UTC (1-3, 1-0 SOCON) VS. WESTERN CAROLINA (3-1, 1-0 )
6 p.m. › Finley Stadium in Chattanooga ESPN3 & 96.1 FM
THE MATCHUP
Western Carolina’s offense has been explosive this season, averaging 40.2 points and 571.2 yards per game, and both of those numbers lead the Southern Conference. This week, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga players talked about how excited they were about the challenge of defending against such an explosive offense, with safety Jerrell Lawson noting the Mocs think they “have the game plan to stop that.” The three Football Championship Subdivision opponents the Mocs have faced this season have averaged only 274.3 yards and 18.3 points per game, so of all the matchups this evening, this one will receive top billing.
ONE TO WATCH
Alejandro Bennifield entered the season as the Mocs’ starting quarterback, but an NCAA suspension for an academics violation kept him out for the first four games of the year. Nick Tiano subbed in and is coming off his best game of the season — 249 yards, four touchdowns — and head coach Tom Arth didn’t tip his cap as to how the quarterback situation was going to play out today. Bennifield took most of the snaps during Thursday’s practice and is the more likely of the two options, but Arth and Alejandro Bennifield the coaching staff could decide to go with the hot hand and play Tiano — who was thrown into the fire against three Top 25 teams (Jacksonville State, LSU of the Football Bowl Subdivision, UT-Martin) to start the year — or both.
IN THE END
The Mocs did very little to silence those who had concerns about the offense in the team’s last home game, a 21-7 loss to UT-Martin on Sept. 16, but they took a step in the right direction last week during a 63-7 victory at Virginia Military Institute. The Catamounts’ offense taking on UTC’s defense may get the top billing, but the true test will be how the Mocs’ offense performs against Western Carolina’s defense, because both units have underachieved this year. Tonight, the Mocs will get a couple of early scores, and the defense will bow its back and do its part as the home team moves to 2-0 in the league.