Game #6 - Chattanooga Mocs

In the Catamount's sixth regular season game of 2023,  the  #11 Western Carolina Catamounts travel to Chattanooga to face the #24 Chattanooga Mocs in a showdown where both teams enter the game with a four-game winning streak, and are nationally ranked, in the FedEx FCS Game of the Week. 

Western faces the Mocs for the 49th time on the gridiron, since 1973. Last year, the Cats knocked the Mocs out of playoff contention with a 32-29 victory in Cullowhee, and this year the Cats get to ruin Homecoming for the Mocs.  See you in Chattanooga on Saturday. 

The winner goes to the head of The Southern Conference race. Chattanooga leads at 3-0 with Western Carolina in second at 2-0, while  #4 Furman is in third at 1-0 in conference games. The other six schools in contention have at least one loss.   

Game #6:  Chattanooga Mocs

When: Saturday, October 7, 2023

Time:  4:00 pm
Where:   Finley Stadium, Chattanooga, TN
Radio: Catamount Sports Network
   -announcers: Gary Ayers, PxP; Daniel Hooker, Color

TV/video:  ESPN+

   -announcers: - Chris Goforth (PxP), Scott McMahon (Analysis) & Dave Keylon (Sideline)

Live Stats:  UTC Live Stats

Fan Message Board:  Moc Nation

Game Notes:  Western Carolina    -     Chattanooga

The Series: In the 49th meeting between the two teams, the Cats own an 18-30 record against the Mocs. The Cats broke a 3-game-losing streak to the Mocs last season, and travel to Chattanooga where the Cats on a 7-16 record in games played in Chattanooga. 

Last Game vs. Chattanooga: (10-19-22) Catamounts Upset #15 Chattanooga, 32-29, on Senior Day  Cullowhee, N.C. – Senior tailback TJ Jones capped a five-minute, game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter with a one-yard plunge as Western Carolina capped its 2022 season with an upset victory over No. 15 Chattanooga 32-29 in Southern Conference action on Saturday afternoon at Bob Waters Field / E.J. Whitmire Stadium.

Last Season's Record (2022):  7-4 overall, 4-1 home, 3-3 away, 5-3 SoCon  

This Season's Record (2023): 4-1 overall, 2-0 home, 2-1 away, 3-0 SoCon

Head Coach:  Rusty Wright - Rusty Wright is in his fifth year as head coach of the Mocs football program. He was officially introduced on Friday, Dec. 21, 2018. A 23-year veteran of the collegiate coaching ranks, Wright is a 1996 graduate of UTC with a degree in Sports Administration. He was a four-year letter winner for the Mocs football team and had two stints as an assistant coach at UTC

Wright's Record at UTC: 26-18 (5th year) 

Rusty Wright vs. WCU:  2 - 1

Kerwin Bell vs. UTC:  1 - 1

Offense: Multiple 

Returning/Lost: 8/3 

2-Deep Returning/Lost: 15/7 

Defense: Multiple 

Starters Returning/Lost: 7/4 

2-Deep Returning/Lost: 14/8 

Specialists (K/LS) 

Starters Returning/Lost: 1/2 

Redshirts/Newcomers: 18/41

(23 Freshmen/18 Transfers)

For the Mocs it's Homecoming and UTC is 61-29-4 on Homecoming in Homecoming games, nice record, too bad the Cats are going to up that loss column. 

In preseason SoCon voting, the Mocs were picked to finish fourth in the standings by both the coaches and media polls, they also received votes in the Athlon Sports’ preseason national rankings, put eight players on the preseason All-SoCon teams along with sporting the SoCon's Defensive Player of the Year, senior, defensive lineman Jay Person. 

Offense. On offense, the Mocs will have a new look, as their starting quarterback and the top three leading rushers from 2022 are not be on this season's team.  Graduate transfer Chase Artopoeus, who comes over from UCLA,  took over the starting quarterback position.  In the backfield, it'll be Ailym Ford, who gained 1,190 yards and 12 TDs on 230 carries in 2022. In the receiving corps, the Mocs return Sam Phillips and Jamoi Mays, who were on the receiving end of most of the receptions for Chattanooga in 2022.  We expect head coach Rusty Wright to play to the Mocs' strength in the passing game. 

Defense. The Mocs returned a lot of talent on the defensive side of the football, as seven of last season's starters returned. Cornerback Kam Brown and edge-rusher Jay Person have been tabbed as 2023 FCS preseason All-Americans.  Pearson, a senior, had 52 tackles and sacks (8).  Bown, a senior had 11 passes defended, finishing top five nationally with six interceptions. While the Mocs lose their leading tacklers in linebackers Ty Boeck and Kam Jones, they return Bo Spearman and sophomore standout Alex Mitchell.

Western Carolina leads the SoCon in offensive points scored with an average of 39.2 points per game (ppg), while the Mocs come in second place averaging 34.4 ppg. On the defensive side of the ball, it's reversed with the Mocs sitting in first place in defensive scoring, holding teams to 20.2 ppg, and the Cats come in second, holding teams to 24.4 ppg. Western leads the conference in total yardage per game, averaging 528 yards per game (ypg) while the Mocs come in 3rd place, putting up 423.6 ypg.  

Quarterback Chase Artopoeus, the junior first-year starter and offseason transfer from UCLA, ranks second in the SoCon in passing stats, with  93 completions on 146 attempts for 1307 years in 5 games, averaging 261.4 ypg.  Artopoeus is 7th nationally in passing yards (1,307), and 16th nationally in passing TDs (9) & 19th in passing efficiency (153.8).

RB Ailym Ford was a finalist for the Walter Payton Award in 2022 and is on the watch list as a favorite in 2023. He is the only Mocs rusher to post three 1,000-yard seasons. He is coming off a career-best 1,199 leading the SoCon in yards per game (119.9).  His career average is 102.7 yards per contest.

2023 Mocs Statistics (5 games):

Rushing Offense: 806 yards 

Yards per game: 150.8
Yards per rush: 4.1 yards
Rushing 1st downs: 41
TDs rushing: 8
Passing Offense: 1364 yards or 272.8 yards per game
Avg. per pass: 9.3 yards
Passing 1st downs: 60
Passing Comp-Att-Int: 94-147-4          
TDs Passing: 10
Total Offense: 2118 yards or 423.6 yards per game
Fumbles-Lost: 7-2
3d Down Conversions: 23 of 57 (40%)
4th Down Conversions: 2 of 3 (67%)
Field goal attempts: 11 - 14
On-side kicks: 0-1
Red Zone Scores: 22 of 23  (96%)
Red Zone Touchdowns: 13 of 23 (57%)
PAT:  19 of 20 (95%)