The most prestigious railroad tie in college football stays home. The Chattanooga Mocs football team claimed its fifth straight win in the Rail Rivalry series after defeating No. 23 ETSU 17-10 in dramatic fashion on a Southern Conference Saturday afternoon inside Greene Stadium in Johnson City.
Following the win, Chattanooga improves to 2-3 overall and evens its SoCon record to 1-1. ETSU drops to 3-3 overall and holds a similar 1-1 record inside league play. Head coach Rusty Wright now moves to 5-0 all-time against the in-state rivals.
Locked 10-10 in the waning moments, and after a day-long physical battle, it was Reggie Davis who punched it in from one-yard out with just 43 seconds left to give the guests a 17-10 advantage. The rush capped off an 11-play, 85-yard drive after ETSU tied things nearly five minutes before.
"What a fun game to play in, right? We talked about this morning and yesterday, just going out there and pouring into each other and just playing your heart out for each other and seeing what happens, you know not worrying about the outcome," said coach Wright after the win.
"And I thought our kids did a phenomenal job with that today. I thought our coaches did a phenomenal job calling a great football game today, both sides of the ball."
Much like any rivalry, the first quarter featured strong and physical play from both sides of the ball with ETSU accounting for the only takeaway of the frame. The Mocs and the Bucs each failed to convert on their scoring chances in the first, missing field goals of 52 and 46 yards, respectively, leading to a 0-0 total after the first 15 minutes.
After Sam Phillips set the offense up with a one-handed catch along the sidelines in ETSU territory, Jude Kelley opened the scoring with a 48-yard field goal, tying a career long, to put UTC up 3-0 with 12:05 before half. The two defenses went toe-to-toe throughout the second quarter as the Mocs ultimately kept its field-goal lead at the break.
Both teams traded empty offensive possessions to begin the second half before the host Bucs put together a 10-play, 80-yard scoring drive, ultimately tying the game 3-3 on a 24-yard field goal at the 7:00 mark of the third. Phillips dazzled again on the ensuing drive with a 38-yard touchdown catch off a perfectly placed ball from Chase Artopoeus, putting UTC ahead 10-3 with just over five minutes in the quarter.
In the midst of fourth quarter action and the Mocs holding on to its 10-3 edge, the Bucs found magic and tied the game 10-10 on a 25-yard touchdown pass at the front pylon with 6:33 remaining. UTC responded with its impressive game-winning sealed by Davis before Beni Mwamba sealed the deal with an interception near midfield right before time expired.
SCORING SUMMARY
2nd Quarter
UTC – FG – 12:05 – J. Kelley 48-yard field goal – 3-0 UTC
3rd Quarter
ETSU – FG – 7:00 – E. Johnson 24-yard field goal – 3-3 Tied
UTC – TD – 5:01 – S. Phillips 38-yard touchdown reception from C. Artopoeus (XP GOOD) – 10-3 UTC
4th Quarter
ETSU – TD – 6:33 – A. Johnson 25-yard touchdown reception thrown by G. English (XP GOOD) – 10-10 Tied
UTC – TD – 0:43 – R. Davis 1-yard touchdown rush (XP GOOD) – 17-10 UTC
RECORDS/SERIES – Chattanooga 2-3 (1-1) · No. 23 ETSU 3-3 (1-1) · UTC leads all-time series 26-19-1.
UP NEXT – at Furman – Saturday, Oct. 12 – 2 p.m. ET – Greenville, S.C. – ESPN+