Football Falls in Season Opener at Tennessee Saturday Afternoon

NOTES | QUOTES | PHOTOS

KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (August 31, 2024) — The Chattanooga Mocs soccer crew kicked off the 2024 season with a tricky 69-3 defeat at in-state foe Tennessee throughout a blistering Saturday afternoon in entrance of a bought out Neyland Stadium crowd of 101,915 in Knoxville, Tenn.
 
Chattanooga, who entered No. 8 within the preliminary AFCA FCS Coaches Ballot, opens the marketing campaign 0-1. Tennessee, the No. 15 crew within the preliminary USA In the present day Coaches Ballot, begins 1-0.
 
“Props to Coach [Josh] Heupel. They’ve soccer crew and do issues like they’re alleged to. They play properly on each side of the ball, play at a excessive tempo and excessive price, and so they do job of executing,” stated head coach Rusty Wright throughout postgame availability.
 
“We did too many issues early, that you would be able to’t do, towards soccer crew not to mention a crew like that. Hopefully we’ll study from it and get higher from it. That is it.”

HOW IT HAPPENED
Tennessee took an early 7-0 lead after an 11-play, 65-yard landing drive following the sport’s opening kick. After the Mocs offense moved the ball to midfield, the Vols capitalized on a misplaced fumble with a fast landing drive to make it 14-0 with 8:34 left within the first.
 
The hosts ended the primary body with a 24-0 lead following a 36-yard landing strike and a 36-yard discipline aim. The benefit grew to 31-0 with 14:03 within the second earlier than the Vols in the end entered the halftime break with a 45-0 lead.
 
Tennessee’s high-powered system was on full show within the opening half, averaging 9.9 yards-per-play on totals of 503 yards and 51 performs. UTC posted a 15:21-14:39 edge in time of possession however was restricted to only 83 yards on 29 performs (2.9 yards per play).
 
Chattanooga obtained the second half kick and broke the shutout with a nine-play, 50-yard scoring drive, capped off by a 43-yard Jude Kelley discipline aim to make it 45-3 on the 10:10 mark of the third. The Vols would rating 24 unanswered factors from that time to run away with a 69-3 victory.
 
Kobe Joseph supplied the largest spotlight of the day for the Mocs protection after intercepting a Gaston Moore move on the UTC 19 and returning it 71 yards right down to the Tennessee 10. The offensive output in the end resulted in a missed 25-yard discipline aim regardless of the stellar discipline place.

SCORING SUMMARY
1Q 11:09 – TENN – TD – D. Sampson 1-yd rush (7-0 TENN)
1Q 8:34 – TENN – TD – E. Davis 4-yd reception from N. Iamaleava (14-0 TENN)
1Q 7:18 – TENN – TD – D. Thornton, Jr. 36-yd reception from N. Iamaleava (21-0 TENN)
1Q 3:32 – TENN – FG – M. Gilbert 36-yd discipline aim (24-0 TENN)
 
2Q 14:03 – TENN – TD – D. Sampson 3-yd rush (31-0 TENN)
2Q 10:14 – TENN – TD – D. Thornton, Jr. 10-yd reception from N. Iamaleava (38-0 TENN)
2Q 6:43 – TENN – TD – D. Sampson 5-yd rush (TENN 45-0)

3Q 10:10 – CHATT – FG – J. Kelley 43-yd discipline aim (TENN 45-3)
3Q 7:15 – TENN – FG – M. Gilbert 42-yd discipline aim (TENN 48-3)
3Q 1:13 – TENN – TD – D. Bishop 22-yd rush (TENN 55-3)
 
4Q 4:06 – TENN – TD – Ok. Keith 1-yd rush (TENN 62-3)
4Q 1:07 – TENN – TD – J. Ross 13-yd punt return, blocked (TENN 69-3)

RECORDS – Chattanooga 0-1 ∙ Tennessee 1-0
 
SERIES – Tennessee now leads the all-time collection 38-2-2.

NEXT UP – at Georgia State – Saturday, Sept. 7 – 7 p.m. ET – Atlanta, Ga. – ESPN+

3 NOTES TO KNOW | MORE
1 – Offensive line allowed only one sack as we speak…breaks a string of three straight video games and not using a sack – at Alabama, at Austin Peay & at Furman…only one sack and 11 complete TFLs allowed over that stretch…allowed one or fewer sacks 36 occasions over that span.
 
2 – Protection recorded two sacks and 4 TFLs…1.0 for Joseph Bakhole and 0.5 shared by Jaden Gaines and Ky Tayo…23 sacks over the past eight contests (2.9 per sport)…a number of sacks recorded in 35 of Wright’s 53 video games.
 
3 – Kobe Joseph made his third profession interception…profession lengthy 71-yard return to the UT 10…longest return since Kam Brown’s 78-yard decide 6 at Samford final Sept…has 131 profession return yards on his three Chattanooga picks which is 22 yards exterior the highest 5 in program historical past behind D.J. Key’s (2010-13) 153.

QUOTABLE | MORE
“I actually imagine we now have a chance to develop into soccer crew, I like how these youngsters work, I cherished how they dealt with themselves within the locker room after this one, I nonetheless assume we will have soccer crew, and we may have soccer crew. It would not matter if we’re enjoying Tennessee or whoever else, you’ll be able to’t do the issues we did as we speak and go win.” – Coach Rusty Wright
 
“It was nice to again first off. You’re taking some issues as a right whenever you play for thus lengthy and it will get taken from you. It was enjoyable to be on the market as soon as once more. So far as issues to work on, I feel there’s quite a bit, however largely timing. It was a bit tough, and that was a testomony to the opposite crew too. We had been in a position to transfer the ball a bit within the second half and obtained extra comfy as the sport went on, together with a number of the opposite guys.” – QB Chase Artopoeus on return from final yr’s harm.

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