Staff photo by Troy Stolt / UTC quarterback Drayton Arnold fights off a tackle on his way to a first down during Saturday’s game against Wofford at Finley Stadium. Arnold was 15-of-25 passing for 223 yards with a touchown and no interceptions in the Mocs’ 24-13 victory.When the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga played its lone football game of 2020 at Western Kentucky in October, quarterback Drayton Arnold looked like he hadn’t started a game in five years of college – three at Old Dominion and two at UTC.
That was true. He hadn’t.
And with four months lapsing from his first start to his second, wondering whether he would be the answer for the Mocs behind center wasn’t unfair. Arnold used that time to work on facets of his game in an effort to get better, but it appears what he needed all along was just some reps of live action.
In leading the Mocs to a 24-13 victory over 11th-ranked Wofford on Saturday at Finley Stadium, Arnold set career highs in completions (15) and passing yards (223) while throwing his first collegiate touchdown, a short pass to tight end Jay Gibson that tied the game at 7 in the first quarter.
Arnold appeared in control throughout his team’s Southern Conference opener, making all the right reads as well as the right throws as the Mocs struggled some in what was expected to be their offense’s bread and butter: the running game. UTC technically finished with 78 rushing yards on 39 carries, although one of those was a 23-yard loss credited to punter Gabe Boring after a bad snap late in the game.