B.J. Coleman and Joel Bradford connected again and again, Erroll Wynn ran wild - and this time there was no fourth-quarter flop.
Powered by a dominating offensive performance that averaged 7.6 yards per play, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga picked up its desperately awaited first win of the football season Saturday night.
The Mocs scored on the game's opening drive and never let up. They dispatched Eastern Kentucky 42-24 in front of an announced crowd of 10,543 at Finley Stadium.
After seeing double-digit fourth-quarter leads disappear in their first two games - losses to Appalachian State and Jacksonville State - the Mocs (1-2) felt they couldn't afford emotionally to let another slip away.
"We needed that win so bad," UTC coach Russ Huesman said. "They were pretty happy in the locker room. We had to have it, our kids knew we had to have that win - so proud of them."
There were a lot of reasons to be proud. The Mocs gained 548 yards of offense, put up big passing and rushing numbers and played good defense when they had to, holding the Colonels (0-3) to 294 yards.
The Mocs led 28-9 at the half, scored on their first drive of the third quarter and never really let the Colonels get back in the game.
"We knew we were going to win this game," said defensive end Chris Donald, who had 2.5 sacks.
Coleman had 222 yards passing at the half as UTC built a 28-9 lead. He finished 24-for-32 for a career-high 375 yards, with four touchdowns and an interception. His favorite target was former McCallie School teammate Bradford, who had 11 catches for a school-record 254 yards and a touchdown.
The Mocs took the opening kickoff and drove 76 yards for a touchdown. Coleman hit tight end Sloan Allison for a 21-yard score, Allison's first career TD catch. The two hooked up again in the third quarter, this time for a 14-yard touchdown that put UTC in front 35-9.
"I'm glad the first one was kind of an easy one," Allison said. "I didn't have to do much - just run out there and make a catch."
The son of former Mocs coach Rodney Allison pumped his fists and ran to the sideline, and after his first TD catch he made the tackle on the ensuing kickoff.
The play of the game put UTC up 14-0 with 5:51 left in the first quarter.
On second down at the Mocs' 20, Coleman dropped back and fired a bomb down the middle, into double coverage. Colonels cornerback Jeremy Caldwell, a former Red Bank standout, got a hand on the ball, but the deflected pass dropped right into Bradford's arms.
Bradford then sprinted into the end zone for an improbable 80-yard score, UTC's longest pass play since 1999.
"I did my job," said Bradford, who had a couple of drops. "I didn't play the best game, I will tell you that."
The Mocs have outscored their opponents 66-16 in the first half this season, but unlike their previous games it wasn't wasted Saturday.
Wynn, who made his first start since the 2008 finale, was a big reason why. The fifth-year senior rushed for 122 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries.
The Mocs didn't punt until midway through the fourth quarter when Mike Hammons' kick was blocked and returned by Shawn Shupperd for a touchdown to make it 35-22. A two-point conversion cut UTC's lead to 35-24 with 7:13 left.
While UTC had reason to be anxious at that point, the offense responded with some clutch plays on the ensuing possession. Coleman hit Bradford for 43 yards to the EKU 6, and soon after that, Keon Williams, a true freshman from Red Bank, scored his first college touchdown.
The Mocs will return to Southern Conference play this Saturday at Western Carolina.
Contact John Frierson at jfrierson@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6268. Follow him on Twitter at twitter.com/mocsbeat.
