The Rusty Wright era at the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga started on a successful - if not rousing - note Thursday night with the football Mocs' 24-10 win over Eastern Illinois at Finley Stadium.
The Mocs held in check the Panthers, who averaged 32 points per game last season, though the visitors put up 354 yards and ran 83 offensive plays (23 more than UTC).
UTC senior quarterback Nick Tiano finished 17-for-27 passing for 256 yards with a touchdown and also ran for a score, though he also threw two interceptions. Receiver Bryce Nunnelly had 100 yards and a touchdown on six catches, and freshman running back Ailym Ford, subbing for hobbled senior Tyrell Price in the second half, led the Mocs with 52 rushing yards and a touchdown on 12 carries.
"I don't care who you play, you can't play like we did today and win many football games," said Wright, a former UTC player and assistant hired this past December for his first head coaching job.
UTC 24, EASTERN ILLINOIS 10
Staff writer Lindsey Young breaks down the game in bits and pieces.THURSDAY'S STARSenior MLB Marshall Cooper led UTC's strong defensive showing with 10 tackles, two pass breakups and several quarterback hurries on blitzes. The Hixson High School graduate consistently shed blockers and stuffed runs up the middle while also pursuing effectively, including one tackle on which he dragged a running back down by his jersey from behind.THURSDAY'S STATThe Mocs, despite giving up only 10 points, allowed Eastern Illinois to run 83 offensive plays. Penalties allowed several of the Panthers' drives to continue, pushing up their number of total plays.TURNING POINTHolding a seven-point lead to start the second half, the Mocs put together a nine-play, 75-yard drive that was kick-started by Lameric Tucker's 39-yard catch after two false-start penalties set the offense back. Freshman RB Ailym Ford, subbing for an injured Tyrell Price, ripped off three strong runs, the final one a 1-yarder for the final touchdown of the game.HIGHLIGHT PLAYWith UTC's offense somewhat stymied early, senior quarterback Nick Tiano hooked up with Bryce Nunnelly for a 59-yard touchdown four minutes into the second quarter off a nice play-action fake. It was Nunnelly's 12th reception of 40-plus yards since the start of the 2018 season.WHAT IT MEANSOn the surface, an opening win over a team coming off a 3-8 season isn't much to build on, but getting the first-game mistakes out of the way in a victory - as coach Rusty Wright said - beats the alternative. The competition goes up a great deal a week from Saturday at Jacksonville State.
"The guys didn't quit and they stayed after it, and as sloppy as things got, we hung in there. Hey, I will never undervalue a win, but we have to play better. It certainly beats the alternative."
UTC took the game's first lead after a muffed punt set the Mocs' offense up at the Eastern Illinois 13. Tiano, after a strong run on third-and-5 netted a first down at the 1-yard line, kept for the touchdown on the next play.
Holding a 7-3 lead early in the second quarter, Tiano and Nunnelly hooked up for a 59-yard touchdown on a play-action fake with the junior receiver in rare 1-on-1 coverage. Tiano hit Nunnelly in stride at the 30, and he easily outran the defender for the big score.
"It was a double move, though the safety didn't bite much," Nunnelly recalled. "I looked up and I thought I was going to be overthrown, but Nick made a great throw and I caught it in stride. Having the 1-on-1 matchup was all I could ask for, and that's because the other receivers were running their routes and doing their jobs."
The Mocs were called for a personal foul for players running onto the field, the first of a rough stretch that lead to the Panthers' touchdown. A pair of defensive offside penalties kept the drive alive, including one on fourth down. Eastern Illinois quarterback John Brantley then converted a final fourth down with a bootleg pass to Nick Stricker to cut UTC's lead to four.
"We just gave them seven points right there," Wright fumed afterward, "just gave it to them with stupid, stupid mistakes."
UTC responded with a drive to end the half that resulted in Victor Ulmo's field goal for a seven-point advantage.
That lead grew to 14 on the first possession of the second half with a 75-yard drive that began with a Tiano-to-Lameric Tucker pass to get inside Panthers territory. Ford then came on for Price - who had injured his ankle, though he would return - and had three runs inside the 20, the final one capping the drive from a yard out.
"I challenged them," Wright said. "I told them - and I'm not taking anything from Eastern Illinois - but they didn't do anything special defensively. They just lined up and played defense. I said, 'Go out here and show them what it's going to be like in the second half and put one on the board,' and they did."
The Mocs' defense, led by linebacker Marshall Cooper's 10 tackles and two pass breakups, stopped three drives that reached UTC territory late to seal the win.
"We've got a lot of talented players, and we flew around and got after them," Cooper said. "We messed up a lot with mistakes and penalties. That touchdown, that was my fault because I missed a read. But those mistakes, we will get them fixed. We do the small things right, we run to the ball and we put people down, but we have to fix those mistakes."
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.
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