2022 Chattanooga Mocs Football
at Eastern Illinois – Sept. 10 – O'Brien FIeld
Postgame Notes
 
GENERAL
- The 10th-ranked Chattanooga Mocs claimed a 38-20 triumph at Eastern Illinois Saturday evening…2-0 mark for the Mocs, 0-2 for the Panthers.
- Entered the game ranked No. 10 in the AFCA FCS Coaches Rankings and No. 11 in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25…EIU is among others receiving votes in coaches poll.
- Tied for first in the Southern Conference standings at 1-0 with The Citadel…Bulldogs moved into the tie up top with a 20-17 win over ETSU with a FG at the final horn.
- 6-4 in last 10 road openers…20-27 since start of 1976 season when the Mocs joined the SoCon…first competed for league title in 1977.
- First back-to-back seasons winning road openers since 2015 (31-21 at Samford) and 2016 (21-14 at Furman)…topped next week's opponent North Alabama (20-0) last year.
- Longest (416 miles) non-conference road trip since Tiger Stadium (547) in Baton Rouge...will be eclipsed in 12 days at Illinois (503 miles)…distance between McKenzie Arena and the road stadium…according to google maps, roughly same distance at the trip to the other Charleston & The Citadel.
- 47-17-2 vs. current OVC membership: Austin Peay (6-1); Eastern Illinois (2-0); Murray State (2-0); UT Martin (4-2); Tennessee State (3-4-2) & Tennessee Tech (30-10).
- 6-4 in last 10 road games.
 
SERIES
All-Time Meetings: 2
Record: 2-0 | Home: 1-0 | Away: 1-0

• Last matchup was a 24-10 win in Chattanooga to open 2019 season.

 
COACH
Rusty Wright (Chattanooga '96)

• Record: 17-13 | Home: 9-5 | Away: 8-8
• vs. OVC: 2-2 | Home: 1-1 | Away: 1-1
• 2-0 vs. EIU…first meeting was his first collegiate game as a head coach.

 
TEAM
- Held the Panthers rush attack to 77 yards on 35 carries…last time with less than 100 yards rushing in back-to-back games? Oct. 13-27, 2018 at Western Carolina (82) and at home vs. VMI (-16)...did it twice that season with five less than 100 overall....last year's defense, which led the SoCon in rush defense, did it four times overall…9th time under Rusty Wright.
- 759 yards allowed in last four road games: at Samford (200), at Wofford (136) & at Mercer (163) in 2021...average of 189.8 total yards per game...329 on the ground (82.3 ypg) and 430 in the air (107.5 ypg)…3-1 over that stretch.
- Since allowing VMI 306 passing yards with a 30-42-0 line (71.4%) with 3 TDs on Oct. 9, 2021, the Mocs defense has surrendered 840 yards on 82 of 164 passing (50.0%) with eight interceptions and just six TDs over eight games.
- Two takeaways tonight but broke even as both teams lost a fumble and three an interception.0
- 13 tackles for loss for the Mocs…10 or more TFLs for the fourth time in Rusty Wright's tenure (30 games)…most since since 14 at Western Carolina on Nov 01, 2008.
- Six sacks for the defense are the most since 6.0 last season in the Week 2 win at North Alabama.
- EIU scored six points on field goals off the interception on the Mocs first drive and again on the third quarter fumbled punt…touchdown came after missed FG attempt from 50 yards.
- Three of four punts downed inside 20 with two from quarterback Preston Hutchinson and one by Jason Pierce…Pierce averaged 51.0 yards per punt with a long of 60.
- 471 yards total offense averaging 7.6 yards per play (62 snaps)…most yards since 492 at Samford last October…offense is averaging 7.42 yards per play through two games.
- 193 rushing yards...16th time in 30 games under Rusty Wright with 190+...includes 10 of the last 12.
 
INDIVIDUAL
- Preston Hutchinson threw for 278 yards completing 17 of 27 passes with a touchdown and an interception...added 64 yards rushing on six carries with two more scores.
- Hutchinson's 300+ yards of total offense is the first since Nick Tiano (325) against VMI on Oct. 27, 2018...ended up with 342...most since 387 by Tiano (347 pass/40 rush) at The Citadel on Sept. 8, 2018.
- Jay Person finished with 2.0 sacks…3rd career multi-sack game, first of the season.
- Ben Brewton also recorded 2.0 sacks and had a strip sack for the second straight week…career high besting 1.5 at Mercer last season.
- Ailym Ford had 73 yards on 20 rushes with two scores…moved into sixth all-time in career rushing yards with 2,479...passed Eldra Buckley '06 (2,437) and Erroll Wynn '10 (2,457).
- Ford's seventh multi-TD game and third in a row…24 rushing TDs which is tied for fifth all-time with Mike Smith '80 and Tony Merendino '78.
- Reuben Lowery III had 2.0 tackles for loss…enter the game with 3.0 in his first 16 appearances.
- Ty Boeck's 11 tackles included his first sack of the season...10+ stops for his 11th career contest.
- 1st career interception for Josh Battle.
- 1st career touchdown for redshirt freshman Javin Whatley…four catches for 79 yards including the 51-yards score…longest TD reception since 75 yards from Drayton Arnold to Juwan Tyus at The Citadel in the 2021 spring season.
- Devonnsha Maxwell shared a sack with Quay Wiggles in the fourth quarter…he's now tied for second all-time at Chattanooga with Keionta Davis '16 with 31.0 apiece…6.0 shy of Davis Tull '14 who holds the school and conference mark of 37.0.
- 41-yard fourth quarter carry by Gino Appleberry is his career-long run…ended up with 56 yards on nine rushes.
- 45-yard field goal in the early fourth quarter is an early long for Andrew Southard…longest Mocs field goal since a 47-yarder by Henrique Ribeiro at Alabama on Nov. 19, 2016…Southard's 50-yard effort in the first half clanked high off the left post.
 
OPPONENT SCOREBOARD
at The Citadel 20, ETSU 17
at VMI 24, Bucknell 14
at Illinois 24, Virginia 3
at Georgia 33, Samford 0
at Clemson 35, Furman 12
Elon 26, at Wofford 0
at North Alabama 49, Virginia-Wise Highland 17
at Georgia Tech 35, Western Carolina 17
Mercer is off