At the time, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team’s 38-9 rout of Wofford last season looked like a massive upset.
The Terriers were ranked No. 17, were regular contenders for the Southern Conference title and had thumped the Mocs by a combined 75 points in their previous two meetings.
In addition, it was the Mocs’ first win over a ranked team since 2006 and first SoCon win in nearly two years.
Overlooked in the immediate aftermath of the blowout was the fact that Wofford, four weeks into the season, had already been devastated by injuries to key players.
“It was a big win for us and our program, but they had about 20 guys out for that game,” Mocs coach Russ Huesman said. “We weren’t talking about that at that point in time. We were just happy for a win.”
The Terriers finished 3-8, their first losing season since 2001. The Mocs, in Huesman’s first season, went 6-5 for their first winning record since 2005.
“Last year was an anomaly,” said Wofford fullback Eric Breitenstein, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in week two. “We didn’t feel like that was the way we play at all.”
Wofford (8-2, 6-1) is back to its usual form this season, and the No. 9 Terriers can clinch a share of the league title with No. 2 Appalachian State on Saturday with a home win over UTC (6-4, 5-2).
The Mocs, meanwhile, are playing their biggest game in a quarter century. If UTC wins it will be in position to make the playoffs for the first time since 1984 – the program’s only postseason appearance.
“This game it’s all about business,” safety Jordan Tippit said. “We know we have a chance to get to the playoffs, and this is a special thing.”
One of the keys to Wofford’s turnaround has been the play of Breitenstein. After missing nearly all of last season, the junior has come back to lead the SoCon’s top rushing attack. Breitenstein has rushed for 1,228 yards and 17 touchdowns on 192 carries.
“He runs the ball hard,” Tippit said. “He puts his head down, finds the hole and he doesn’t dance at all.”
Because of Wofford’s triple-option “wingbone” offense and the huge numbers it produces, the Terriers’ defense is often overlooked. Saturday’s game will feature the SoCon’s leader in total offense (UTC, 440.8 yards per game) versus the leader in total defense (Wofford, 282.4 yapg).
The Terriers were hit hard by injuries on defense last season and wound up allowing 392.5 yards per game. They’ve trimmed 100 yards a game off that total this season.
“I don’t even know if there’s a weak spot on our defense anymore,” Breitenstein said.
The same could be said for UTC’s offense, which has improved dramatically from last season. The Mocs are averaging 139 more yards a game and are scoring nearly 12 more points a contest.
The Mocs scored a total of 27 touchdowns last season. Through 10 games in 2010, they have scored 47. B.J. Coleman has thrown a SoCon-high 26 touchdown passes and the Mocs have gotten 17 on the ground.
“I think we’re both better football teams right now,” Huesman said. “Did we improve more than they’ve improved, getting people healthy and that sort of thing? I don’t know. We’ll find that out.”
Extra points
UTC’s Wes Dothard will make his first career start at Mike linebacker in place of Shane Heatherly (concussion). Also making his first start at linebacker will be D.J. Key, who is replacing J.D. Dothard at Will. … Erroll Wynn will start at running back.