UTC football players take the field before Saturday night’s home game against Samford at Finley Stadium.SATURDAY’S STAR
UTC linebacker Marshall Cooper was in on eight tackles in the game. He also was credited with a forced fumble and had an interception in the fourth quarter that helped seal the win.
SATURDAY’S STAT
The Mocs had two red-zone stops in Saturday’s win, giving them six for the season in four games. They had six in all of 2017 and five the year before that.
TURNING POINT
With the Mocs leading 10-0, Cooper forced a fumble at the Samford 1-yard line that was recovered by Hawk Schrider. The UTC offense responded with a 13-play, 99-yard drive that ended in a Tyrell Price 18-yard touchdown catch on which he shook off a tackle on a screen pass, broke a couple of other tackles and sprinted into the end zone to help make it 17-0.
THE BIG PLAY
The last one, when Samford quarterback Devlin Hodges’ 62nd pass of the night fell incomplete. The Bulldogs had driven to the UTC 15-yard line and were given one shot at the end zone.
WHAT IT MEANS
The Mocs are likely to be in the Football Championship Subdivision rankings come Monday, and deservedly so, but they still have a lot to clean up. After the hot start Saturday, their offense mostly stalled, and for the third consecutive week UTC had to hold on to win. With a trip to rival East Tennessee State looming this week, the unbeaten Mocs will have plenty to work on.
HOW THEY SCORED
FIRST QUARTER
UTC – Bryce Nunnelly 55-yard pass from Nick Tiano (Victor Ulmo kick), 12:17
Drive: 6 plays, 79 yards, 2:43
Key play: Tiano used play action on the scoring toss, with Nunnelly streaking behind the defense for his fourth score of the season.
UTC 7, SAMFORD 0
UTC – Ulmo 23-yard field goal, 8:49
Drive: 5 plays, 54 yards, 2:19
Key play: Tiano used his legs, taking off on a 33-yard run into Samford territory.
UTC 10, SAMFORD 0
SECOND QUARTER
UTC – Tyrell Price 18-yard pass from Tiano (Ulmo kick), 14:50
Drive: 13 plays, 99 yards, 5:50
Key play: The Bulldogs helped the Mocs a lot on the drive, giving UTC 25 yards on a pair of offside calls and a pass-interference penalty.
UTC 17, SAMFORD 0
Samford – DeMarcus Ware 1-yard run (Mitchell Fineran kick), 7:51
Drive: 8 plays, 56 yards, 3:18
Key play: UTC was called for pass interference on third-and-goal from its 18 that gave the Bulldogs a first down at the Mocs’ 1-yard line. Ware scored one play later.
UTC 17, SAMFORD 7
Samford – Fineran 22-yard field goal, 0:55
Drive: 12 plays, 48 yards, 5:07
Key play: The Bulldogs converted two third-down conversions on the drive, the latter a 9-yard completion from Devlin Hodges to Antwione Sims to put them in field-goal range.
UTC 17, SAMFORD 10
THIRD QUARTER
Samford – Fineran 36-yard field goal, 8:42
Drive: 8 plays, 34 yards, 3:01
Key play: Hodges had a 13-yard completion to Andrew Harris to put the Bulldogs deep in UTC territory. The Mocs forced a pair of incomplete passes and a short completion, leading to the field goal.
UTC 17, SAMFORD 13
UTC – Tiano 5-yard run (Ulmo kick), 5:42
Drive: 7 plays, 75 yards, 3:00
Key play: The Mocs hadn’t moved the ball since the first quarter, but Tiano hit Joseph Parker for a 46-yard reception into Samford territory on the second play of the drive.
UTC 24, SAMFORD 13
FOURTH QUARTER
UTC – Ulmo 30-yard field goal, 14:41
Drive: 12 plays, 58 yards, 4:06
Key play: Tiano had a 16-yard completion to Price on fourth down on the last play of the third quarter that helped keep the drive going.
UTC 27, SAMFORD 13
Samford – Chris Shelling 17-yard pass from Hodges (Fineran kick), 6:43
Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:45
Key play: The Bulldogs created a Bingo Morton fumble they recovered deep in their own territory for the Mocs’ first turnover of the game. Hodges had a 22-yard completion to Yassar El-Amin – only the Bulldogs’ second completion of at least 20 yards during the game – in the drive.
UTC 27, SAMFORD 20