CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. – On Saturday afternoon, Wofford College football team was defeated 37-5 by Chattanooga at Finley Stadium. The Mocs had a 10-5 lead at the half and then scored 27 unanswered points in the second half as the Terriers turned the ball over four times.
 
Wofford is now 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the Southern Conference. Chattanooga, ranked #19 in the nation, is 4-3 on the season and 3-1 in league play. The Terriers were led by Kyle Parsons with 52 rushing yards, while quarterback Pauly Seeley was 16-of-29 for 129 yards. Chattanooga quarterback Chase Artopoeus was 13-of-19 passing for 145 yards and he rushed for a pair of touchdowns.
 
"We played a great first half on defense and they also played well in the second half," said head coach Shawn Watson. "We have to do a better job on offense. We are turning the ball over way too much and you can't turn the ball over against a great football team like Chattanooga. We have to be more efficient – we are not efficient right now. We have to play smarter and better. I want the defensive guys to know how much we appreciate them as they are playing good football and we need to support them with a better offense."
 
The Mocs had the ball first and on the second play from scrimmage Anthonie Lattany forced a fumble and recovered it at the 22-yard line. Wofford was able to get on the board with a 37-yard field goal by Devery Cagle at the 12:17 mark of the first half. With the ball back, the Mocs had four rushing first downs before tying the game at 3-3 with a 31-yard field goal with 6:25 on the clock. Wofford went three-and-out on their next possession. Chattanooga had five first downs to move inside the 10-yard line. They capped the drive with a two-yard touchdown reception to take a 10-3 lead with 12:43 on the clock in the second quarter.
 
Wofford had one first down before Sam Spence had a punt that was downed at the one-yard line. On first down, Marion Smokes and Javario Tinch stopped the runner from getting out of the endzone for a safety. The Chattanooga lead was 10-5 with 8:39 left in the first half. Wofford went three-and-out on their next drive. After Chattanooga had one first down, they punted. The Terriers and Mocs then traded three-and-outs, with Wofford taking over with 1:47 remaining in the half. Running the two-minute offense, the Terriers had two first downs before punting. The Mocs ran one play before the half ended.
 
To begin the second half, Wofford went three-and-out and punted. The Mocs had a first down and then had a 45-yard completion to move into the redzone. After a rushing first down, a one-yard touchdown run by Chase Artopoeus pushed the Chattanooga advantage to 17-5 with 10:32 on the clock. On the first play of the next drive by the Terriers, Pauly Seeley was intercepted by Kobe Joseph and the Mocs took over at the 16-yard line. Artopoeus ran the ball in for a 13-yard touchdown to give the Mocs a 24-5 lead with 9:42 remaining in the third quarter.
 
After Wofford had two first downs, they faced fourth-and-long. Lined up to punt, the Terriers ran a fake with Jon Schaffer completing a 19-yard pass to Kyle Parsons for the first down. On the next play, Wofford threw a pass to the endzone that was intercepted by the Mocs and returned to the 35-yard line. A quick 30-yard completion moved the ball across midfield but the drive stalled. The Mocs added a 48-yard field goal for a 27-5 lead with 2:27 left in the third quarter.
 
With the ball back, the Terriers had two first downs before facing fourth-and-two. Bryce Corriston ran for the first down, but another interception by the Mocs gave them the ball at the 41-yard line. After two first downs, Chattanooga added a 44-yard field goal for a 30-5 lead with 7:11 left in the game. Wofford had a first down and again faced a fourth down. The Mocs intercepted their fourth pass of the day, with Reuben Lowery returning it 61 yards for a touchdown and a 37-5 lead with 5:22 remaining. On the following drive, Wofford had a first down and faced fourth-and-three. A pass was incomplete and the Mocs took over with 1:57 left in the game. They ran three plays to end the game.
 
Wofford had 257 total yards, with 156 receiving yards. Chattanooga had 321 total yards, with 176 of those rushing yards. Wofford had 12 first downs to 17 for the Mocs. Wofford was 1-of-13 on third down and 2-of-4 on fourth down. Chattanooga was 8-of-14 on third down. Chattanooga was called for three penalties, while Wofford was called for five. Chattanooga had a 33:01 to 26:59 time of possession advantage.
 
Wofford vs. Chattanooga Post-Game Notes
This was the 31^st meeting between the two teams, with Chattanooga now holding a 16-15 lead in the series. Chattanooga has won the last five meetings.
 
The safety in the second quarter was the first by the Terriers since November 26, 2016, against Charleston Southern.
 
David Powers led the defense with nine tackles.
 
The Terriers will return home next weekend when East Tennessee State visits Spartanburg on Saturday, October 26, at 2:00 p.m. as part of Homecoming Weekend.
 
Game captains were Amir Annoor, John Boyles, Anthony Garcia, and Kyle Watkins.     
 
Attendance at Finley Stadium was 7,260.