The level of shock around the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football program was palpable late Saturday afternoon at Finley Stadium.
The Mocs' hopes for their first Southern Conference championship since 2015 had just been shattered in the closing moments of their league finale and last guaranteed home game of the season, with Furman scoring a touchdown with 1:44 to play for a 17-14 victory.
The Paladins (8-1, 6-0), ranked No. 2 in both Football Championship Subdivision polls, clinched a share of the SoCon title and the league’s automatic bid to the FCS playoffs, which begin Nov. 25.
The home team's locker room, unsurprisingly, was emotional. A UTC assistant coach walked out at one point, appearing to be in tears.
It was a game the Mocs had within their grasp, eerily reminiscent of their 32-29 loss to Western Carolina in the season finale last year — with the defense on the field needing a key stop.
Like last year, the Mocs weren’t able to get it, and now they'll be at the mercy of the FCS playoff committee as to whether this team has done enough to be included in the 24-team field. The Mocs (7-3, 6-2) were tied for 13th in the coaches poll and ranked 14th by media this past week, and without the auto bid, they remain on the playoff bubble.
The worst part? They have two weeks to dwell on it.
The loss to Furman wrapped up the FCS regular-season schedule for the Mocs, who have played every Saturday since the start of September but finally get their open date next weekend before traveling to face Football Bowl Subdivision power Alabama on Nov. 18.
The FCS postseason field will be fully revealed a day later at 12:30 p.m. on ESPNU. The Mocs haven't made the playoffs since reaching the second round in 2016.
This year, there have been so many what-ifs, from a season-opening setback at North Alabama that happened in stunning fashion to a shootout loss to Western Carolina in early October that came down to the Catamounts making a last-second field goal. UTC added to the list Saturday as it outgained Furman by 113 yards and held the ball for five more minutes than the Paladins but struggled in some key moments in the second half.
For instance, the Mocs led 7-3 with the ball at the Furman 25-yard line late in the third quarter. They chose a trick play, and the pass was intercepted by Travis Blackshear and returned nearly to midfield. The Paladins, who weren’t moving the ball at all to that point, produced 129 yards and 14 points from then until the final horn.
Prior to the interception that changed the momentum, Furman had 115 yards of total offense on 44 plays.
“I feel like we definitely had opportunities, we just didn’t capitalize on that,” said UTC quarterback Chase Artopoeus, who passed for 289 yards and two touchdowns. “In that regard, I see today as a failure in that aspect. But I think there’s a lot to improve on.”
The Paladins scored to go up 10-7, but then some luck hit the Mocs when Artopoeus was hit while passing. The fluttering ball was caught by Jamoi Mayes, who ran to the end zone for a 70-yard touchdown to put the home team back on top with less than nine minutes to play.
The momentum was in UTC’s favor again after the defense forced a punt, but the offense, pinned back deep in its own territory, punted the ball back three plays later, and the Paladins went 50 yards on nine plays for the go-ahead score inside of the final two minutes.
The Mocs still had time, but their last possession picked up one first down before ending around midfield, and the Paladins were able to take a couple of knees — allowing an opponent to celebrate clinching a SoCon title on UTC’s field for the second consecutive season (Samford did it last year).
“That’s a tough locker room in there,” UTC fifth-year head coach Rusty Wright said. “Everybody’s upset, I get it. But now we’ve still got a lot to play for. I believe in my heart that this group is going to play again (in the playoffs). I really do.”
Mayes (105 yards on five receptions) and Javin Whatley (102 on seven) each caught a touchdown pass for the Mocs, who lost sophomore receiver Sam Phillips to injury in the first half. Running back Gino Appleberry, among 20 UTC players honored on senior day at Finley Stadium, had 48 of the team's 68 yards on the ground.
For the UTC defense, Jay Person finished with a pair of sacks, while Kam Brown had an interception and Alex Mitchell made a team-high 10 tackles.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.