Sometimes, reality hurts.
And reality struck the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team Saturday night in its battle against Tarleton State, which defeated the Mocs 52-24 at Memorial Stadium in Stephenville, Texas.
The matchup with the United Athletic Conference’s Texans (5-0) — who are ranked No. 3 in both Football Championship Subdivision polls listed by the NCAA — was the final test for the Mocs (1-3) before they begin their eight-game Southern Conference schedule next weekend when The Citadel (1-3, 1-1) visits Finley Stadium.
The bits of promise UTC showed Saturday night — the 292 rushing yards, the brief 14-10 lead it held — proved to not be enough against the Texans, who proved over 60 minutes of game play that while the Mocs have come a long way from a team devoid of any answers in the preseason after a transfer-heavy offseason, in so many ways they still have a long way to go.
“That’s $700,000 we’re playing tonight against my $35,000,” UTC seventh-year head coach Rusty Wright bluntly said on the postgame radio broadcast, referring to what he said is the amount of money Tarleton State has in name, image and likeness compensation compared to UTC. “Chattanooga, if you’re listening, if you want something like this, you better open up the pocketbook. That’s the only way you’re going to keep good players.
“We’ve got some good players, we’ve got some kids fighting their tails off, but we’re not on that level right now.”
Wright also said Tarleton State was the best FCS team UTC has played against since James Madison in 2019, and the Texans showed their power and depth advantages throughout the game. Starting quarterback Victor Gabalis, a candidate for the Walter Payton Award given to the FCS national player of the year, went down with an injury in the first half — and it didn’t matter as backup Daniel Greek came in and threw for 214 yards and a pair of touchdowns.
The Texans rushed for 172 yards along the way.
Just as they had in their first three games, though, the Mocs continued to show promise. Quarterback Camden Orth rushed for 99 yards, including a 58-yard gain that set up running back Ryan Ingram’s 22-yard touchdown that put the Mocs up 14-10 in the first quarter. But by the time the Mocs scored again, the Texans, who had defeated their three previous FCS opponents by a combined score of 157-10, had reeled off 20 consecutive points.
Justus Durant rushed for 88 yards and Journey Wyche added 75, each scoring a touchdown, as UTC’s four-headed monster of those two plus Ingram and Orth averaged 7.9 yards per carry against a team that had allowed 289 yards on the ground in those three FCS games.
Against a team like Tarleton State, being promising isn’t enough; you have to be perfect, and when opportunities arise, you have to take advantage of them. UTC dropped two first-half interceptions, with one resulting in a touchdown pass four plays later.
Orth also passed for 117 yards, but he threw an interception that was returned for a touchdown in the second quarter. Josh Williams had 64 yards on three catches, while A.J. Little had 32 on three and Markell Quick gained 21 on his only reception.
UTC linebacker Zion Rutledge had 13 tackles (1.5 for loss) to lead the defense.
“The thing I’m most happy about is we came out and competed tonight,” he said. “We’ve got guys that are willing to fight and willing to keep getting better on a weekly basis.”
The Mocs went to Tarleton State off a 63-0 home win against Stetson, an FCS team that does not offer scholarships. That followed lopsided road losses to Football Bowl Subdivision member Memphis and ranked FCS foe Tennessee Tech.
“The two teams we’ve lost to that are at our level,” Wright said of Tennessee Tech and Tarleton State, “they’re paying people money. That’s the nature of the game we’re in, unfortunately, and that’s how you keep people.
“I’m not knocking anybody involved with us. I’m just telling you what’s going on right now.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.