Edge rusher Jay Person wasn't surprised the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga defense performed well Saturday against The Citadel.
Surprise on his part would require a lack of preparation by the group, and as the Mocs continue their quest for a Southern Conference championship and one of the 24 seats at the Football Championship Subdivision postseason table, being unprepared for any game simply isn't an option.
UTC head coach Rusty Wright remains steadfast and preaches the importance of being ready to play, which is exactly what the defense ultimately looked like in the 31-21 SoCon win in Charleston, South Carolina. The Mocs (7-2, 5-1), ranked 11th in the Stats Perform Top 25 and 12th by FCS coaches in the most recent polls, now turn their attention to league leader and 10th-ranked Samford (8-1, 6-0), which visits Finley Stadium at 1:30 p.m. Saturday.
As for the win that helped keep Samford-UTC such a high-stakes showdown, getting ready for The Citadel meant getting ready for the triple option, although the ground-based offense has been neutered due to some NCAA changes that have outlawed certain blocks in the name of safety. Person, a fourth-year junior from Bradley Central High School, still expected a tough test against a scheme the Mocs don't see every week.
"We know coming into this game that it's going to be a four-quarter game, very physical," said Person, who added a sack and 2.5 tackles for loss to bring his SoCon-leading totals to eight and 16, respectively. "We knew we had to prepare all week and just get our mental (approach) ready, because we know it's going to be pretty physical.
"It's just a game of our eyes. We knew we had the talent and we were supposed to be able to compete with them and beat them, but it was really just the little things, like reading our keys."
The Bulldogs (2-7, 2-5) did rush for 188 yards on 45 carries, but a deeper look shows the home team wasn't able to establish a consistent ground game throughout. Braden Walker had a 62-yard carry in the first quarter that led to a score and a 10-yard run in the fourth quarter, quarterback Peyton Derrick had a 25-yard scramble in the third, and Ricky Conway had a 15-yard run on the Bulldogs' final scoring drive.
That's 112 yards on four carries, meaning the Mocs limited their hosts to 76 yards on 41 other rushes. The Bulldogs were forced to throw the ball, and while they gained 118 yards through the air, Derrick also threw an interception and was sacked four times.
"That was our focus, keeping them behind the sticks," defensive end Devonnsha Maxwell said of the first-down marker. "They'll take 3 yards, so we were trying to keep them under 3 yards. We did that pretty well."
Person talked about the defense "getting its swagger back" after allowing 388 yards in a 24-20 loss at Furman the week before. It's going to be needed as the defense prepares for Samford, which has the SoCon's No. 2 passing offense at 281.1 yards per game — behind Western Carolina (313.3), which UTC will visit to close the regular season on Nov. 19 — and has averaged more than 400 yards of total offense.
Saturday's winner will be in solid position to make the playoffs, where Samford hasn't been since 2017, one year later than the Mocs' most recent appearance.
UTC was missing some regulars in the secondary due to illness against The Citadel, and the Mocs will likely need them back to compete against pass-happy Samford. However, UTC's aggressive front seven has proven it can be relied on to make plays.
"I am just proud of the effort and resolve," Wright said. "We got thin back in the secondary real quick. Those guys just kept battling. They played their tails off."
While a win Saturday by itself wouldn't guarantee a playoff spot for the Mocs, it would make it hard to keep them out because they would have two victories over teams ranked in the top 11 at the time and eight wins overall.
"We've got to get it figured out," said Wright, who in his fourth season leading his alma mater is now 22-15 overall. "We've been in a fight for the last two years. I've been preaching that. We've got to win a game at a time."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.