2023 Chattanooga Mocs Football
vs. The Citadel – Sept. 16 – Finley Stadium – Chattanooga, Tenn.
Postgame Notes
 
GENERAL
- The Chattanooga Mocs ran away with a 48-3 triumph in the Southern Conference opener against The Citadel…Mocs are now 2-1, 1-0 in the league…the Bulldogs are 0-3, 0-1 in SoCon play.
- Entered the game receiving votes in the AFCA FCS Coaches Poll.
- 10th consecutive win in first SoCon matchup.
- 24-23 in SoCon openers all-time.
- One game under .500 with a 165-166-2 all-time record in SoCon play.
- The Bulldogs are the most frequent opponent in school history (57th meeting)…most wins against any opponent ahead of next week's opponent (Samford-33).
- Game captains: RB Ailym Ford, DB Reuben Lowery III, Edge Jay Person & OL Reid Williams.
 
SERIES
All-Time Meetings: 57
Record: 35-20-2 | Home: 20-8-1 | Away: 15-12-1 | SoCon: 28-16-1 | Streak +2

• Last 5: 4-1 | Last 10: 7-3 | Last 20: 12-8
• 3-1 vs. the Bulldogs in SoCon Openers.

 
COACH
Rusty Wright (Chattanooga '96)

• Record: 24-18 | Home: 14-6 | Away: 10-12
• vs. The Citadel: 4-1 | Home: 2-1 | Away: 2-0
• 5-0 in SoCon openers.

 
TEAM
- Scored touchdowns on the first four drives of the game…followed with FGs (33, 27 yds, Jude Kelley) on the fifth and sixth and another touchdown on the seventh building a 41-3 lead through three quarters.
- 158 yards allowed by the defense…fewest since 154 in last year's home win over VMI (154)…7th time in the Rusty Wright Era allowing less than 200 yards.
- The Citadel's 90 rushing yards are a season low for an opponent…14th time under Wright and defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward with less than 100.
- Bulldogs managed 68 yards in the air on 10 for 15 passing…9th occasion with less than 100 since Wright's arrival in 2019.
- 440 yards total offense is second-best total in 2023…7.6 yards per play is a season high.
- 21 first downs are actually a season low…opened with 29 at North Alabama and then 23 a week ago in the Kennesaw State win.
- Entered the game as one of the top teams in the FCS in yards per completion (13.04)…19.77 tonight with 257 yards on 13 of 17 passing.
- Good night for special teams with five touchbacks on nine kickoffs with just 17 yards per return on the other four…2-2 on field goals and both punts were downed inside the 20 including the final one on the one.
 
INDIVIDUAL
- Ailym Ford had 19 carries for 126 yards with one touchdown…passed Gwain Durden '80 (3,686) into second-place all-time on the Mocs rushing list…most by a running back…3,717 career yards…career record watch (numbers needed for new mark): 63 carries, 335 yards & 11 rush scores.
- Chase Artopoeus threw for 200 yards completing 12 of 16 passes with three touchdowns...eight TDs over the first three games are most since Alejandro Bennifield '17 had nine in the opening trio of 2016.
- Artopoeus had 219 yards of total offense...now with 896 for the season, 298.7 yards per game...second-most in school history through the first three games behind Nick Tiano's 959 in 2018.
- Redshirt freshman QB Luke Schomburg saw his first career action going 1-1 with a 57-yard TD strike…that score was the first career reception for true freshman wideout A.J. Little.
- Current SoCon Defensive Player of the Week Jordan Walker had another good performance with four tackles but a half for loss and his second career interception…now with 4.0 TFLs through three games.
- Junior wide receiver Jamoi Mayes made it back-to-back 100-yard receiving games…116 yards on six catches including his first touchdown of the season (4th career)…recorded 73 yards after catch…team-high 17 catches for 303 yards.
- Four different pass catchers caught TDs: Little, Mayes, Javin Whatley & Camden Overton…Overton has four career scores in eight catches.
- Game-high seven tackles for (LB) Kameron Brown…he and fellow transfer Kobe Joseph (Harvard) led the way in stops with Joseph making six including his second sack in as many games…Joseph had 2.0 total TFLs.
- DT Kelvin Morris made his first career fumble recovery.
 
OPPONENT SCOREBOARD
at N.C. State 45, VMI 7
Furman 31, at Kennesaw State 28
Presbyterian 23, at Wofford 20
Western Carolina 27, at Eastern Kentucky 24
at Austin Peay 63, ETSU 3
at Auburn 45, Samford 13