The football team will try to earn its first win of the season Saturday in its first game away from home. The Mocs travel the short distance south to take on Jacksonville State. Kickoff at the Jacksonville, Ala., campus is set for 3:30 p.m. ET.
UTC has dominated the series with the Gamecocks which began in 1904 and lead 25-7. However, Jacksonville State, Ohio Valley Conference Champions in 2003 and 2004, has turned the tables of late, winning two of the last three matchups with both victories coming in Chattanooga.
Saturday marks the fourth consecutive year the two teams have met, and a contract is on the table to add four more years to the series beginning in 2008.
“I think it is a good game for both schools to play,” UTC Head Coach Rodney Allison said. “They have all been close, competitive games. I think the proximity makes it a good rivalry, and we recruit against each other. I fully expect it to be a competitive game Saturday.”
The Mocs pulled out a 21-18 victory at Jacksonville in 2005 when quarterback Antonio Miller scored from two yards out with 10 seconds left. In last year's matchup in Chattanooga, the Gamecocks tackled receiver Emanuel Hassell three yards shy of the goal line on the final play of the game for what would have been the go-ahead touchdown. JSU went home with a 13-10 victory.
Miller, in his third year as the starter, is questionable for Saturday's game. The senior injured his knee in the third quarter of UTC's opener last Thursday against Carson-Newman. Should Miller not be available, redshirt freshman Cody Romans and sophomore Tony Pastore will likely split time at signal caller. Both saw their first action in a UTC uniform in the opener.
JSU, 6-5 in 2006, opened its season a week ago with a 24-19 loss at Alabama State. The Gamecocks managed just four field goals on offense and an interception return for a touchdown and were outscored 18-6 in the second half.
Senior Matt Hardin and junior Cedric Johnson split time at quarterback with Johnson providing the better statistics, 95 passing yards on 5-of-9 passes. Junior back Daniel Jackson was the team's leading ground gainer with 39 yards on 17 carries.
Freshman defensive back T.J. Heath scored the Gamecocks' lone touchdown, returning a Hornets' pass 18 yards for the score in the second quarter.
“They always have a good football team,” Allison said. “The thing that you see from them every year is that they're tough, they're physical and they run the ball. They play hardnosed defense, and those things are their trademark year-after-year. That's what I respect about Coach (Jack) Crowe and his team.”
The game will be broadcast on WGOW radio 1150 AM with the pregame show beginning at 2:30 p.m. ET. It will also be televised live to a regional cable audience by Comcast Sports Southeast, local cable channel 27 in the Chattanooga area.
