LEXINGTON, Va. – Henrique Ribeiro had four field goals, and Sema’je Kendall put the game away with a “Pick 6” as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team scored 23 unanswered points, but had to hold on to defeat Virginia Military Institute 33-27 on Parents’ Day at Foster Stadium.
Derrick Craine had 112 yards rushing, while quarterback Jacob Huesman had 219 yards passing and 97 rushing as the Mocs improved to 5-1 overall and 3-0 in the Southern Conference. They are back on the road next week as travel to Wofford.
VMI (1-6, 0-3) led 21-10 after 14 consecutive points, with a 69-yard touchdown pass from Al Cobb to Dontae Mauck and a Cobb 6-yard run after a Huesman interception. The Mocs answered with an 18-yard run by Huesman and a field goal by Ribeiro to cut the lead to 21-20 at the half.
Ribeiro had a field goal in each the third and fourth quarters to give the Mocs a five-point edge, then Kendall stepped in front of a Cobb pass for a 33-21 advantage.
The Keydets drove downfield, with an 11-play, 77-yard drive that only took 2:44 and cut the lead to 33-27, but they wouldn’t touch the ball again as the Mocs made some big plays on their final drive. Xavier Borishade gained 17 yards on a 3rd-and-18 play that put the team in a manageable fourth-down situation, which they converted, and Huesman found Alphonso Stewart for 17 yards on a 4th-and-6 play which sealed the win.
The defense finished with five sacks, 1.5 each by linebacker Nakevion Leslie and defensive end Keionta Davis. Leslie had seven tackles, while linebacker A.J. Hampton had eight.
Redshirt freshman Wil Young led the team with six catches for 82 yards.
For full story, read Sunday’s Times Free Press.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.