Featuring a dominate performance in all three phases, the No. 23-ranked Chattanooga Mocs football team notched its third-straight victory after posting a 41-10 rout over Southern Conference foe Furman on a beautiful Saturday afternoon inside Paladin Stadium in Greenville, S.C.
Following the win, Chattanooga evens its overall record to 3-3 and improves to 2-1 inside SoCon action. Furman drops to 2-4 overall this season while moving to 1-1 against league opponents.
Chattanooga scored 24 of its 41 points off Furman miscues after turning the Paladins over five times including four via interception and one loose ball recovery. After a Furman field goal cut into UTC's lead 7-3 with 4:07 in the first, the Mocs would go on to score 34 unanswered points to breakaway with its commanding decision.
"They're a young football team, they lost a lot, but I knew we had a good week of practice coming in. I knew we'd come over here and play well, but this was a good day," said head coach Rusty Wright after the game.
"We did the things we were supposed to do against a football team where you have to do those things well. Good things will happen if you do all the things you're supposed to do."
Chattanooga established a strong defensive presence in the early stages with Josh Battle and D'Arco Perkins-McAllister each coming away with interceptions on the Paladins opening two drives. UTC turned the latter takeaway into points after Chase Artopoeus capped off a nine-play, 55-yard touchdown drive with a one-yard scamper to put the guests up 7-0 (7:55) in the first.
Furman found its first points of the afternoon off the foot of Ian Williams, who capped off a nine-play drive with a 37-yard field goal to make it 7-3 with 4:07 left in the opening quarter. After forcing a Paladins punt, the Mocs offense began the second quarter with a lengthy 10-play drive that resulted in a Jude Kelley 42-yard field goal to extends its lead 10-3 (11:03).
The secondary struck again as Jeremiah Batiste recorded the defensive unit's third interception of the half to set the UTC offense in Furman territory at the 45-yard line. Kelley eventually capped off the drive with a 24-yard field goal to allow the edge to grow, 13-3, with 4:26 left before the break.
Defensive dominance continued on the ensuing Furman drive as Quay Wiggles and Joseph Bakhole teamed up to respectively force and recover a fumble at the Paladins 35-yard line. The Mocs needed just three plays to find the endzone as Justus Durant hit a wide-open hole from 14 yards out to allow for a 20-3 halftime lead.
On the second half's first play, Artopoeus found Javin Whatley wide open over the middle for a 47-yard pass and catch before Reggie Davis ended the drive with a two-yard plunge to make it 27-3 (11:37). The rout continued after Artopoeus and Whatley connected again, this time for 71-yards and a score, before a wild 47-yard, pick-six from Marquise Freeman gave UTC a sizable 41-3 margin through three quarters.
Furman ended Chattanooga's run of 34 unanswered points with a long 14-play, 95-yard touchdown drive that made it 41-10 with 8:59 remaining in the contest. Both teams would go scoreless down the stretch as UTC put the final touches on its dominant performance.