Four-hundred-yard rushing games are rare, so when they come, especially for a team that struggled to run the ball the past two seasons, it’s a big deal.
So said the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Mocs after Saturday’s 60-36 win over Western Carolina in which they produced the program’s second-most rushing yards in a quarter century. Freshman Ailym Ford led the way with 195 yards, graduate transfer Elijah Ibitokun-Hanks added 125 and Jeffrey Wood II scored twice on the ground and once through the air.
“It was awesome to run the ball like that. To consistently get good yards on first down and keep the ball moving wears on a defense,” said quarterback Nick Tiano, who added 49 yards on the ground.
“Those guys up front did a great job. We’ve struggled in the run game the past couple of years, but those guys are playing hard, they’re playing smart. They’re tired because it’s hard to play up-tempo all night the way we do, but they just keep going at it.”
The Mocs rushed for six touchdowns, the most in a game since a school-record seven against Appalachian State in 1982.