Remember early in the season when the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga was regarded as the best 0-2 team in the NCAA’s Football Championship Subdivision after losing squeakers to Appalachian State and Jacksonville State?
Coming in to Finley Stadium today is an Elon squad that surely is the best 2-5 team in the land. The Phoenix, 1-3 in Southern Conference play, opened with a loss at Duke and have since lost to four ranked FCS teams.
“We’re getting ready to play a really, really good football team,” said UTC coach Russ Huesman, whose Mocs (5-2, 4-1) are ranked No. 20 and riding a five-game win streak.
In Week 3, the Phoenix lost in overtime to then-No. 9 Richmond. Two weeks ago, Elon put up 503 yards of offense in a 34-31 loss at top-ranked Appalachian State.
Last week’s loss might have been the harshest of them all. In its homecoming game, Elon got behind 21-0 to No. 9 Wofford before rallying to tie the game in the fourth quarter. Elon was a yard away from taking the lead when receiver Sean Jeffcoat fumbled at the Wofford 1-yard line. The ball went through the end zone for a touchback.
Late in the game, Wofford quarterback Mitch Allen, who was 1-for-4 passing to that point, heaved the ball toward the end zone and wideout Devin Reed caught it between two defenders for the winning score.
“Sometimes you don’t catch every break, but teams make their own breaks and we haven’t done a good job of doing that thus far,” Phoenix quarterback Scott Riddle said.
Riddle and UTC’s B.J. Coleman are the top two passing quarterbacks in the SoCon. Riddle, the league’s all-time leader in passing yardage, is averaging 315.4 yards a game. Coleman, in a more balanced offense, is averaging 267.3.
The teams are second and third in the league in total offense, with UTC (431.4 yards per game) slightly ahead of Elon (421.7). Defensively, UTC is third in the SoCon in total defense (320.9), while Elon is eighth at 413.6.
Even though both teams have high-octane offenses, UTC offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield said he isn’t expecting a shootout.
“I wouldn’t be shocked if it was 24-20,” he said. “I know how good our defense is and I’ve been watching how good their defense is. They’ve got some youth in the [secondary], but their front seven is as good or better than anybody in the conference.”
The Mocs can lock up a second straight winning season with a victory today. The program hasn’t had back-to-back seasons with six or more wins since 1990-91.