Marcus West, defensive line coach, jumps on Davis Tull.Mocs GlanceUTC (3-3, 2-0) at THE CITADEL (2-4, 0-1)Saturday, NoonJohnson Hagood Stadium96.1 FM, American Sports Network TV
If history is any indication, Saturday's football game between the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga and The Citadel will be decided by a razor thin margin. Over the past decade this has become one of the more heated and balanced rivalries in the Southern Conference. Although UTC has won four of five match-ups under Russ Huesman, the series is knotted 5-5 over the past decade, with six of those games decided by 10 points or less.
"They're very disciplined which means you can't make many mistakes against them," said senior defensive lineman Zach Rayl. "They're tough guys, and every time you play them you know it's going to be a dogfight.
"It could be the military mentality there, but whatever it is you can't underestimate them ever, regardless of what their record is."
Last year the Mocs rallied from a 10-point second half deficit, scoring with just over two minutes left for a 28-24 win. The year before that The Citadel was ranked No. 11 with wins over two top 10 FCS foes when it hosted the 1-3 Mocs, who promptly claimed an 18-point win for one of the biggest road wins of the Huesman era.
And in 2011 it was UTC that led 27-0 at the half only to see the Bulldogs come roaring back for a 28-27 win.
So far this season nearly half of all SoCon match-ups have been decided by one possession.
"In my experience The Citadel has been the most physical team we play," Mocs defensive tackle Josh Freeman said. "We prepare for a physical fight, and we're going to go in and give that to them. It'll get nasty. It'll be fun. We just have to get after them."
The Mocs are 11-11-1 against The Citadel in Charleston, having won the last two meetings there.
The Mocs are looking to maintain at least a tie atop the league standings. UTC and Western Carolina are currently tied with 2-0 conference records. The Catamounts are also on the road, playing at Mercer, which is surprisingly 5-2 overall and 1-2 in the conference.
Despite hosting Saturday's game, The Citadel coach Mike Houston admitted this would be the biggest conference challenge his team will face this season.
"In addition to the best defense in the league you see the explosiveness offensively now," Houston said. "Then you flip to special teams and No. 8 (Tommy Hudson) is averaging some ridiculous numbers returning punts and there aren't many weaknesses."
Sacks hard to come by
After a season-high five sacks at Tennessee, it will be tough for the Mocs to add to their SoCon-leading total of 17 sacks. That also ranks 17th nationally among FCS program, but the Citadel average of 14 pass attempts per game ranks among the fewest of any team in the country.
"We just have to make the most of what chances we do get when they drop back," Freeman said. "We don't want anybody to feel like they can just drop back and pass on us. We really want to get after people and disrupt them."
The Mocs also lead the league with 50 tackles for loss. Senior defensive end Davis Tull is tied for third on the league's career sacks list with 32.5, just four from becoming the all-time leader. Over the past four games Tull has 10 tackles for loss, six sacks, six quarterback hurries and two forced fumbles.
Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.