Mocs rise to occasion, beat Samford 31-21

BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - For those who were ready to write off the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team after sub-par defensive performances in its first two games, coach Russ Huesman had a message after the Mocs' 31-21 victory Saturday afternoon at Seibert Stadium.

"Everybody thought we were dead," he said. "The United States of America thought Chattanooga football was dead. Well, you're wrong, America! You're wrong!"

The Mocs' opponent Saturday, Samford - which was ranked 26th in one FCS poll and 29th in another - had become a trendy pick to upend the 10th-ranked two-time defending Southern Conference champions. The Bulldogs entered the game averaging 51.5 points and 644 yards per game, while the UTC defense had been much-maligned after a poor performance against NCAA Division II member Mars Hill.

But that upset never came to fruition.

Senior quarterback Jacob Huesman tallied 331 yards of total offense, while the defense turned in a standout performance in the conference opener.

UTC quarterback Jacob Huesman scores a touchdown to go with his two TD passes in Saturday's 31-21 win at Samford.

The Mocs (2-1, 1-0) step out of league play again this week as they travel to Presbyterian College of the Big South Conference.

The younger Huesman had 181 yards passing and 150 rushing in the game, with three total touchdowns as the Mocs racked up 452 yards of offense on 76 plays.

"This was a big-time win for us," Jacob said. "Samford is going to be at the top of our conference; they are year in, year out, and we had a lot of doubters last week when we only beat Mars Hill by 10. We really needed to come out and prove something to the SoCon, and even our fans a little bit."

The Bulldogs (2-1, 0-1) finished with 313 yards of total offense, but the Mocs had six sacks and didn't allow the home team to reach the red zone for the entirety of the game. Quarterback Michael Eubank threw for 255 yards, including 63 to Emmanuel Obajimi for the first score of the game, but was never able to get comfortable in the pocket due to UTC's pass rush.

"After the first two games, we had to come out and make a statement," said linebacker Nakevion Leslie, who had 11 tackles. "We had a great week of practice and knew we'd be in for a competition, but we knew we had to play how we have to play. The guys up front were amazing and made life so much easier for us. Our DBs were out there making plays.

"We needed the win badly."

Samford took a 7-0 lead on its first possession on the long pass play to Obajimi. UTC answered two possessions later when Huesman hooked up with Xavier Borishade for a 28-yard score, but Samford's Karel Hamilton returned the ensuing kickoff 100 yards for a score.

In the second quarter, Samford had negative-2 yards of offense. The Mocs scored 24 consecutive points beginning in the second quarter, with QB Huesman scoring on an 11-yard run and throwing a 43-yard touchdown pass to C.J. Board.

Backup quarterback Alejandro Bennifield added an 18-yard run on an option play on the first play of the fourth quarter, which gave UTC a 31-14 lead.

UTC quarterback Jacob Huesman ran for 150 yards in addition to his passing success in the Mocs' victorious Southern Conference opener.

The Bulldogs closed the gap on a 37-yard run by Kelvin McKnight, but the Mocs had a pair of defensive stands on Samford's final two possessions, forcing an interception when Toyvian Brand got a hand on a Eubank pass that was intercepted by fellow defensive lineman Vantrel McMillan.

Leslie and fellow linebacker A.J. Hampton finished with 11 and 10 tackles, respectively. Keionta Davis had two sacks, and Isaiah Mack had 1.5. Josh Freeman and McMillan each had a sack, while Brand was credited with a half-sack.

Board had career highs in catches (six) and yards (92).

"We needed this win big time," Coach Huesman said. "Our guys can respond, I'm telling you. They can come back, respond and play well. We have a lot of confidence. We're still the SoCon champs until somebody knocks us off.

"(Offensive coordinator) Jeff Durden said this week, 'We're the two-time defending SoCon champs. We need to act like it.' I'm proud of how we performed. For the first time, tomorrow I can wake up and feel good."

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.

Jacob Huesman breaks through a hole to gain yardage against Samford.