UTC (3-4, 1-3) at Elon (4-3, 2-2)
3 p.m. • Rhodes Stadium • WTCI & WNGH/105.1 FM
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga will try to get back to the .500 mark this afternoon at Elon, which has won five straight against the Mocs. UTC's defense will be going up against one of the best receivers in the country, but Elon's offense has also given the ball away 25 times this season.
WHEN UTC HAS THE BALL
UTC OFFENSIVE STARTERS
QB Terrell Robinson (17) 6-3, 195, Fr.
TB J.J. Jackson (26) 5-9, 200, Jr.
FB Taharin Tyson (2) 5-11, 225, Fr.
WR Joel Bradford (4) 6-0, 165, Sr.
WR Marlon Anthony (3) 6-5, 205, So.
TE Faysal Shafaat (88) 6-5, 240, Fr.
LT Brandon Morgan (73) 6-2, 280, Fr.
LG Austin Wilson (54) 6-3, 265, Jr.
C Patrick Sutton (72) 6-1, 255, Fr.
RG Taylor Dodds (66) 6-6, 265, Fr.
RT Adam Miller (53) 6-4, 275, Jr.
PK Nick Pollard (30) 6-0, 180, Fr.
ELON DEFENSIVE STARTERS
DE Jay Brown (99) 6-4, 237, So.
DT Olufemi Lamikanra (90) 6-1, 230, Jr.
NT Tony Thompson (45) 6-2, 270, So.
DE Jordan Jones (59) 6-2, 246, So.
SLB Jonathan Spain (52) 6-2, 223, Fr.
MLB Joshua Jones (50) 6-1, 222, Sr.
WLB Zach Henderson (8) 6-0, 221, Sr.
CB Ed Burns (29) 5-10, 178, So.
SS Chandler Wrightenberry (41) 5-11, 201, So.
FS Blake Thompson (6) 6-1, 207, Jr.
CB Jonathan Conner (37) 6-2, 205, Sr.
P Kenton Beal (84) 5-11, 187, So.
• The matchup: The Mocs have averaged 251.5 rushing yards per game with Terrell Robinson running the offense the past two weeks. Elon is giving up 191.7 yards per game on the ground and UTC will need to continue to run well because throwing against the Phoenix hasn't been easy this season. Opponents are completing just 45.2 percent of their passes against Elon, by far the lowest percentage in the SoCon.
WHEN ELON HAS THE BALL
ELON OFFENSIVE STARTERS
QB Thomas Wilson (12) 6-4, 216, Jr.
RB A.J. Harris (33) 6-0, 214, Sr.
WR Aaron Mellette (3) 6-4, 212, Jr.
WR Christian Dennis (80) 6-1, 201, Sr.
WR Jeremy Peterson (18) 5-9, 179, Jr.
TE Andre Labinowicz (88) 6-4, 259, Sr.
LT Ned Cuthbertson (77) 6-4, 287, Sr.
LG Kyle Herbert (62) 6-2, 292, Jr.
C Logan Hardin (57) 6-4, 288, Sr.
RG Clay Johnson (70) 6-4, 278, So.
RT Gavin Billings (78) 6-5, 267, So.
PK Adam Shreiner (32) 5-9, 194, Jr.
UTC DEFENSIVE STARTERS
DE Davis Tull (90) 6-3, 235, Fr.
DT Toyvian Brand (44) 6-2, 256, Fr.
DT Josh Freeman (55) 6-0, 270, Fr.
DE Josh Williams (95) 6-2, 235, Jr.
SLB Ryan Consiglio (45) 6-1, 220, Sr.
MLB Wes Dothard (25) 6-1, 235, So.
WLB Gunner Miller (11) 6-1, 225, So.
CB Kadeem Wise (5) 5-10, 180, So.
FS D.J. Key (20) 6-0, 195, So.
SS Jordan Tippit (22) 6-0, 205, Sr.
CB Chris Lewis-Harris (6) 5-11, 175, Sr.
P Joel Bradford (4) 6-0, 165, Sr.
• The matchup: UTC's secondary more than held its own last week against Western Carolina, but Elon's passing attack is much more creative and effective. Led by Aaron Mellette, Elon has a solid group of receivers and a quarterback in Thomas Wilson with a strong arm. Wilson has thrown 15 interceptions - nobody else in the league has thrown more than nine - and Elon as a total of 25 turnovers, so the defense will likely have opportunities for takeaways.
THE ONE TO WATCH
Aaron Mellette: The Elon junior wide receiver has 74 receptions this season, 30 more than anyone else in the SoCon. The Phoenix offense will go as far as he can take it. Mellette has caught a touchdown pass in every game and his coach, Jason Swepson, said Elon needs him to score two or three a game. He has three games with 11 or more catches this season, including 16 for 237 yards at North Carolina Central.
IN THE END
• Breakdown: The Mocs haven't had much success stopping Elon's offense in the past few years, but this is the best UTC defense in a long time. And it is going against an Elon attack that isn't up to the level of previous seasons. As long as UTC's offense has some success, and takes care of the ball, the Mocs should be able to stop their five-game losing streak to the Phoenix.
• Prediction: UTC 34, Elon 24
For complete coverage of the game, see Sunday's Times Free Press. You can also follow beat writer John Frierson on Twitter during the game at twitter.com/mocsbeatCTFP.