CHARLESTON, S.C. – Keon Williams’ best run was also his worst.
On the first play of the third quarter, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga true freshman took a handoff and ran through a gaping hole in The Citadel’s defense.
It looked like Williams was on his way to an 88-yard score, except he didn’t make it past the 50-yard line. Williams stumbled and fell all on his own after 29 yards, prompting him to slam his fists on the turf.
“I was mad because I wanted that one,” he said.
Williams was smiling by the end of UTC’s 28-10 win Saturday because he’d rushed for 101 yards and two touchdowns on 19 carries.
“I felt like I did OK,” was Williams’ less-than-glowing assessment.
Offensive coordinator Marcus Satterfield said the 2009 Red Bank High School standout is still getting used to playing at the collegiate level, but he did well against the Bulldogs.
“We challenged him to run hard, run angry – try to punish them when they come up to tackle him,” Satterfield said.
Mocs senior Erroll Wynn, who had 50 yards on six carries, received a different kind of punishment. He fumbled on the play after Williams’ stumble and didn’t return to the game.
“Until he can prove he can hold on to the football, he’s going to have to earn some trust,” Satterfield said of Wynn, who also fumbled against Western Carolina.
Leisurely drive
The Mocs’ last true drive of the game was a slow, leisurely, 9-minute, 35-second trip down the field.
Up 21-10 in the fourth quarter, they got the ball at their 12 with 11:32 to play in the game. Williams, J.J. Jackson and Courtland Ellzey had some runs, quarterback B.J. Coleman completed a couple of passes, and Williams scored from the 2 to seal the victory.
“We weren’t on the field in the fourth quarter, and that’s the best defense you can ask for,” linebacker Ryan Consiglio said.
Changing moments
The Citadel attempted just eight passes, two of which it completed. Still, the Bulldogs’ passing game played a huge role in the game.
The Bulldogs had zero passing yards in the first half, but a questionable pass-interference call against UTC helped set up a field goal that cut the Mocs’ lead to 14-10 going into halftime. Safety Jordan Tippit broke up the pass to Domonic Jones, but cornerback Buster Skrine was called for interference on the play.
In the third quarter, with the UTC defense wearing down, cornerback Kadeem Wise picked off a Matt Thompson pass in the end zone.
Rare road wins
The Mocs’ two Southern Conference wins this season came at Western Carolina on Sept. 25 and Saturday at Johnson Hagood Stadium.
They were the program’s first consecutive SoCon road wins since 1990, and this is the first time UTC has had multiple league road wins in a season since 1998.
Extra points
Defensive tackle La’Nard Carr, who underwent minor knee surgery during UTC’s off week, played and made a tackle. … At halftime, the Bulldogs had a 19:13 to 10:47 advantage in time of possession. By the end of the game, however, UTC had closed the gap considerably. Thanks to that long drive in the fourth quarter, The Citadel’s advantage at the end was 2:09.