Injured University of Tennessee at Chattanooga running back Bryan Fitzgerald helped carry primary tailback Erroll Wynn into the locker room during the second quarter.

Wynn emerged in the third quarter with a cast on his right ankle. He broke his right fibula after gaining 32 yards on seven carries against Samford.

“I went past one defender, but somebody grabbed my foot and fell on it,” said Wynn, who left Finley Stadium on crutches. “I was frustrated, mad, and this is not how I wanted my season to end.

“I called my mom and she said, ‘That’s football, baby. You’ll come back strong.’”

Shaun Kermah received a bulk of the carries after the injury. He also finished with 32 yards — on eight carries. Fitzgerald did not play a down this season after knee surgery in the summer.

After averaging five carries per game, Kermah said getting a workload in the second half made his decision to come from the Los Angeles area worth it, despite the Mocs’ disappointing season.

“It felt like high school again — just have fun out there,” said Kermah, who transferred from Glendale Community College. “I’m glad my season ended this way.”

Maytag commercial

Maytag or another washer and dryer manufacturer would have been an appropriate sponsor for Saturday’s game with all the laundry on the field.

UTC and Samford combined for 21 penalties with a season-high 13 enforced against the Mocs. UTC drew eight penalties for 70 yards against Elon earlier this year.

“I’ve never seen that many flags in one game,” said UTC fullback Brent Hayes, who gained 2 yards on the last play of the game. “This is both our last game, so people’s attitudes were flaring. They were throwing flags left and right.”

UTC drew penalties for illegal procedure, pass interference, holding, personal fouls and unsportsmanlike conduct. Samford earned eight of its 25 first downs on UTC penalties.

“I don’t know if it was officiating,” coach Rodney Allison said. “I don’t know how many penalties they had. I don’t know how many we had. I know it was a lot.”

The Mocs had the third fewest penalties among SoCon teams before Saturday.

Successful season

Samford, which joined the Southern Conference this past summer, completed its first winning season since 2003, when it went 7-3. The Bulldogs finished 6-5 overall and 4-4 in their inaugural run through the SoCon.

Tidbits

UTC athletic trainers examined umpire Dana Hinnant after he was hurt on a punt return in the first quarter. ... Samford running back Chris Evans set a single-season school rushing record with 1,284 yards. ... Samford missed two extra points but converted a two-point play.