Box Score Game book (pdf)
CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – Wofford College was defeated 38-9 by Chattanooga at Findley Stadium on Saturday evening. The Mocs had four passing touchdowns from B.J. Coleman in the victory while holding Wofford to only 226 total yards.
The Terriers fall to 1-3 on the season and 0-1 in the SoCon, while Chattanooga is 3-1 overall and 1-1 in the conference. The Terriers were led by Mike Rucker with 57 yards rushing and Justice Joslin with 60 receiving yards and a touchdown on three catches. The Mocs were led by Bryan Fitzgerald with 78 rushing yards, while Coleman was 23-of-30 for 176 yards and four touchdowns.
“It was a real good day for Chattanooga and probably one of the worst for us,” said head coach Mike Ayers. “We made way too many mistakes. They did a great job of defending us and we did not execute. Way too many mistakes mentally and that is really concerning. We had some young players playing, that being said there are going to be some mistakes and there is a learning curve. At the same time, you hope that the older guys would be the guys to step up and make the plays for you. I thought Chattanooga came well prepared and they fought the fight and played well. They are a physical football team that came to play and we didn’t.”
Both teams went three and out on their first possessions of the game. On the next drive by the Terriers, Mike Rucker had a 27-yard gain for a first down but Wofford failed to convert a fourth and three turn to the ball over on downs. The Mocs put together an 11-play drive that was capped by a three-yard touchdown pass from B.J. Coleman to Blue Cooper for a 7-0 lead at 4:50 in the first quarter.
Wofford gained a first down on the ensuing drive, but Mitch Allen was intercepted by Buster Skrine at the 40-yard line. The Mocs were able to gain one first down before punting the ball back to the Terriers.
On the next drive for the Terriers, Wofford gained three rushing first downs before Mitch Allen found Justice Joslin for a 35-yard touchdown pass at 11:30 in the second quarter. The touchdown ended a ten-play, 80-yard drive and tied the score at 7-7.
The Mocs gained two first downs on the following drive, but back-to-back sacks by Alex Goltry and Mitch Clark forced Chattanooga to punt. Wofford was forced three-and-out on their next series.
With the ball back, Chattanooga completed a fourth-and-three for a first down to keep a drive alive. A first down completion got the ball to the seven-yard line and the drive was capped with a four-yard touchdown pass from Coleman to Blue Cooper at 1:01 in the second quarter. Wofford got the ball back, but Allen was intercepted by Jordan Tippit. Tippit returned the ball 20 yards to the 22-yard line with four seconds left in the half. Craig Camay hit a 39-yard field goal as time expired in the half to take a 17-7 lead.
The second half began with the Mocs gaining a first down rushing and converting a fourth-and-one. Chattanooga added two more first downs before ending the drive with a six-yard pass from Coleman to Chris Pitchford at 8:17 in the third quarter for a 24-7 advantage.
On the Terriers’ first drive of the second half, after a first down on a pass interference call, Alex Dunmire rushed for a first down. Mitch Allen completed a pass to Devin Reed on fourth-and-three for a first down at the Mocs 28-yard line. On fourth-and-three on the 21, the Terriers were stopped and turned it over on downs.
Chattanooga used a 37-yard run by Chris Awuah to get the ball inside the ten yard line. A nine-yard pass from Coleman to Clint Woods at 14:55 in the fourth quarter allowed the Mocs to take a 31-7 lead in the game. Wofford gained a first down, but were forced to punt on the ensuing drive.
The Mocs snapped the ball out of the endzone on their next drive, giving the Terriers the safety at 12:18 in the fourth quarter. On the kickoff, the Terriers fumbled and J.D. Dothard returned the ball 51 yards for a touchdown and a 38-9 lead with 11:57 left in the game.
Wofford went four-and-out on the next drive, failing to convert on fourth-and-six and giving the Mocs the ball back on the Terriers’ 28-yard line. With the ball back, the Mocs drove to the 12-yard line before turning the ball over on downs. Wofford went three and out and punted. The Mocs were able to run out the final 3:50 on the clock for the victory.
Wofford had 226 yards of total offense, while the Mocs had 346. Wofford was outgained on the ground 170 to 151 and in the air 176 to 75. Each team had four penalties. Wofford was 5-of-13 on third down and 1-of-4 on fourth down. Chattanooga was 7-of-13 on third down and 2-of-3 on third down.
Wofford returns home on Saturday, October 3 to host Georgia Southern at 1:30 pm for Homecoming.
Wofford vs. Chattanooga Post-Game Notes
The Terriers open the season 1-3 for the first time since 2006. The last time Wofford was defeated in the SoCon opener was also in 2006, a 35-21 loss to Furman.
Mitch Clark, the Terriers’ sack leader in 2008, saw his first game action of the season and recorded a sack in the second quarter.
Wofford was down at the end of the first half for the third time this season, with all three games being road games.
Game captains were Mitch Clark and Chris Tommie.
The 9 points scored by Wofford against Chattanooga were the fewest in the series since scoring three in 1998. Chattanooga’s 38 points were the most since scoring 38 in the first meeting in 1927.
A Wofford opponent had a safety for the first time since September 2, 2006 against South Carolina State. The last time an opponent returned a fumble for a touchdown was September 27, 2008 by Georgia Southern.
The Terrier defense did not force a turnover for the first time this season.
The all-time series with the Mocs is tied at 8-8. The loss ended a streak of three straight wins by the Terriers in the series.
Attendance was 8,452 at Finley Stadium.
