University of Tennessee at Chattanooga beat writer Gene Henley breaks down the Mocs’ 27-20 win over Kennesaw State.
SATURDAY’S STAR
UTC quarterback Chase Artopoeus was really good in the first Finley Stadium start of his career, with just five incompletions on 28 attempts for 276 yards and three scores. He was rarely inaccurate — at least one of his incompletions went through the receiver’s hands — while also taking advantage of an overaggressive defense by rushing for 50 yards, which doesn’t include a 45-yard scramble that was waved off due to a holding call.
SATURDAY’S STAT
Kennesaw State’s 102 rushing yards were the fewest in the nine-year history of the program, a span of 96 games.
TURNING POINT
It was the opening kick. The UTC defense completely swallowed the Owls on the game’s first possession, and after a punt, the offense went 92 yards on 13 plays for a relatively easy score. It set the tone for the rest of the game and forced the Owls to constantly play catchup.
THE BIG PLAY
Mocs receiver Jamoi Mayes may occasionally have his struggles, but that wasn’t the case on a 62-yard catch-and-run on a ball that was tipped by two defenders before Mayes adjusted and made an acrobatic grab, ultimately stepping out at the 7-yard line. Two plays later, Artopoeus found Sam Phillips for a second touchdown and a 17-0 lead.
WHAT IT MEANS
As the season wears on, the Mocs will have fewer and fewer lapses like the ones they’ve had in the first two games. But substantial nonconference wins aren’t the norm for this group, and one could make the argument that this is the best regular-season victory of that type the Mocs have had since beating Georgia State (at the time, like Kennesaw State now, a program transitioning to the Football Bowl Subdivision) 42-14 in 2013 or topping 10th-ranked Jacksonville State in 2011. It means this team has a load of potential, and if/when the Mocs figure it out, they could be really good.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.