GREENVILLE, S.C. — The Chattanooga Mocs wrapped up their Southern Conference schedule with a 17-10 victory over Furman on Saturday in Greenville, turning three Paladin giveaways and a pair of special teams swings into enough points to hold on.
The tone was set before Furman’s offense could settle in. Keyshawn Jackson intercepted a pass on the very first snap, and the Mocs converted the takeaway when kicker Jude Kelley split the uprights from 42 yards out. Midway through the opening quarter, the Paladins mishandled a punt deep in their own territory, and Taylor Crumedy pounced on the ball in the end zone. That gave Chattanooga a 10-0 cushion, and neither offense found the scoreboard again before halftime.
Davon Kiser broke the second half open on its first play, racing 96 yards on the kickoff return before he was dragged down at the Furman 3. Four plays later, quarterback Matthew Clemmer pushed across on a 1-yard sneak to make it 17-0. Furman put together an 86-yard scoring march late in the third quarter, finished by a 21-yard touchdown throw, but the Paladins never got closer. D.J. Adams ended any hope of a tying score by picking off a pass at the Chattanooga goal line as the clock hit zero.
Running back Kevin Lalin crossed the 1,000-yard rushing mark for the year on a 36-yard burst in the second quarter. He is the first Chattanooga runner to reach four figures in a season since Ailym Ford did it in 2022, and only the 16th in program history. Linebacker Zion Rutledge recorded six tackles and went over 100 stops for the season, giving him consecutive 100-tackle years.
Chattanooga’s defense matched its best total of the season with 10 tackles behind the line. The win also evened the Mocs’ all-time record in Greenville at 14-14, the university’s athletics department said.
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