CHATTANOOGA, Tenn. (WJHL) – Chattanooga scored three quick touchdowns on Saturday afternoon to separate themselves from ETSU in a dominant 34-3 victory.
The Blue and Gold offense tallied just 120 total yards, turning the ball over four times, as the Mocs claimed the Rail Rivalry trophy for the fourth-consecutive time.
Bucs quarterback, and Chattanooga native, William Riddle completed 8-of-25 passes for 46 yards and an interception in the loss. The McCallie School graduate was also sacked four times.
Chase Artopoeus tallied 249 yards through the air for the home squad, throwing two touchdowns and an interception.
The first quarter, however, belonged to running back Gino Appleberry who cashed in on rushed of two and three yards to give the Mocs a 14-0 lead after 15 minutes of play.
At the start of the second quarter, Artopoeus then hit Jamoi Mayes on a deep crossing pattern for a 45-yard strike.
An ETSU interception from Jayvon Henderson setup a 40-yard field goal off the foot of Ewan Johnson. The Bucs cut the lead to 21-3 with just under four minutes to play in the first half.
In the second half, Chattanooga was content to chew clock after Mayes’ second touchdown catch of the afternoon, making it 28-3 Mocs. Two more fourth-quarter field goals rounded out the scoring.
Jordan Hoskins (11 tackles) and Zach West (10 tackles, sack) paced the Bucs’ defense in defeat.
ETSU (2-5, 1-3 SoCon) takes on the top team in the conference, Furman, next week in Greenville. Kickoff is set for 2 p.m.
