Skip to main content
Monday, November 2, 2026Nov 2
Subscribe
All Sections
Search
More

This story is exclusive to subscribers.

Mocs at midpoint: Three reasons for optimism, three causes for concern

Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / UTC football coach Rusty Wright and his team aren't preparing for an opponent this weekend, but through a combination of rest and practice, they are preparing for a second half of the regular season in which all six remaining games are against Southern Conference competition.
Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / UTC football coach Rusty Wright and his team aren't preparing for an opponent this weekend, but through a combination of rest and practice, they are preparing for a second half of the regular season in which all six remaining games are against Southern Conference competition. Staff file photo by Matt Hamilton / UTC football coach Rusty Wright and his team aren't preparing for an opponent this weekend, but through a combination of rest and practice, they are preparing for a second half of the regular season in which all six remaining games are against Southern Conference competition.

By Gene Henley 5 min read

Now at the midpoint of the 2025 regular season, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football program sits at 2-4 overall and 1-1 in the Southern Conference (with all six games remaining on the current schedule against league competition).

Of the Mocs’ four losses, three were on the road against opponents that are currently a combined 17-0. Two of those three were against fellow Football Championship Subdivision schools Tennessee Tech and Tarleton State (both are among the top 10 this week in both national polls listed by the NCAA, and both have been ranked among the top 25 since the preseason), while the other was to Memphis of the higher-tier Football Bowl Subdivision (the Tigers, who are the first team to reach bowl eligibility this year, moved into The Associated Press Top 25 for the first time this season at No. 23 in the poll released Sunday).

The fourth loss of the season was the most inexplicable, coming at home on Sept. 27 against The Citadel to open SoCon play.

The Mocs have their lone open date of the regular season this week, and they enhanced the opportunity to rest with a little more peace of mind by winning 21-14 last Saturday at Virginia Military Institute, their longest SoCon road trip of the season.

UTC will return to action against East Tennessee State University with the Rail Rivalry game at 1:30 p.m. on Oct. 18 at Finley Stadium. The Buccaneers, who are in their first season under head coach Will Healy — a Chattanooga native and former UTC assistant — are 2-4 overall and 0-2 in the SoCon, but they host VMI this weekend before visiting UTC.