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You could still see seven states from Rock City, but the most distinct and proudest view in Chattanooga on Saturday was seeing one Southern Conference champion at Finley Stadium.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga rallied from an early deficit and held off stubborn Wofford 31-13 to end a 30-year playoff drought, earning only the second postseason spot in program history. The win, combined with Samford's upset of Western Carolina, also gave the nationally 11th-ranked Mocs their first outright Southern Conference title since 1984.
UTC players pose for a photo after the Mocs' 31-13 win over the Wofford Terriers on Saturday at Finley Stadium. The win nets the Mocs the SoCon championship and a spot in the playoffs."Tremendous team effort and win -- to get where we are, to look at those guys, the happiness and the joy on their faces," said Mocs coach Russ Huesman, whose voice then began to crack with emotion.
After pausing to brush away tears that began welling in his eyes, Huesman continued, "First time in the playoffs in a long time. Unbelievable.
"It was a ballgame in the first half. But our guys came out for those last 30 minutes and played so hard. They did everything we asked. It's been a long journey. So many times since we've been here the last six years we haven't got it done. Today we got it done."
Like so many steps in the program's rebuilding process under Huesman, the win didn't come easily. On the third play of the game's opening possession, Wofford's Ray Smith took an end-around pitch and raced 72 yards for a touchdown.
Despite the ensuing extra-point kick being blocked, that play sucked much of the excitement from the 9,692 fans in the stadium. But it didn't seem to affect the UTC sideline. After a 46-yard kickoff return by Marquis Green, in very workmanlike fashion, the Mocs offense drove 54 yards in eight plays, with Keon Williams scoring on a 7-yard run.
"That was huge because it canceled the big play they had," said UTC linebacker Muhasibi Wakeel, who led everyone with 13 tackles, including 10 solos. "We made adjustments to fix it and we started to get stops. But for the offense to come back and do that right away was huge. That was a big boost of energy for us."
The Mocs (7-3, 6-0), who have beaten eight straight league foes at home, added a 14-play, 66-yard scoring drive, highlighted by a one-handed 13-yard catch by Faysal Shafaat and capped by the senior tight end's 5-yard TD reception in the back of the end zone.
UTC quarterback Jacob Huesman fights through a tackle by Wofford safety Zack Cole.Wofford fought back with a 42-yard scoring run by Lorenzo Long in the second quarter and trailed 14-13 at halftime.
But UTC's defense stepped up in the second half, forcing two punts to begin the third quarter before holding Wofford on downs twice and intercepting a late fourth-quarter pass. The Terriers, who led the conference and ranked fourth nationally in rushing offense, managed just 127 total yards in the second half, and their 13 points were a season low.
"Hats off to Russ and his team," said Wofford coach Mike Ayers, whose team had won four straight games after an off week. "They did an awesome job. They've changed the attitude around here. Last year they should have made the playoffs. This year they wanted to make sure nobody could keep them out."
UTC's offense was effective enough to extend the lead with a pair of long scoring drives in the third quarter. A six-play, 66-yard drive, capped by Williams' 11-yard TD run, was followed by an 11-play, 76-yard drive that, again, ended with Williams finding the end zone -- this time from 7 yards out.
"Just to be a part of this team is wonderful," said Williams, who finished with a career-high 27 carries for 91 yards and three TDs against the league's second-best rushing defense. "Words can't even describe how this feels. We worked our tail off, and I'm happy for everybody on the team. I wanted to run hard and help us any way I could today."
The win gave UTC a 6-0 league record for the first time in school history and assures the team of its fifth winning season in Coach Huesman's six years. It's also the Mocs' second straight SoCon title, but this time they won't have to share it with anyone.
"To do all this on senior day, and to know this time we're definitely going to the playoffs and we don't have to share the title with any other teams, this means everything to us," said Shafaat, who finished with a career-high eight catches for 68 yards as one of 13 seniors to play a key role in the win and the overall turnaround. "Now we have to go out and earn a high seed and hopefully get to play at home again in front of our fans.
"As seniors, we came in when the program was down, but we stuck with it and helped turn things around here. We got it done."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.