Mocs Pull Away Late, Spoil WCU’s Homecoming 41-18

Daniel Hooker

Press Release

Cullowhee, N.C. – AJ Colombo provided a Homecoming spark with an 86-yard punt return touchdown that briefly gave Western Carolina the lead late in the first half, but Chattanooga used a ball-control rushing attack and capitalized on two fourth-quarter turnovers to pull away for a 41-18 victory Saturday afternoon in front of 11,889 fans at E.J. Whitmire Stadium / Bob Waters Field.

The Mocs rushed for 295 yards and five touchdowns while scoring 31 of the game's final 39 points, snapping WCU's four-game series win streak and handing the Catamounts their first home loss of the season.

Chattanooga's ground game controlled much of the afternoon as running backs Kevin Lalin and Journey Wyche combined for 240 rushing yards and three touchdowns. Quarterback Battle Alberson added two rushing scores as UTC outgained Western Carolina 398-to-360 and held the Catamount offense to just two third-down conversions in 11 attempts.

Colombo's 86-yard punt return for a touchdown marked Western Carolina's first punt-return score since Daquan Patten's 78-yard return at VMI in 2021. The return stands as the third-longest punt return touchdown in program history.

Lex Thomas completed 29-of-42 passes for 266 yards and a fourth-quarter touchdown, spreading the football to 12 different receivers. Santana Carlos caught a career-best six passes for 75 yards and his second career score, also hauling in the two-point conversion on WCU’s lone offensive touchdown.

Colombo added four receptions for 42 yards, while Josh Perry totaled 54 all-purpose yards with 30 rushing yards and five receptions for 24 yards.

Lalin ran the ball 20 times, while Wyche had 17 carries for the run-oriented Mocs. Alberson finished with 37 yards on the ground despite three sacks, while passing for 103 yards on 5-of-11 passing. Taylor Crumedy had three of the five UTC receptions going for 79 yards.

Jayden Cornelius paced the Catamount defense with seven tackles, including a tackle for loss and a half sack. Blue Monroe had six tackles, followed by Trystan Anderson and Caleb Turner-Allen with five apiece, both combining on a sack. Fernando Jeanty was credited with a sack among his four total tackles.

For the Mocs, Zion Rutledge had a game-high 17 tackles, collecting nine solo stops and 1.5 for loss. Jaden Nelson and Kristian Ozane tallied the two interceptions for UTC, while Jermaine Stinson had the lone Chattanooga sack.

Two promising drives early only netted the Catamounts three points as Bryan McCollum punched through a 28-yard field goal late in the first quarter for the 3-0 lead. That score stood until the final five minutes of the first half, when the two teams combined for 17 points.

Wyche capped an 89-yard march by the Mocs with a four-yard touchdown run for the 7-3 lead before Colombo weaved his way down the far sideline for the 86-yard punt return for a score to shift the Homecoming momentum. UTC, though, closed the half with the record-setting 57-yard field goal by Kelley to knot the game at 10.

Chattanooga needed just four plays to cover 75 yards on its opening possession of the third quarter, punctuated by Alberson's 19-yard touchdown run that gave the visitors a 17-10 advantage. The Mocs then limited Western Carolina to three first downs and 61 yards of offense in the period to hold control entering the fourth quarter.

Kelley’s second field goal early in the fourth quarter made it a 10-point game.

Any hopes of a comeback faded early in the fourth quarter when Chattanooga intercepted passes on back-to-back Western Carolina possessions just three plays apart. The Mocs converted both takeaways into touchdowns, stretching the margin to 34-10.

Thomas orchestrated a 14-play, 88-yard drive with a scoring pass to Carlos to shrink the deficit to 34-18. Chattanooga, though, provided the final tally just two plays after an unsuccessful on-sides kick attempt, with Lalin breaking free for a 37-yard touchdown run and the 41-18 final.

WCU struggled in several areas that had fueled its success this season. The Catamounts finished just 2-of-11 on third down after entering the game converting 44 percent of their opportunities, committed a season-high 12 penalties for 116 yards, and were held without a takeaway while posting a negative turnover margin for just the second time this season.

Western Carolina (3-5, 1-3 SoCon) travels to Greenville, S.C., in league action next Saturday, Oct. 31, for a 2 p.m. kickoff against chromatic rival Furman (2-6, 1-3 SoCon).