The Chattanooga Mocs defense and their running game have been the strengths of their team the past couple of years and this Saturday it will have to help carry them to a victory over a middle of the SoCon pack Western Carolina team that would gain them entry to the FCS Playoffs.
Do you remember back towards the preseason when the Chattanooga Mocs were picked to win the Southern Conference? Unfortunately, that goal didn’t come to fruition as they fell, at home, to one of the other top contenders in the conference, Samford 35-24. The win for the Bulldogs lifted them to a Southern Conference Title instead of the Mocs but Chattanooga still has something to play for just as they did last season heading into the last week of the season.
Last year, their season ended in defeat to another sub-par conference opponent at home with the Citadel, but this year’s team is looking to etch their names into the UTC record books by getting back to the postseason and hopefully making some noise.
Speaking of the playoffs, it would be their fifth trip in program history (1984, 2014, 2015, 2016) and the team is in search of only its fifth 8-win season since 1980, that’s a long time.
As mentioned, the 15th ranked Chattanooga Mocs will be heading to Western Carolina this Saturday to take on a Catamounts team that’s not only looking to finish the season strong (5-5, 3-4 SoCon) but to make a little history themselves. With a win on Saturday, they would achieve their first winning season since 2017.
Kick-off is set for 1 p.m. and it’ll be strength on strength, the tale as old as time, an explosive offense for the Catamounts who are leading the league in offense (503 ypg) against a stout defense for the Mocs who are 2nd in total defense (321 ypg).
Something has to give, right? Which unit will execute better on Saturday? Let’s take a look at what UTC will be up against and who the key players are for Western Carolina.
Quarterback
This category should really be plural as the Cats utilize two quarterbacks in junior Carlos Davis (1,837 yards, 67 completion %, 16 TDs, 13 INT) and freshman Cole Gonzales (1,112 yards, 63 completion %, nine TDs, and six picks).
Gonzales played in their most recent win against ETSU, but we’ll have to wait and see who starts against UTC this weekend.
Running Backs
Freshman Desmond Reid is their man guy as he’s racked up 766 yards on the season, eclipsing 100 yards three times this year, and scoring thrice on the ground. They’ll also utilize their senior back to spell Reid in TJ Jones who has three touchdowns rushing of his own but with much fewer yards (387). In addition, if Carlos Davis plays in this one, he’s their third leading rushing and is liable to hurt the Mocs with his legs from time to time.
Wide Receivers
When it comes to the pass catchers the young Chattanooga secondary will have to keep their eyes peeled for stud sophomore Raphael Williams who leads the team in catches (45), yards (630), and is tied for the team lead in touchdown receptions (6). The Catamounts also have a talented freshman wide-out named Censere Lee who’s having a very nice initial collegiate season with 29 catches for 541 yards, and six scores himself. Additionally, be aware of a running back that they like to utilize as a pass-catcher in junior Jaylnn Williams, he has the second most catches on the team with 31 for 303 yards, and one score.
Defense
Their leading tackler is sophomore safety Andreas Keaton (66) and they do a decent job at getting after the passer with 29 total team sacks led by senior DL KJ Milner (5) and junior LB E.J. Porter. In terms of turning the opponent over, that’s where they struggle a little bit with only five team interceptions and five fumbles recovered.
Special Teams
If it comes down to special teams, Western should have the edge as junior kicker, Richard Mccollum has been about as solid as you could ask for this season, making 37/38 extra points and 16/18 field goals.
This is going to be no walk in the park for UTC, but if they play their game, are able to contain W. Carolina’s offense, run the football, and win the turnover battle, they should win and earn a spot in the FCS Playoffs.
For more on the Mocs this week check out some of our interviews regarding Chattanooga:
Mocs Head Coach Rusty Wright on Press Row: https://open.spotify.com/episode/2pU1x2Em7NOqzL1H502iW7
Mocs Monday with Chattanooga Mocs Beat Writer Gene Henley: https://open.spotify.com/episode/4nV45hklfHc7ngbvaMThiH
FCS Analyst for Bleav Joe DeLeone: https://open.spotify.com/episode/7vX57RkfJVSgySrPSsOgue
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