It’s a Southern Conference football showdown this afternoon in Spartanburg, S.C. as the UTC Mocs visit No.13 Wofford with a 1:30 p.m. kickoff.
It has been a long time since the Mocs have been in the hunt for a Southern Conference football championship this late in the season, but that is exactly what is on the line today.
The Mocs are 5-4 overall, 4-2 in SoCon action, and working towards their first SoCon title since 1984. They are one of four teams in the league with two losses, including the Terriers who are 5-2 in SoCon action and 7-2 overall.
UTC needs two more wins to grab a share of the SoCon title, while Wofford can do the same with a win on Saturday.
This game has been a pivotal one in each of the last two meetings. Last season, UTC led 27-14 in the fourth quarter and looked like it had wrapped up its third straight winning season. However, Wofford scored twice late in the game, including the go-ahead touchdown with 37 seconds left, to give the Mocs their third 28-27 loss on the year.
In the 2010 season finale, UTC visited Gibbs Stadium needing a win to get into the FCS Playoffs or the first time since that championship season in 1984. UTC fell behind early and could not hang with the Terriers in a 45-14 loss.
Georgia Southern is done with its league slate and has wrapped up at least a share of the SoCon trophy. The Eagles and 6-2 in league games and 7-2 overall. Their last two contests are out of conference against Howard (Nov. 10) and at Georgia (Nov. 17).
The Mocs cannot win the league’s automatic bid to the NCAA Playoffs because the best they can do is tie Georgia Southern. The Eagles own the tiebreaker over UTC because of their 39-31 OT win against the Mocs on Oct. 27.