The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team knew that despite being 0-7 for the season, Virginia Military Institute was a sneaky dangerous opponent with a number of near-wins along the way.
The Mocs realized that even more once the Keydets jumped out to a two-touchdown lead early in the first quarter Saturday.
There were no emotional outbursts on the sideline, no helmets thrown or trash cans kicked. The home team had only to settle in.
And even then it was just enough.
The Mocs scored 27 straight points over a three-quarter span and held on for a 34-27 win in front of 8,201 at Finley Stadium. They improved to 6-2 overall and 4-2 in the Southern Conference and have a crucial game this week at Furman (3-4, 3-2).
It was the Keydets’ 25th consecutive loss but their fifth this season by 10 or fewer points – and their fourth by a touchdown or less. They are 0-7 in the SoCon.
UTC’s Bryce Nunnelly (19) looks for open field after making a catch as VMI’s Kaleb Tucker prepares to give chase during Saturday’s game at Finley Stadium. The Mocs held on for a 34-27 victory on homecoming, and Nunnelly finished with seven catches for 130 yards.“We knew from the beginning they were going to come out and play hard,” UTC receiver Bryce Nunnelly said. “They’re right on the brink of their first win, and they’re hungry each week.
“We didn’t start the game how we wanted to, and they came out quick. There was shock, but I don’t feel there was panic on the sideline. We knew what we needed to do; we knew we needed to match their intensity, and I felt we did that.”
UTC coach Tom Arth said there was no surprise that VMI came out and played well.
“Sometimes, I said it before, stats can lie to you. Records can lie to you. That is the best 0-7, 0-8 team that I have ever seen,” Arth said. “They got it going; they are going to get it going. I just have to give a lot of credit to them, their coaches and their players – the way that they play, the way that they fight. When they need to make a play, they make a play. We saw that all season long on tape, countless times.”
UTC held the Keydets to negative-16 yards rushing, the fewest allowed a Mocs opponent in more than 30 seasons. The Mocs won a 23-7 game on Nov. 2, 1985 against Marshall in which the Thundering Herd were held to negative-20. Saturday’s number was bolstered by seven sacks – the most in a game since seven against Sam Houston State in the 2016 playoffs and the most in a regular-season game since the same number against Western Carolina on Oct. 13, 2007.
Isaiah Mack had three sacks Saturday, a half-sack shy of tying a school record. He has 5.5 sacks in the past two games and 6.5 for the season, one short of his career best number as a sophomore.
Backup defensive back Jordan Jones had two sacks in his most extensive action of the season.
UTC quarterback Nick Tiano threw for 285 yards and a pair of touchdowns. He did have a tipped-pass interception that VMI’s Tyren Cloud returned 29 yards for a score that made it 14-0 early in the game.
Nunnelly had seven catches for 130 yards for his first 100-yard receiving game since four straight to start the season. He also had a 64-yard score for the Mocs’ first points.
Tyrell Price had 80 yards of total offense and two touchdowns, giving him 10 scores for the season, while senior Alex Trotter relieved Price after a big hit in the fourth quarter and had 21 yards on the ground, including a 19-yard run for the former McCallie School standout’s first collegiate score.
“I can’t believe that’s his first,” Arth said of Trotter. “He has had such a great career. He is such a reliable player for our team, and I am really happy for him. It was a very important touchdown to help us secure that win.”
VMI quarterback Reece Udinski threw for 313 yards, completing 29 of his 52 attempts. In the fourth quarter alone, he was 11-of-20 for 158 yards through the air as the Keydets attempted to mount a comeback. But on consecutive drives, the UTC defense had big sacks shutting down drives, including a fourth-down sack by Jones on a corner blitz after Trotter’s touchdown had put the Mocs up 34-21.
Mack led the Mocs with nine tackles (four for loss). Marshall Cooper and Hawk Schrider had six each. Devonnsha Maxwell had a career-high 1.5 sacks, while Tavon Lawson had two tackles in his return from an injury that had sidelined him the previous four games. Brandon Dowdell had his third interception of the season on the game’s first possession.
The Mocs played without linebacker Michael Bean. They also lost senior defensive lineman Derek Mahaffey, who was ejected in the first quarter for unsportsmanlike conduct for striking a VMI player.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.