Year two of the Rusty Wright era officially gets underway this weekend when the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team travels to Western Kentucky on Saturday, Oct. 24. Kickoff in Houchens-Smith Stadium in Bowling Green, Ky., is set for 4:00 p.m. (E.D.T.).
This game was originally scheduled for Saturday, Sept. 5. It was moved to Thursday, Sept. 3, in June and eventually delayed until its current Oct. 24 date due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UTC is taking the field for the first time in 336 days, its longest layoff from action since missing the 1943 and 1944 seasons due to World War II. This is the lone game of the fall for the Mocs due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
UTC will compete for the Southern Conference Championship with an eight-game schedule in the spring of 2021. The 16-team FCS Playoffs are set to begin on April 24, 2020, with the championship game on May 15 in Frisco, Texas.
The Hilltoppers are under the direction of second-year head coach Tyson Helton. WKU is 1-4 overall and 1-2 in Conference USA action. They dropped a 34-17 road game against UAB last weekend. Their lone win of the fall was a 20-17 victory at MTSU on Oct. 3
Due to limited seating because of the COVID-19 pandemic, tickets are sold out for the game. Total attendance for the game is capped at 5,000 fans, including the allotment for families of the UTC student-athletes and coaches.
The Mocs Sports Network broadcasts the game on the radio on WFLI 1070 AM / 97.7 FM in Chattanooga. Jim Reynolds has the play-by-play for his 41st season, with Todd Agne giving the color commentary and Will Poindexter on the sideline. A link for a free audio broadcast is available on the football schedule page on GoMocs.com.
WKU produces this contest for ESPN3. Graham Doty (pxp) and Brandon Doughty (analyst) have the call.