Following the defeat, Chattanooga has its three-game win streak snapped and moves to 6-4 overall and 5-2 inside SoCon action. Mercer improves to 8-2 overall and 5-1 inside league play following the win.
Quick Records & Series
#25 Chattanooga: 6-4, 5-2 SoCon
#11 Mercer: 8-2, 5-1 SoCon
Series: 37th all-time meeting… UTC now leads the all-time series 22-14-1… now 17-6-1 in games in Chattanooga.
Game Breakdown
- Chattanooga struck first after RB Journey Wyche ripped off a 50-yard run to set the offense up at the Mercer 4. QB Battle Alberson capped the drive off with a four-yard TD run on third down to put the Mocs ahead 7-0 with 1:44 left in the first.
- Mercer tied the game 7-7 midway through the second (6:55) after the offense put together a six-play, 70-yard scoring drive which ended with a successful shovel pass from the three-yard line on fourth down.
- Chattanooga and Mercer remained locked at 7-7 at both the halftime break and at the end of the third quarter as both teams continued to exchange defensive stops and battle for field position.
- The fourth quarter also went scoreless, but not without dramatics, as both teams advanced into enemy territory with less than a minute-and-a-half on the clock and failed to put points on the board.
- Chattanooga reached the Mercer 32 yard-line and faced a fourth-and-one situation with 1:20 remaining. Electing to go for it, RB Kevin Moon was stuffed at the line of scrimmage as Mercer took over on downs.
- The Bears needed just five plays to rack up 44 yards, reaching the Chattanooga 24-yard line with three seconds remaining and a chance to kick a game-winning field goal. That field goal went wide left and forced the overtime period.
- Mercer took possession to open the overtime period as QB JP Pickles found WR Brayden Smith from seven yards out on third down to put the Bears ahead 14-7.
- Facing a third-and-seven, Alberson rolled left and picked up the first down yardage before Mercer forced a fumble and earned the recovery, capping off the hard-fought contest.
Inside the Stats
- Mercer outgained the Chattanooga offense by a 340-264 margin… 223 of UTC’s 264 total offensive yards came on the ground… the Bears ran 20 more plays in total (72-52).
- Chattanooga was limited to just a 5-of-14 mark on third downs and an 0-of-2 tally on fourth down tries… Mercer went 8-of-16 on third down conversions… the Mocs turned the ball over twice, both fumbles, which were the only two turnovers of the contest.
- RB Journey Wyche finished with 106 rushing yards on 17 attempts… averaged 6.2 yards-per-carry… RB Kevin Moon posted 70 yards on 22 attempts… QB Battle Alberson ran for 47 yards and a TD on four attempts.
Game Notables
- First overtime game since Oct. 9, 2021, a 37-34 loss at VMI…first OT game at home since 26-23 loss to Jacksonville State on Sept. 6, 2014.
- Third straight meeting with both teams ranked at Finley Stadium…No. 10 Chattanooga beat No. 11 Mercer 41-21 in 2022 and the 14th-ranked Mocs lost 10-3 to No. 23 Mercer in 2024.
- Did not allow a sack and allowed just five TFLs for the Bears…Mercer entered the game leading the SoCon in both categories.
Postgame Quotes
HC Rusty Wright opening statement: “Maybe a couple of decisions late probably didn’t help us. You know, our guys fought their tails off. Gave themselves an opportunity to win, and you know, they made one more play than we did. And I know that bunch in there is hurting. I’m hurting for them, more than I can tell you. They spilled their guts, and I didn’t help them enough.”
LB Zion Rutledge on the tough defeat: “That’s a good football team. You have to pick between two things and that’s to give up now or to keep going. I’m as humble in defeat as I am in victory. If we won, I am sure we wouldn’t stop, so we’re not stopping now. We have no choice but to watch it, see what we can do better, and keep going.”
Up Next
Chattanooga finishes Southern Conference action next weekend with a road trip to Furman for a matchup in Greenville, S.C. Kickoff is set for 1 p.m. (ET) inside Paladin Stadium. Fans can watch the game live on ESPN+, follow live stats at GoMocs.com, or listen on WFLI 96.1 FM/100.3 FM/1070 AM.
GoMocs.com is the official website of the Chattanooga Mocs. Buy officially licensed gear in our online store. The Mocs can also be followed on their official Facebook page or on Twitter. Find out how to join the Mocs Club and support more than 300 student-athletes by clicking here.
Source: gomocs.com
