Late FB Comeback Falls Just Short At Chattanooga

Saturday, October 20

Chattanooga, Tenn.

5 p.m.

Samford University

5-3 , 3-3

Chattanooga

4-3 , 3-1

Team	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	Final F
Samford	0	3	0	10	13
Chattanooga	0	10	10	0	20

Junior wide receiver Kelsey Pope.

Late FB Comeback Falls Just Short At Chattanooga

10.20.12 | Football

Box Score

By: Joey Mullins

CHATTANOOGA, Tenn.—A late comeback fell just short as the Samford football team dropped a 20-13 decision in a Southern Conference game at Chattanooga Saturday evening at Finley Stadium.

Samford head coach Pat Sullivan was not in attendance at the game while recovering from a slight relapse of pneumonia. Bill D'Ottavio, Samford's assistant head coach and defensive coordinator led the team in Sullivan's absence.

“You have to give credit to Chattanooga, they made the plays,” D'Ottavio said. “I thought both sides fought really well and I was proud of our kids' effort. In the end we came up just a little short.”

Samford trailed, 20-3, entering the fourth quarter. Cameron Yaw kicked a 47-yard field goal with 12:13 to go to cut the lead to 20-6. Fabian Truss scored a touchdown on a one-yard run with 3:35 left in the game, and Yaw added the extra point to make the score 20-13.

The Bulldogs had one final shot to score and tie the game. Samford drove to the Chattanooga 41-yard line, but Andy Summerlin's pass on the final play of the game fell incomplete in the end zone, ending the Bulldogs' chances.

With the loss, Samford drops to 5-3 overall and 3-3 in Southern Conference play. Chattanooga improves to 4-3 overall and 3-1 in league play.

In the game, Summerlin completed 27-of-40 passes for 191 yards and one interception. Kelsey Pope caught 12 passes for 78 yards. Truss scored the Bulldogs' lone touchdown of the game, and rushed 11 times for 29 yards in the loss.

Defensively for Samford, Durell Hill led the way with 12 tackles. Keith Shoulders followed with nine stops. Yaw made both of his field goal attempts, including a school-record 52-yarder in the second quarter.

As a team, Samford finished with 259 yards of total offense, to 250 yards for Chattanooga. Samford had 16 first downs, compared to 13 for the Mocs. UTC had the ball for 33:07, while Samford kept the ball for 26:53 of the game.

For Chattanooga, Jacob Huesman completed 18-of-23 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown. Huesman was also the Mocs' leading rusher with 64 yards and a touchdown on 23 carries. Terrell Robinson led UTC's receivers with nine catches for 65 yards.

Wes Dothard led the Chattanooga defense with 11 total tackles. Gunner Miller had an interception to go along with his six tackles.

Chattanooga jumped on top first on its first possession of the second quarter. Nick Pollard kicked a 29-yard field goal to give the Mocs a 3-0 lead with 12:21 left in the second quarter.

The Mocs scored the game's first touchdown with just 28 seconds to go before halftime. Huesman scored on a one-yard fourth-down run, and Pollard added the extra point to put Chattanooga up, 10-0.

Samford, however, was able to get into field goal range before the end of the half. The Bulldogs put their first points on the scoreboard when Yaw kicked a 52-yard field goal as time expired in the second quarter to cut the UTC lead to 10-3.

The Mocs added to their lead on their first possession of the third quarter. Pollard kicked a 36-yard field goal to make the score 13-3 with 10:12 to go in the third quarter. Huesman hit Marquis Green for a 16-yard touchdown with 50 seconds left in the third quarter. Pollard's PAT gave the Mocs a 20-3 lead.

Samford will take the next week off from competition. The Bulldogs will return to action on Saturday, Nov. 3, when Samford plays host to Wofford. The game is scheduled for a 2 p.m. kickoff from Seibert Stadium.