2022 Chattanooga Mocs Football
VMI – Oct. 15 – Finley Stadium
Postgame Notes
 
GENERAL
- The 9th-ranked Chattanooga Mocs ran away with a 41-13 win over VMI in a Saturday Southern Conference clash in Finley Stadium…Mocs are now 5-1 overall, 3-0 in the SoCon…Keydets fall to 1-5, 0-3 in league play.
- Entered the game ranked No. 9 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Rankings and No. 10 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25.
- Six straight weeks as a top 10 team…longest since 27-game stretch from Nov. 15, 2014-Nov. 19, 2016.
- 39-24-1 all-time when ranked in the top 10...27-12 at the FCS level...eight of the losses are to ranked or FBS opponents.
- 3-0 in the SoCon standings…that puts the Mocs in a tie with Samford and momentarily Mercer atop the league…the Bulldogs are off this week, while the Bears host ETSU beginning at 4 p.m….a win gives Mercer a half-game lead while a loss put the good guys and Bulldogs on top…the Bears come to Chattanooga next week for a 1:30 p.m., kickoff.
- All-time record of 559-546-35 (.506) in 1,140th game…115th season.
- 162-163-2 (.498) in 327 SoCon games…46th campaign in the league.
- Begin SoCon play 3-0 for the first time since the abbreviated spring 2021 campaign (3-0)...opened 3-0 in three of Coach Rusty Wright's four seasons…11-1 in the first three games of the SoCon slate under Wright.
- 5-1 is the best overall start since 6-0 in 2016…5-1 or better for the 13th time in program history: 2016 (6-0), 2015 (7-1), 1997 (6-1), 1981 (5-1), 1979 (6-1), 1978 (6-0-1), 1977 (8-1), 1968 (7-0), 1931 (9-1), 1928 (6-1), 1927 (8-1) & 1905 (6-1).
 
SERIES
All-Time Meetings: 28
Overall Record: 18-9-1 | Home: 10-3-1 | Away: 8-6
SoCon Meetings: 17-8-1 | Home: 10-2-1 | Away: 7-6
Streak: +1
 
COACH
Rusty Wright (Chattanooga '96)

• Record: 20-14 | Home: 11-5 | Away: 9-9
• SoCon: 16-7 | Home: 9-3 | Away: 7-4
• VMI: 1-2 | Home: 1-0 | Away: 0-2

 
TEAM
- 609 yards of total offense is ninth-highest total in school history…most since 695 against Appalachian State on Oct. 30, 2004…averaged 9.1 yards per play which is the best since 9.5 against Presbyterian on Sept. 10, 2016 and just the sixth game all-time topping 9.0 ypp.
- 41 points today ties season high (North Alabama)…averaging 35.0 ppg against FCS opponents.
- Allowed 13 points to the Keydets…came into the day allowing 12.6 ppg to FCS opposition.
- 21 first quarter points makes it back-to-back periods with 21 points scored dating back to the fourth quarter of the ETSU win…last time scoring 21 in the opening 15 minutes? Western Carolina on Oct. 2 last season.
- 12.0 tackles for loss…second most of the season behind 13 at Eastern Illinois…10th time with 12 or more in a game.
- 299 yards rushing…season high…most since 400 in the 2019 win over Western Carolina…6.5 yards per carry (46).
- Held the Keydets to -2 yards rushing on 27 carries…gained 52 yards but lost 54 on the Mocs 12 tackles for loss including sacks…tied for sixth-fewest rushing yards allowed (ETSU on Oct. 1, 1988)…fewest allowed since -16 at VMI on Oct. 27, 2018.
- 310 yards passing on 17 of 21 with no interceptions…no turnovers by the offense today…first time this season…season high for passing yards and second 300-yard game (303-North Alabama)…most yards in the air since 347 at The Citadel on Sept. 8, 2018.
- 156 yards total offense allowed…fewest by an opponent this season…lowest since 136 at Wofford last November…5th time in last 11 games allowing 200 or fewer including 163 at Mercer, 151 to Furman and 200 at Samford.
 
INDIVIDUAL
- Running back Ailym Ford rushed for 172 yards on 22 carries with a touchdown...1,332 yards on 234 carries with 14 touchdowns in 12 games at home…topped 2,000 yards in SoCon games in the second quarter (2,043).
- 14th career 100-yard effort on the ground, third of 2022…fourth all-time…two shy of the record 16 by Gwain Durden '80.
- 27 career rushing touchdowns for Ford…four shy of Derrick Craine's (2013-16) 31 which are the most by a running back…tight ends coach and former QB Jacob Huesman '15 holds the record with 43.
- Ford is 56 yards shy of 3,000 for his career (2,944)…that's 53 short of the fifth-place Craine (2,997) on the school's rushing list.
- Gino Appleberry had his first 100-yard game and multi-TD game as a Moc…109 yards on 12 carries and two scores…last time with two 100-yard rushers in the same game? Furman last November with 110 by Tyrell Price and 108 for Ford.
- Efficient 295 yards passing for Preston Hutchinson completing 16 of 20 passes with two touchdowns and no turnovers.
- Hutchinson hit seven difference receivers during the game with a 72-yard touchdown to Javin Whatley and a 4-yarder to Camden Overton…Overton's first career TD.
- Five sacks on the day led by edge Austin Collier with 2.0…first career multi-sack game on first career sacks.
- SoCon sack leader Jay Person got his seventh…2.5 TFLs raises that league-leading total to 12.5.
- DT Devonnsha Maxwell got his 34th career sack…he needs three more to tie shy of the school and conference record held by Davis Tull '14 (37.0)…1.5 TFLs gives him 48.0 for his career which is 12 short of Tull's TFL program career record (60.0).
- DE Ben Brewton got the other sack, his fourth of the campaign…he is one of three Mocs with four or more joining Person (7.0) and Maxwell (4.5)…John Prince (2.5) and Collier (2.0) also have multiple sacks in 2022.
 
SOCON SCOREBOARD
at Wofford 31, The Citadel 16
at Furman 44, Western Carolina 40
ETSU at No. 11 Mercer, 4 p.m. | Live Stats