being limited to 356 and three scores by Chattanooga.- 356 yards of total offense for UK was the lowest against a non-conference opponent since January 1, 2019 (Penn State, VRBO Citrus Bowl).
 
SERIES
All-Time Meetings: 1
Record: 0-1 | Home: 0-0 | Away: 0-1

• 4-120-3 against the current SEC membership…prior wins over Tennessee (2), Ole Miss (1) & Vanderbilt (1)…last SEC win was 22,961 days ago at Tennessee 14-6: Nov. 8, 1958 which you can learn more about here.
• Only SEC teams not faced: Florida, Missouri & Texas A&M (and Texas).

 
COACH
Rusty Wright (Chattanooga '96)
Record: 10-10 | Home: 5-4 | Away: 5-6
 
4-3 in last seven road tilts:

• 9/18/21: L, 23-28, at Kentucky
• 9/11/21: W, 20-0, at North Alabama
• 3/20/21: W, 20-18, at No. 11 Furman
• 3/6/21: W, 25-24 OT, at The Citadel
• 10/24/20: L, 10-13, at Western Kentucky
• 11/23/19: L, 24-31, at VMI
• 11/9/19: W, 35-27, at Samford

 
TEAM
- Took the opening drive 75 yards in six plays and 3:47 for a touchdown…10 points on first drives this season…last time scoring a TD the first drive of the game? March 6 at The Citadel on a Drayton Arnold 75-yards pass to Juwan Tyus on the game's first play…Mocs scored TD on their first two drives before winning 25-24 in OT.
- +1 in turnover margin with two picks (more on that below)…was even on the season with four picks given and taken entering the contest.
- 4-4 inside the red zone today with two TDs and two FGs…10-11 on the season.
- Season highs for total offense (339) and passing yards (168)…most rushing yards (171) allowed by the Wildcats defense…Missouri (104) and ULM combined for 121 yards rushing in UK's first two games or seven yards less than Ailym Ford had on his own today.
- Season-high 23 points…6.1 yards a carry is a season best (28-171).
- Season lows for penalties (5) and yards (40).
- UK's Tyrell Ajin's 95-yard interception return for touchdown is the third longest in UK history...1st opponent pick 6 since VMI's Tyren Cloud on Oct. 27, 2018.
- Official team photographer Dale Rutemeyer hit a significant milestone this past Wednesday turning 90 years young…he traveled with the team to Kentucky where his photos grace the game story, these notes and postgame quotes.
 
INDIVIDUAL
- Sophomore running back Ailym Ford rushed for 128 yards today on 21 carries…8th career 100-yard game, second of the season…239 yards (43 totes) over the past two weeks.
- Ford is now 25 yards shy of 1,500 through 14 career games (1,475)…if he gets 25+ against Western Carolina in two weeks, it will be the fastest path to 1500 by a high school signee in school history…Hall of Famer Gwain Durden (1977-80) who did it in his first 16 games just ahead of teammate Mike Smith's 19.
- Ford's 48-yard run on the game's first drive converted a third down and set up the Mocs first score…2nd longest run and fourth of 40+ yards of his career.
- Third career interception by CaMiron Smith in the second quarter provided a short field with a 16-yard return to the UK 15…set up Aaron Sears 27-yard field goal.
- Sears' three field goals is the most since Victor Ulmo made three against Mercer on Nov. 10, 2018…starts his career 5-5 on FG after career-long 43-yarder in third quarter cutting deficit to 14-13 and the go-ahead 30-yarder at 13:26 in the fourth…hit from 26 and 38 in the week 2 win at North Alabama.
- Rashun Freeman's interception with 1:06 left in the first quarter was the second of his career.
- Reginald Henderson set a new career high for receptions with nine…previous high was seven against Wofford in the spring…season-high 75 yards along with his second TD of the season…most receptions in a game since 13 by Wil Young at ETSU on Sept. 29, 2018.
- Ty Boeck had a season-high 13 tackles…seventh game with double-digit stops in his career...his third career sack came thwarted a Wildcat drive that reached the Mocs 30…it was a strip sack with Jay Person collecting his fourth career fumble recovery and second of the campaign.
- Jason Pierce averaged 46.8 yards on five punts…two topped 50 yards…two were downed inside the 10 yard line.
 
SOCON SCOREBOARD
VMI at Cornell, 2 p.m. | Live Stats
Samford at Western Carolina, 2:30 p.m. | Live Stats
North Greenville at The Citadel, 6 p.m. | Live Stats
Kennesaw State at Wofford, 6 p.m. | Live Stats
Delaware State at ETSU, 7:30 p.m. | Live Stats
Furman at N.C. State, 7:30 p.m. | Live Stats