The Chattanooga Mocs football team is ready to get the 2026 season started. It begins this Thursday night with the short trip to Carrollton, Ga., to square off with the West Georgia Wolves. Game time is 7 p.m., at University Stadium.
 
Resources – Game Notes | Series | Live Stats | Roster | Tickets
 
2026 Chattanooga Mocs Football
Chattanooga (0-0) at West Georgia (0-0)
Aug. 27 | Carrollton, Ga. | University Stadium (10,000)
Scheduled Start Time: 7 p.m. | Ralin Field at University Stadium (10,000)
 
Series
Meetings: 1st | Record: 0-0
 
Media
TV: ESPN+ (PxP: Patrick Eidson, Analysis: Alvin Delve)
Radio: WFLI Chattanooga (96.1/100.3 FM & 1070 AM) - Jim Reynolds (PxP), Todd Agne (Analysis) & Will Poindexter (Sideline). Also available online at GoMocs.com & Varsity Network app.
 
Coaches
Chattanooga: Rusty Wright (Chattanooga '96) | Record at UTC: 42-34 (8th season) | Overall: Same
UWG: Steve Englehart (Indiana St. '00) | Record at UWG: 0-0 (1st) | Overall: Career Record: 91-74 (16th)

• Both coaches are in their first meeting with the opposing school.
• 77th game under Coach Rusty Wright. He ties Joe Morrison (1973-79) for the fourth-longest tenure by games in program history behind CFB Hall of Famer Scrappy Moore (332), Buddy Nix (99) and Russ Huesman (96).
• Englehart coached the Presbyterian Blue Hose to a 10-win season in 2025 earning AFCA FCS National Coach of the Year honors.

 
Openers

• 119th season of collegiate football at Chattanooga. 50th as a DI program and in the SoCon.
• 61-56-1 (.521) all-time in season openers.
• 51st time opening on the road (15-34-1). Last time? Last season at Memphis.
• August 27 is the second earliest start date in school history. The Mocs faced Jacksonville State on August 26, 2017 in Montgomery, Ala.
• 6-10 all-time in the month of August...2-0 when starting at an FCS opponent in August: 8/30/2001 at Samford (28-14) and 8/31/2006 at Tennessee Tech (31-7).
• Since the start of FCS football in 1982, the Mocs are 16-8 (.667) when opening the season against an FCS opponent...6-1 (.857) when opening at a FCS venue. Game three opponent Eastern Kentucky was the first FCS opener for the Mocs coming in 1987. Chattanooga toppled the third-ranked Colonels 10-0 on Chamberlain Field.
• Under Wright, that's 2-2 starting against FCS opposition, 0-1 on the road.

 
A Look at West Georgia

• Third year of FCS Football for the Wolves. They are 3-0 against the SoCon since the move to DI in 2024 beating Samford twice - 38-29 in 2024 & 34-3 in 2025 - and ETSU once (35-31, 2025).
• 63-32 (.663) in University Stadium since it opened in 2009. 7-5 (.583) at the DI Level including 4-1 (.800) a year ago.
• 10-0 on Thursday night since 2012. Opened on Thursday night in five of last six campaigns.
• QB Collin Hurst is on the preseason watch list for the Walter Payton Award. He transferred from Presbyterian where he started the last two seasons.
• Mocs DT Terry Mikell and linebacker Christian Wood played for Englehart and UWG DC Dan Owen last season at Presbyterian.
• The Wolves feature more than 70 newcomers to the roster due to the coaching change following the 2025 season. Of those 70, 12 followed Englehart from Presbyterian including Hurst, the 2025 Pioneer Football League Player of the Year.

 
3 Notes to Know

• 21-14 (.600) on the road against FCS competition during Wright's tenure.
• UTC is receiving votes in the preseason AFCA Coaches poll. UWG is garnering votes in the Stats Perform Top 25.
• "Voice of the Mocs" Jim Reynolds has made the most iconic broadcast calls in Chattanooga sports history. He's in his 47th season calling football and men's basketball with more wins and championship moments than he can recall.

 
Quotable
"It was one of the longer (camps) we've had. We stayed relatively healthy for the most part; that's always a concern this time of year. So, it was good from a conditioning standpoint, but also a team standpoint. We're just getting to know these guys a little better, them getting to know each other a little better, and we'll see how it translates on game days. I think last year we only got 14 or 15 practices in before school started, and I think we were around 20 this year. But a big part is keeping them healthy and still get accomplished what we felt like we needed to accomplish." - Coach Rusty Wright
 
"We're a little stronger, a little bigger. You still got to figure out who the go to guys are a little bit because of who we lost in the running back and wide receiver rooms. That'll be interesting to see how that plays out, but I like the direction they're moving. It'll just be how efficient we are with the ball. You can't waste possessions, you can't waste opportunities, and we'll have to execute a lot better than we did last year." Coach Wright on the Offense
 
"We communicate a lot better than we did at any point in time last year. Good defenses talk to each other. I think that's one thing we've done a much better job of since the spring and into fall camp. There's a fair number of them played a lot of plays last year when they probably weren't ready to, but we've got to be better defensively. We've got to be able to get off the field at times to help the offense out and just play more complimentary team football." - Coach Wright on the Defense
 
Football Ticket Quick Links – Season Tickets | Mini-Plans | Game
As always, for all Mocs and McKenzie Arena events go to GoMocs.com/tickets. All football options are available with season tickets on sale as well for men's and women's basketball. The Arena also has Leanne Morgan's "The Time of Our Lives" Tour available.
 
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