CULLOWHEE, N.C. — The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga did everything it could to both win and lose a football game against Saturday afternoon. So did Western Carolina, the team the Mocs were facing.
In the end, though, the Catamounts did just one more thing — make one more play — to win it.
Ken Moore Jr. intercepted UTC quarterback Luke Schomburg’s pass with 33 seconds remaining after the Mocs had driven downfield, with the pick sealing a 38-34 victory for the Catamounts on homecoming at E.J. Whitmire Stadium.
It also halted a five-game winning streak this season for UTC, which entered Saturday ranked 18th in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25 and 25th by coaches with the Football Championship Subdivision’s 24-team postseason field less than a month from being set.
The loss leaves the Mocs at 5-4 overall and 4-2 in the Southern Conference, while the Catamounts improved to 5-4 and at 4-1 in league play are tied for first place with Mercer, which is 8-1 overall after holding on at home Saturday to defeat East Tennessee State 37-31. The Bears’ lone league loss was a surprising 55-35 setback two weeks ago to Samford (3-5, 2-3), and they followed that with a 44-34 win against Western Carolina.