University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football coach Rusty Wright released the 2019 schedule Tuesday, and it includes nonconference trips to Tennessee and Jacksonville State in addition to a Thursday night home game against rival East Tennessee State.
"This is a very tough schedule, but we are excited about playing some of the best teams in the country," the first-year head coach said of the 12-game slate that includes six home games. "We have a lot of work to do to get ready, and we will need everyone's support this season.
The Mocs open at home against Eastern Illinois on Saturday, Aug. 31, followed by a trip to fellow Ohio Valley Conference program JSU. The Gamecocks finished with a 9-4 record and a No. 10 national ranking in the STATS FCS Poll in 2018.
UTC visits Tennessee on Sept. 14 for the second game in five seasons against the Volunteers.
James Madison, the 2016 Football Championship Subdivision national champion and 2017 runner-up, visits Finley Stadium on Sept. 21. This is the first meeting in the series but not JMU's first trip to Chattanooga. The Dukes also won the 2004 FCS championship against Montana at Finley.
The Mocs begin Southern Conference play Sept. 28 with homecoming against Western Carolina, followed by a trip to Mercer. After a week off they will host ETSU on Thursday, Oct. 17, and play at Wofford on Oct. 26.
They close out the regular season at home against Furman on Nov. 2., at Samford on Nov. 9, at home on senior day against The Citadel on Nov. 16 and at VMI the following Saturday.
UTC duo honored
UTC had both SoCon basketball players of the week announced Tuesday. Freshman Kevin Easley earned the men's award, while sophomore Lakelyn Bouldin was the women's honoree. They were the first such honors for the Mocs this season.
Easley averaged a double-double in close wins over Mercer (73-70) and The Citadel (73-71), with 11 points and 10 rebounds against the Bears and 22 and 12 against the Bulldogs.
"It was a good week for us and for Kevin," UTC coach Lamont Paris stated in a university release. "He's been consistent all season, but those were two good games back to back, and we played well enough to win. Any individual honors stem from team success.
"Kevin was efficient as a scorer and made some really big-time, critical shots for us."
The forward hit a pair of free throws with 10.1 seconds left to hold off Mercer and made a 3-pointer with under a minute to play against The Citadel that put the Mocs up for good in their third consecutive home SoCon win.
The forward hit a pair of key free throws with 10.1 seconds left to hold off Mercer before hitting a 3-pointer with under a minute to play in the win over The Citadel that put the Mocs up for good, clinching the team's third consecutive home SoCon win.
Bouldin had a season-high 26 points, a career-best 12 rebounds and five assists in a 89-82 win over Wofford, then added 11 points and eight rebounds in a rout of Furman. She topped the 900-point mark in the Wofford game.
She is ranked ninth in the SoCon in scoring with 12.9 points per game and leads the league at the free-throw line, making 87 percent of her attempts. She has a team-best 29 3-pointers this season and ranks eighth all-time at UTC with 155 for her career.
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296.
Here is the 2019 schedule:
Aug. 31 vs. Eastern Illinois Sep. 7 at Jacksonville State Sep. 14 at Tennessee Sep. 21 vs. James Madison Sep. 28 vs. Western Carolina * Oct. 5 at Mercer * Oct 17 vs. ETSU * Oct 26 at Wofford * Nov. 2 vs. Furman * Nov. 9 at Samford * Nov. 16 vs. The Citadel * Nov. 23 at VMI * * - denotes Southern Conference game