UTC wide receiver Tommy Hudson, left, breaks a tackle by Samford tight end Devon Schmitt to return a kickoff for a touchdown Saturday at Finley Stadium.In a game that was taking on an eerily similar tone to recent close losses, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team needed someone to make a momentum-shifting play Saturday night.
Having watched a 21-point halftime lead cut to seven points, freshman free safety Lucas Webb stepped in front of a Samford receiver and wrestled the ball away for his second interception of the game.
That turnover, at the Bulldogs’ 19, provided the needed spark and the Mocs’ offense cashed it in with a game-clinching touchdown and a 38-24 win to open the Southern Conference schedule at Finley Stadium.
Samford (2-2, 1-1) scored first on a short field goal but UTC (2-2, 1-0) race to a 24-3 lead by halftime with KeonWilliams running for a 34-yard touchdown, Henrique Ribeiro making a 31-yard field goal, Tommy Hudson racing 66 yards to the end zone with a Bulldogs punt and quarterback Jacob Huesman capping a drive with a 1-yard run.
The Bulldogs came out firing after halftime, however, scoring twice in the first seven minutes, before Webb made his second pickoff of the game and his college career. Then Williams and Huesman each added another scoring run before Samford quarterback Michael Eubank threw his second TD pass of the half to Karel Hamilton.