2023 Chattanooga Mocs Football
at Wofford – Sept. 30 – Gibbs Stadium – Spartanburg, S.C.
Postgame Notes
 
GENERAL
- The Chattanooga Mocs captured a 23-13 hard-fought victory at Wofford Saturday night…Mocs are now 4-1, 3-0 in the Southern Conference…the Bulldogs are 0-5, 0-2 in SoCon play.
- 27th time opening the season 4-1 or better…last? 2022…11th 3-0 start in SoCon play…last? 2022.
- 4-game win streak...longest since four-in-a-row in 2021 from Oct. 16-Nov. 6...toppled #10 ETSU, at Samford, Furman and at Wofford along the way...6th streak of three or more games under Rusty Wright...most by a Mocs ball coach in their 1st five seasons.
- Entered the game ranked 22nd AFCA FCS Coaches Poll and receiving votes in the Stats Perform Top 25.
- Senior RB Ailym Ford (Florence, S.C.) is on the Blanchard-Rogers Trophy Watch List…the award is the South Carolina equivalent of the Heisman given to student-athletes from or playing in the state.
- 79-80-1 as a ranked team (54-52 at the FCS level)…31-58-1 in road games as a ranked team, 23-38 at FCS level…7-1 all-time against Wofford when ranked (4-0 in Spartanburg)…lone loss (28-36) was Nov. 12, 2016 in Chattanooga.
- First week as a ranked team this season…21st week in the Rusty Wright Era…13-9 under Wright as a ranked team, 3-0 against Wofford.
- All-time SoCon record at 167-166-2…1st SoCon matchup was in 1977…won championships in 1977*, 1978*, 1979, 1984, 2013*, 2014, 2015* (*co-champs).
- Game captains: Ford, DB Reuben Lowery III, Edge Jay Person & OL Reid Williams.
 
SERIES
All-Time Meetings: 30
Record: 15-15 | Home: 10-6 | Away: 4-9 | SoCon: 12-15-0 | Streak +4

• Last 5: 4-1 | Last 10: 6-4 | Last 20: 9-11
• First meeting was a 38-7 win in Chattanooga in 1927…the two schools didn't meet against until 1968…UTC won the first five matchups, longest win streak in the series.
• 4th straight win is the most by either team since the Terriers joined the SoCon.
• 3-9 in Spartanburg in SoCon meetings.

 
COACH
Rusty Wright (Chattanooga '96)

• Record: 26-18 | Home: 14-6 | Away: 12-12
• vs. Wofford: 4-1 | Home: 2-0 | Away: 2-1
• vs. SoCon: 21-10 | Home: 11-4 | Away: 10-6

 
TEAM
- Did not score in the first quarter…1st scoreless period since opening 15 minutes at North Alabama, a span of 15 quarters.
- 23 points are a season low for the offense...19 first downs is also a low, 1st below 23.
- 4-4 on red-zone chances (2 TD/2 FG)…now 21-22 on the season.
- Defense has allowed 40 points in three SoCon contests (13.3 ppg).
- Season-high six sacks...Quay Wiggles led the way with 1.5... five Mocs had at least a 1/2-sack...most in a game since six against VMI last season (10/15/2022).
- Allowed Wofford 297 yards total offense (147 rush/180 pass)…3rd time this season…20th occasion under Rusty Wright (2019-present).
- Season-high 5.0 yards per rush...165 yards on 33 attempts…112 of the yards came in the fourth quarter led by 78 from Gino Appleberry.
- 362 yards total offense (165 rush/197 pass)…came on 63 plays (5.7 yds/play).
 
INDIVIDUAL
- Alex Mitchell tied a season high with 11 tackles ... 1.5 TFLs included a sack ... added a PBU…reigning SoCon Defensive Player of the Week.
- Fellow starting LB Bo Spearman added nine stops, a new career high.
- Edge Jay Person was a constant menace with eight tackles with 1.0 sacks and a forced fumble (recovered by Romeo Wykle).
- Wiggles led the sack parade with 1.5…joined by Mitchell, Person, Ben Brewton (1.0), Jamarr Jones (1.0) & E.J. Thomas (0.5).
- Clayton Crile scored 11 points on 3-3 FGs and a pair of PATs filling in for the injured Jude Kelley...5th straight game with 10+ points by a kicker.
- Crile's three FG made are a season high for the Mocs...most since Aaron Sears had three at Kentucky (9/18/2021)...connected from 42, 32 & 32...his first three makes as a Moc (3-4).
- Crile set a season high with a 47.0 yard punt average on four attempts ... also had a season-best three downed inside the 20.
- Chase Artopoeus threw for 197 yards on 15 of 30 passing with two interceptions…209 yards total offense.
- Artopoeus' 1,307 passing yards (261.4 ypg) is the fourth-highest total in school history through five games…trails Nick Tiano (2018-1,442), Chris Sanders (2000-1,431) & Sanders (1999-1,425)…Sanders' 1999 number is the most by a Moc in his debut campaign.
- Artopoeus has 1,435 yards total offense…most by a 1st-year player through the first five…second to Tiano's 1,595 in 2018.
- Gino Appleberry had 93 yards on 13 carries...scored one touchdown.
- Appleberry's 41-yard run to ice the game was the longest by a Moc this season...tied his career long set at Eastern Illinois last season (9/10/22).
- Javin Whatley's 38-yard kickoff return in the third quarter was the longest for the Mocs since Jamoi Mayes returned one 46 yards against Mercer on 3/27/2021.
- Whatley led the receiving corps with 94 yards…Whatley shared most receptions (4) with Jamoi Mayes and Sam Phillips.
 
OPPONENT SCOREBOARD
at Samford 42, ETSU 28
Western Carolina 49, at The Citadel 14
at Mercer 38, VMI 3