Complete Game Notes (pdf)
This week’s game
Wofford will begin Southern Conference play on Saturday when the Terriers travel to Tennessee to face Chattanooga at Finlay Stadium ... The Terriers opened the season with three non-conference games and the Chattanooga game will be the first of eight-straight conference match-ups ... Wofford has won the last three games in the series and six of the last seven games against the Mocs ... Last week Wofford lost 44-14 at Wisconsin, while the Mocs were 29-13 winners at Presbyterian College ... The game will be Homecoming for Chattanooga ... The Terriers are ranked 18th in the Sports Network Poll and 17th in the FCS Coaches Poll, while Chattanooga is receiving a vote in the Sports Network Poll.
Media This Week
The game can be heard on ESPN1400 AM in Spartanburg, along with WPJM 800 AM in Greer, and online at www.espn1400am.com ... Chattanooga will offer video streaming on www.gomocs.com.
About Wofford
Wofford is 1-2 so far in the 2009 season with a 40-7 loss at the University of South Florida, a 42-14 win at home against Charleston Southern and a 44-14 loss at Wisconsin. Wofford returns 44 letterwinners from last season, including four offensive starters, five defensive starters and three specialists. In addition, three other players with at least two starts return for Wofford. Wofford runs the wingbone offense, led by sophomore quarterback Mitch Allen and backs Mike Rucker and Sean Lees. Last season the rushing offense was second in the nation with 343.27 yards per game and the total offense of 470.45 yards per game was also second. The offensive line allowed only five sacks in all of 2008, best in the nation. The multiple defense is led by first team All-SoCon defensive lineman Mitch Clark and senior linebacker Gary Blount. In 2008 the defense was tenth in the nation with 34 sacks during the season. Wofford had five players named to the Preseason All-SoCon Team. OL Pat Illig and DL Mitch Clark earned first team honors, while OL Trey Johnson, LB Gary Blount, DL Eric Eberhardt and DB Mychael Johnson were named to the second team. The Terriers were picked to finish second in the Southern Conference by the coaches and third by the media in the 2009 Preseason Polls.
About Chattanooga
Chattanooga is 2-1 on the season after wins over Glenville State and Presbyterian and a 38-20 loss to Furman in Southern Conference play. Head Coach Russ Huesman is in his first season as head coach after spending the last five seasons as the defensive coordinator at the University of Richmond. The Mocs return 41 lettermen and 19 starters from the 2008 season in which the team posted a 1-11 overall record. They were 0-8 in the Southern Conference to finish eighth. This season they were picked to finish ninth in the SoCon preseason poll. On offense, they are led by quarterback B.J. Coleman who has thrown for 707 yards and five touchdowns in the first three games. Receiver Blue Cooper has 281 yards receiving, while Bryan Fitzgerald leads the team with 250 rushing yards on 45 carries with two touchdowns. Chris Awuah leads the team with three touchdowns, two rushing and one receiving. On defense, Joseph Thornton leads the Mocs with 31 tackles along with an interception and 1.5 tackles for loss. Joshua Williams has four sacks. DB Buster Skrine was the lone Moc named to the Preseason All-SoCon team.
The Chattanooga Series
Wofford leads the series with Chattanooga 8-7. The teams first met in 1927, then played again in 1968. The Mocs won the first five meetings, but since both teams were members of the Southern Conference, Wofford has a 8-4 advantage. The Terriers have won the last three games and have also won six of the last seven meetings. At Finlay Stadium, the series is tied 3-3.
Wofford-Chattanooga Last Year
Wofford defeated Chattanooga 56-7 on October 11 at Gibbs Stadium. The score was tied at 7-7 in the second quarter, but the Terriers ran off the next 49 points to take the Homecoming victory. Ben Widmyer opened the scoring with a 75-yard touchdown run, which was matched by the Mocs with a 11-yard reception by Chris Pitchford for a 7-7 score in the second quarter. Wofford added a second touchdown by Widmyer and scores by Fenn Allen and Eric Breitenstein for a 28-7 halftime lead. The Terriers added touchdowns by Andy Strickland, Dane Romero, Arsenio Parks and Robby Davis for the 56-7 final score.
The Terriers were led by Ben Widmyer with 158 yards rushing on eight carries with two touchdowns plus 110 yards passing with two touchdowns. Wofford had a total of seven players score a touchdown in the game. Chattanooga was led by Erroll Wynn with 90 yards rushing and Jare Gault with 105 passing yards and one touchdown.
Terrier Top Ten
Here are the top ten notes of interest heading into the Chattanooga game:
• The Terriers are second in the nation in rushing with 258.33 yards per game in 2009
• Wofford leads the series with Chattanooga 8-7
• Fourteen players made their first career starts at South Florida
• The offensive line allowed only five sacks in 2008, best in the NCAA FCS
• Wofford had five players named Preseason All-SoCon
• Mitch Clark led the team with eight sacks in 2008, eighth most in school history in a season
• Mike Rucker is fourth all-time in kickoff return yards with 1,666 and fourth in kickoff returns
with 71
• Wofford leads the SoCon in rushing and kickoff returns
• In the last three games against the Mocs, Wofford has scored 40 or more points
• The Chattanooga game is the first of eight straight SoCon games for Wofford
Injury Update
Wofford opened the season without running back Jeremy Marshall, who is still recovering from a knee injury suffered in the 2008 Appalachian State game. Freshmen Cody Burris (clavicle) and Kenny Barnes (knee) will also miss the season after injuries in August camp. DL Mitch Clark, S Hunter Hobson, WR Brenton Bersin, FB Eric Breitenstein and LB Cody Van Der Linden were out of the Wisconsin game due to injury. During the Wisconsin game, LB Mike Niam suffered a knee injury (ACL) and will miss the remainder of the season, while LB Anthony Carden had a concussion.
