Mocs still savoring a win to remember
The hour nearing midnight, his University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team eagerly awaiting his belated arrival on the bus that would drop them off at McKenzie Arena around 6 a.m. Sunday, coach Tom Arth finally settled into his seat to check his text messages following the Mocs’ dramatic 29-28 overtime win at The Citadel.
“I don’t know exactly how many there were,” he said Tuesday afternoon. “But it took me more than an hour to get through them all. There were a lot from friends and family from Cleveland (Ohio). Some were from players off last year’s team. Some were from players I coached at John Carroll. It was great to hear from all of them.”
UTC sophomore wide receiver Bryce Nunnelly — who threw the two-point pass to sophomore tight end Jordan Giberti in overtime that secured the win — said he had at least 30 text messages from friends after catching 268 yards worth of passes.
Asked how many more those were than the previous week, when he was the star of the rain-delayed opening-night victory over Tennessee Tech, Nunnelly said, “At least 15 or 20 more.”
Then there was the reception that junior linebacker Khayyan Edwards received around campus Monday and Tuesday morning from fellow students as well as teachers.
“A couple of my professors said, ‘Congratulations,’” Edwards said with a smile. “The mood’s been a little lighter around campus this week. I feel like I’m taking lighter steps to class. We’re all enjoying this.”
Every season’s different. Every team’s different. However exciting and energizing the win over The Citadel was for everyone in Mocs Nation, from Arth to the players to the fans, it’s just one game. UTC, however thrilled it is to stand 2-0 after last year’s disappointing 3-8 season, however good it feels to have won its Southern Conference opener on the road, still has nine games to go, most of those against teams more highly thought of than either of the first two victims.
“We should not be ranked,” Arth said near the start of Tuesday’s media luncheon, though UTC is in the “others receiving votes” category in the STATS FCS poll. “We should not be getting votes in the Top 25. By no means are we where we need to be.”
Still, this wasn’t just another victory. The Mocs’ last playoff team in 2016 lost a game at The Citadel that dramatically hurt their seeding. This win, especially given the dramatic finish, figures to inspire not only the team but its sometimes fickle fan base.
Edwards believes it will also send a message to the entire SoCon that “we’re not scared to do whatever it takes to win. We’re here and we’re not going anywhere.”
Indeed, this was a game that UTC almost certainly would have lost a year ago. A lead blown, a winning field goal missed near the close of regulation, The Citadel suddenly ahead by a touchdown in the overtime, the Mocs had every reason to collapse.
But then they scored that touchdown to pull within 28-27 and Arth immediately went for two points and the victory rather that endure a second overtime.
“We were worn down, lots of injuries,” he said. “We’re also playing a tough option team that’s really hard to stop on a short field.”
So he called for a reverse to Nunnelly, who had the option to run it in or toss it to Giberti if he was open.
“And he was wide open,” Nunnelly said. “I just had to make sure I got the ball to him.”
Added Arth: “If you watch the replay, Jordan caught it with every part of his body. When a player is that open, sometimes those are the hardest plays to make.”
The coach almost went for two a year ago in a similar situation against Wofford. But last year’s defense was easily the strength of the team and Arth believed that failure to convert such a play might cost the Mocs a win they desperately needed. In the end, UTC still lost 24-21 in overtime.
If there was a surprise Saturday night, it was that The Citadel failed to call a timeout when it saw that the Mocs were going to go for two and the win.
“I thought they would,” Arth said, before adding, “but we have multiple two-point plays.”
Now they have multiple wins after just two games. They have an offensive line that’s given up just two sacks after surrendering 10 in the first two games last season, though it could be argued that if this season’s first two games had been on a neutral field against Jacksonville State and on the road at LSU, that sack total might be higher.
Still, quarterback Nick Tiano is so far looking like an all-star behind that line, the defense is improving and hope and anticipation quite rightly have replaced last season’s dread and despair.
“At the end of the day, it’s just game two of the season,” said Arth, trying to curb the enthusiasm just a bit before the Mocs travel to dangerous UT-Martin this weekend. “But it’s much better to be 2-0 than 0-2. Right now, I’ll put this (win) up there with just about anything I’ve experienced.”
After last season, so would most of the rest of Mocs Nation.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.