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Taharin Tyson picked up a large blue and gold flag with the Chattanooga logo and trotted a complete circle around Finley Stadium, his long dreadlocks bouncing with each step.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga senior fullback stopped along the way to high-five fans, wave the flag and hug teammates. After completing his personal victory lap, Tyson stood near midfield, wiped his brow with a gloved hand and surveyed the celebratory scene nearby.
Having just helped the Mocs to a 31-13 win over Wofford on Saturday afternoon, Tyson let out a relieved sigh. The win assured the Mocs of their first FCS playoff berth in 30 years and, coupled with Western Carolina's loss to Samford, assured them their first outright Southern Conference championship since 1984.
UTC players pose for a photo after the Mocs' 31-13 win over the Wofford Terriers on Saturday at Finley Stadium. The win nets the Mocs the SoCon championship and a spot in the playoffs.Read moreWiedmer: Consider UTC's football glory restoredChattanooga Mocs get it done: UTC tops Terriers, wins SoCon titleHuesman Mocs' all-time total-offense leader
"I've never been more proud of a team, man," said Tyson, who helped bring a championship attitude from perennial power Alcoa High School, where he won four state titles. "We wanted to take the decision away from anybody else and take care of business on our own. That's what we set out to do, ever since the way last year ended. We left no doubt."
Athletic department officials will submit a bid this week to host a first-round playoff game for the final weekend of November. Playoff matchups and host sites will be announced after the regular season ends Nov. 22.
Tyson was among the 13 seniors honored before the game - a group that helped take UTC from the league cellar to the new SoCon standard.
When Russ Huesman took over as coach of his alma mater six years ago, the Mocs were coming off a dismal 1-11 finish and hadn't won more than three games in a season in four years. Through recruiting and tireless preparation, Huesman and his staff assembled a team that began to turn things around immediately.
UTC won six games in Huesman's first season and had eight wins and were one of three teams to share the conference title last year. But the Mocs were left out of the playoffs, a frustration that drove this year's team to its current 6-0 league record, the best in program history.
"I sat with some of the other former players, and it was cool to be here to watch guys I played with do this," said Gunner Miller, a senior linebacker on last year's team who played high school ball at East Ridge. "I'm excited for them, for the program and for Chattanooga.
"The season before we got here, they were 1-11. We started turning things around a little bit, got a ring last year, and now the next step is they get to go to the playoffs. That's awesome to see."
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.