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Mocs display depth in defeating Bulldogs Mocs rise to occasion, beat Samford 31-21 Huesman, Mocs claim road win at Samford
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. – The much-praised depth of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team had been evident in practices, with a number of players showing the ability to make plays when necessary.
Saturday against Samford, they transferred that to a game.
Derrick Craine, who entered Saturday’s game as the Southern Conference’s leading rusher, had a nagging knee injury that limited him to nine carries. Starting wide receiver Alphonso Stewart missed the game with a hamstring injury, and fellow starting receivers Xavier Borishade and C.J. Board missed parts of the second half because of cramps.
Defensively, players were being shuffled in and out due to on-field temperatures of almost 90 degrees.
The solution in the team’s 31-21 win? Next man up.
Stewart’s backup, James Stovall, had a 13-yard catch on a late second-quarter drive that ultimately put the Mocs up 24-14. Receiver Bingo Morton had a big 22-yard reception in the fourth quarter. Wil Young had a solid performance blocking while making a couple of catches, and Drae Bowles had a catch for the second consecutive game.
Morton, who had missed most of preseason camp due to an ankle injury, finally got his first catch. Last week it was fellow redshirt freshmen Young and Dejuan McQuarters making plays.
“I felt like I hadn’t been in a game in forever,” Morton said. “I knew my time would come. Once I was able to get out there and get my feet wet a little bit, it felt pretty good. I feel the receivers are the most dominant position on the team because so many guys can make plays. On any given day, anybody can make the play we need.”
Richardre Bagley played most of the snaps in place of Craine, finishing with 47 yards, while true freshman Kyle Nalls earned his first carry, gaining 8 yards. Even backup quarterback Alejandro Bennifield got into the mix, with 40 yards rushing and an 18-yard touchdown run on the first play of the fourth quarter that effectively put the game away.
“You never know where the ball is going,” starting quarterback Jacob Huesman said. “Guys stepping up take a lot of pressure off of me. Anywhere I go with the ball, they can make me right.
“Shoutout to Coach (Will) Healy and the staff for recruiting some unbelievable talent.”
Footnotes
The six sacks were the most for UTC since six on Sept. 18, 2010.
* The Mocs improved to 32-7 in the Russ Huesman coaching era when leading at halftime. His son is now third all-time in SoCon history in total offense, with 9,663 yards, and his 89 total touchdowns rank third. Jacob Huesman also became the third player in SoCon history with at least 4,000 passing yards and 3,000 rushing yards in a career.
* Kicker Henrique Ribeiro made all four of his extra-point tries, extending his streak to 55, fifth longest in SoCon history.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com