NOTES | QUOTES | PHOTOS

CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (Nov. 25, 2023) --- The 18^th-ranked Chattanooga Mocs football team used a time-expiring, 35-yard field goal from Clayton Crile to notch a 24-21 upset victory over 13^th-ranked Austin Peay in the First Round of the FCS Playoffs on Saturday afternoon inside Fortera Stadium in Clarksville, Tenn.
 
Following the victory, Chattanooga improves to 8-4 overall and advances to the Second Round of the FCS Playoffs for the first time since 2016 while marking the program's first-ever playoff win on the road. UTC has now made a trip to the Round of 16 in each of its last four playoff appearances. Austin Peay ends the season 9-3 after the defeat.
 
"You get to this time of year, it's a four-quarter game and you have to play the whole way. Austin Peay is a good football team," said head coach Rusty Wright in his post-game presser.
 
"I think we played our best half of football this year in that first half, especially with the situation and circumstances. I have a football team. I don't have guys just playing, I have a football team. It doesn't matter who it is, who gets the credit … I have a football team that plays their tails off."

HOW IT HAPPENED
Over the game's first nine minutes, the two teams combined for four punts as the squads jockeyed for field possession in the early going. UTC found itself in APSU territory on the first two drives but failed to get within scoring distance.
 
Things quickly changed as Luke Schomburg found Javin Whatley for a 29-yard touchdown strike to put UTC up 7-0 with 2:17 left in the opening quarter, capping off a seven-play, 65-yard drive. APSU quickly answered in just three plays after a 57-yard touchdown run highlighted a 93-yard drive, tying things at 7-7 just before the first quarter whistle.


Chattanooga struck first in the second quarter after Gino Appleberry finished off an eight-play, 78-yard scoring drive with a one-yard plunge to allow for a 14-7 Mocs lead with 8:27 left before half. The UTC defense continued to control things in the first half which would eventually lead to craziness before the break.
 
Facing a second-and-10 from the APSU 16 with under 20 seconds left before half, Schomburg's pass was intercepted in the endzone and returned out four yards by the Govs defender. During the return, the originally intended receiver Jamoi Mayes stripped the ball carrier and immediately returned it to the paint to give UTC a 21-7 lead heading into the locker rooms. (WATCH)
 
Austin Peay returned the second half's opening kickoff 70 yards to the UTC30 and eventually needed seven plays to go all 30 yards to pull within a touchdown, 21-14, with 11:58 remaining in the third. UTC moved the ball into APSU's side of the field on the ensuing drive, however, Clayton Crile's 44-yard field-goal attempt was blocked as the Govs took over at the UTC30 with 3:28 left in the third.
 
APSU took advantage of the momentum swing and went all 70 yards in just three plays to tie things up 21-21 with 1:35 on the board in the third. The fourth quarter went scoreless for 14:57 of the 15-minute allotment before Crile converted the game-winning 35-yard field goal attempt, sending Chattanooga to a 24-21 victory and notching a spot among the FCS' final 16 teams.

SCORING SUMMARY
1^st Quarter
UTC – 2:17 – J. Whatley 29 yd touchdown reception thrown by L. Schomburg (XP GOOD) – 7-0 UTC
APSU – 1:06 – J. Jackson 57 yd touchdown rush (XP GOOD) – 7-7 Tied
 
2^nd Quarter
UTC – 8:17 – G. Appleberry 1 yd touchdown rush (XP GOOD) – 14-7 UTC
UTC – 0:14 – J. Mayes 4 yd fumble return (XP GOOD) – 21-7 UTC
 
3^rd Quarter
APSU – 11:58 – J. Jackson 1 yd touchdown rush (XP GOOD) – 21-14 UTC
APSU – 1:35 – T. Shackelford 27 yd touchdown reception thrown by M. DiLiello (XP GOOD) – 21-21 Tied
 
4^th Quarter
UTC – 0:00 – C. Crile 35 yd field goal – 24-21 UTC

RECORDS – No. 18/19 Chattanooga 8-4 ∙ No. 13/10 Austin Peay 9-3 ∙ Stats Perform/AFCA Coaches Poll
 
SERIES – Chattanooga leads the all-time series 7-1.
 
3 NOTES TO KNOW | MORE
1. 5th straight road win against FCS competition… longest streak since five in a row in 2014 that ended in the FCS Quarterfinals at No. 1 New Hampshire (35-30)... 1st playoff road win… 4-4 in playoff games… 3-1 in the first round (1-1 on the road).

2. Allowed 300 yards total offense…138.3 below their season average… season-low 13 first downs for Austin Peay... Govs gained 193 on the ground but just 107 by air.

3. Defense recorded 7.0 TFLs for -34 yards with 3.0 sacks (-19)… offensive line allowed 2.0 TFLs (-3) with zero sacks for the second week in a row… 4th game with zero sacks allowed (at North Alabama/Kennesaw State/at Alabama).

QUOTABLE | MORE
HC Rusty Wright on the makeup of his team.
"I trust all these guys. This football team has been through a lot in a short amount of time. It feels like a long amount of time, but it really hasn't been. That's the thing. I trust all these guys to do the things they're supposed to do and as well as they can do it. It didn't hurt anyone worse than that kid who missed two kicks. I knew he wanted to redeem himself and he did."
 
QB Luke Schomburg on what has been the key to comfort.
"Preparation. Your confidence comes from your preparation, that's my belief. Just preparing each week, even before I knew I was going to get a start. Always preparing if I was going to play. Coach [Joe] Pizzo and Chase [Artopoeus] helped me out with that a lot, to make sure I'm prepared to go in. I've been doing it all year and I just treated it like I did any other game this
year."

NEXT GAME – at No. 7 Furman – Greenville, S.C. – Saturday, Dec. 2 – 1 p.m. ET – ESPN+
 
TICKET INFORMATION - A limited number of tickets in the UTC fan block are available to purchase and are now on sale. To purchase, please click HERE. Tickets are $30 and are available while supplies last. Seats will be allocated using the Mocs Club Priority Point System.
 
The deadline to purchase tickets for this game is on Wednesday, November 29th at 3:00 pm. After this deadline, all purchased tickets will be assigned, and tickets will be sent via mobile delivery. No tickets will be mailed for this game.
 
For questions, customer service representatives are available to assist and can help with your purchase at 423-266-MOCS(6627). McKenzie Arena Gate 3 Box Office hours of operations are Monday through Friday, 10 am- 5 pm.
 
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