The Chattanooga Mocs football team made its statement for playoff consideration after defeating in-state foe Austin Peay 24-17 during the regular season finale on a chilly Saturday afternoon inside Fortera Stadium in Clarksville, Tennessee.
Chattanooga concludes the regular season 7-5 overall (7-3 vs. FCS) and will await a potential bid to the 2024 FCS Playoffs with Selection Sunday festivities commencing tomorrow (Sun., November 24) at 12:30 p.m. ET on ESPN/ESPN+. APSU finishes its season 4-8 overall as UTC has now claimed eight wins in nine all-time meetings.
"I told them to enjoy the day.
We only get so many opportunities to play college football," said head coach Rusty Wright after today's win.
"I thought our group was ready to play and we played a good game of football today … there's nothing we can do now. Just make it tough on the ones who make the decision. That's all we could have done today."
Chattanooga received the game's opening kick and put together a 10-play, 65-yard scoring drive, capped off with a 28-yard Jude Kelley field goal to give the guests an early 3-0 lead (1Q 10:23). After an exchange of possessions, Alex Mitchell's second interception in as many weeks set the UTC offense up around midfield with just over two minutes left in the opening quarter.
The drive stalled out at the APSU28 and saw Kelley connect on a 45-yard field goal, but a personal foul call on the Govs gave the Mocs offense an automatic first down and a second chance to find the endzone. Quarterback Chase Artopoeus entered the game for initial starter Luke Schomburg after the penalty and found Javin Whatley from nine yards out in the endzone to give UTC a 10-0 (1Q 0:42) lead before the second frame.
Austin Peay answered early in the second after an interception quickly led to a 30-yard scoring drive in just three plays, ending with a four-yard touchdown pass from Austin Smith to Jaden Bares to make it 10-7 (2Q 12:21). The Govs would tie the game 10-10 (2Q 6:02) after a three-and-out from its defense led to an 11-play, 52-yard drive resulted in a 35-yard Carson Smith field goal. The two teams entered the break still locked at 10-10.
Both teams were trading possessions in the third before UTC broke through with a 78-yard touchdown drive that was led by five Artopoeus completions (66 yards) before the QB ended the drive with a three-yard scamper to break the tie, 17-10 (3Q 4:01). Artopoeus found Chirs Domercant on a 28-yard diving catch inside the APSU10 to set up a seven-yard touchdown pass to John McIntyre two plays later, extending the UTC lead to 24-10 (4Q 10:27).
The Govs quickly responded with a 23-yard touchdown run from its QB, Smith, to make it a one possession game yet again, 24-17 (4Q 8:08). Chattanooga saw its defense buckle down the rest of the way and control the lead until the clock hit zeros, solidifying the squad's 24-17 victory in the regular season finale.
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TIME
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TEAM
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SCORING PLAY
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DRIVE
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SCORE
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1Q 10:23
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UTC
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J. Kelley 28-yard field goal
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10-65; 4:27
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3-0; UTC
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1Q 0:42
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UTC
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J. Whatley 9-yard TD rec. thrown by C. Artopoeus (XP)
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6-26; 1:29
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10-0; UTC
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2Q 12:21
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APSU
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J. Barnes 4-yard TD rec. thrown by A. Smith (XP)
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3-30; 1:24
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10-7; UTC
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2Q 6:02
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APSU
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C. Smith 35-yard field goal
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11-52; 4:40
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10-10
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3Q 4:04
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UTC
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C. Artopoeus 3-yard TD rush (XP)
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9-78; 4:24
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17-10; UTC
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4Q 10:27
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UTC
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J. McIntyre 7-yard TD rec. thrown by C. Artopoeus (XP)
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6-50; 2:57
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24-10; UTC
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4Q 8:08
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APSU
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A. Smith 23-yard TD rush (XP)
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5-50; 2:08
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24-17; UTC
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