ATLANTA — The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga had a fourth-quarter lead, but its attempt to upset a Football Bowl Subdivision opponent was thwarted by a Georgia State touchdown with 7:01 to play in a 24-21 loss to the Panthers on Saturday night at Center Parc Stadium.
UTC beat writer Gene Henley breaks down the loss by the Mocs, who are nationally ranked in the Football Championship Subdivision (10th by coaches, 11th by media) and — after back-to-back losses to FBS hosts to start the season — will jump into Southern Conference play next Saturday when Mercer (2-0) visits Finley Stadium for a 6 p.m. kickoff.
SATURDAY’S STAR
Maybe the Panthers (1-1) doubted the speed of UTC junior Sam Phillips, but Mocs coach Rusty Wright and his staff did some things to get the 5-foot-9, 185-pound receiver open — and he repeatedly made the hosts pay, hauling in eight catches for a career-high 195 receiving yards. That included an 84-yard catch-and-run score that put the Mocs up 21-17 early in the fourth quarter.