No. 17 Tennessee Tech Hosts Chattanooga for Big Non-Conference Tilt
The No. 17 Golden Eagles host the Chattanooga Mocs at 12 p.m. CT inside Tucker Stadium on Saturday.
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
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3 | 0 | 7 | 7 | 17 |
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21 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 45 |
Team Stats
Chattanooga
| Game Statistics | Chattanooga | Tennessee Tech |
|---|---|---|
| Passing Yards | 249 | 292 |
| Rushing Yards | 25 | 221 |
| Turnovers | 2 | 2 |
| Time of Poss. | 32:42 | 27:18 |
By Jeff Bowe, TTU Media Relations
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – The No. 17 Golden Eagles host the Chattanooga Mocs in a preview of future conference rivals at 12 p.m. CT inside Tucker Stadium on Saturday.
Noah McKay (PxP) and Justin Matheney (Analyst) have the radio call on 106.1 The Eagle, while Dylan Vazzano and Sam Brooks will announce the action on ESPN+ (subscription required). Kickoff is set for 12 p.m. CT.
The rivalry matchup between Tech and Chattanooga goes back to 1938, with the Mocs holding a 30-10 advantage and winning the last four matchups. The last win over Chattanooga was a 52-34 result on Oct. 9, 2004, in Cookeville. The Golden Eagles are 4-10 at home in the series history and have dropped seven of the last 10 series matchups.
Tech began the season with a 65-0 blowout of Cumberland and rose four spots in the FCS Top 25, moving from No. 21 to No. 17 heading into this weekend's matchup. The Golden Eagles moved into the top 20 for the first time since breaking into that section of the rankings on Nov. 21, 2011. During the 2011 season, the Golden Eagles rose as high as No. 15 in the FCS Coaches Poll. This is the first contest between these two schools since the opening game of the 2018 season and the last matchup as non-conference foes, with Tech set to join the SoCon in 2026.
The Golden Eagles rose the second-most spots in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, climbing four spots to No. 17 from No. 21 after the 65-point victory over Cumberland. Only Southern Illinois climbed up more spots in the poll, moving up six positions from No. 20 to No. 14.
GAMEDAY INFORMATION
Matchup: No. 17 Tennessee Tech vs. Chattanooga
Date & Time: Saturday, Sept. 6 at 12 p.m. CT
Venue: Tucker Stadium
TV: ESPN+
Radio: 106.1 The Eagle
BY THE NUMBERS
- 6 – The Golden Eagles were almost perfectly balanced offensively, racking up 284 yards passing and 286 yards rushing for 570 total yards, which was 6th in the nation among FCS schools.
- 16 – QB Kekoa Visperas threw for 200-plus yards in a single game for the 16th time in his collegiate career (27 games)
- 65 – 65 points scored by the Tech offense was the second most points in a single game in modern program history (1st; 68 vs. UT Martin, Nov. 21, 2022).
- 1,031 – Tre' Holloway surpassed the 1,000-yard mark with three receptions for 45 yards, putting him at 1,031-career yards.
LAST GAME: Tennessee Tech opened the 2025 season with a resounding 65-0 win over Cumberland (TN) on Saturday at Tucker Stadium. The Golden Eagles fell just three points shy of tying the all-time single-game points record of 68 with 65 points against Cumberland during the victory on Saturday. Tennessee Tech produced a balanced offense with 570 total yards, including 284 passing and 286 rushing. In his first game with the Golden Eagles, Kekoa Visperas completed 17-26 for 250 yards and three touchdowns during his first game with the program. Maurice Sims led Tennessee Tech with five rushes for 92 yards and punched it in for one touchdown. Q'Daryius Jennings made six rushes for 80 yards and two touchdowns and Quintell Quinn carried the ball 10 times for 44 yards and one touchdown. Wide out Noah Robinson led the Eagles with 58 yards on three receptions, including a long of 35 yards with 34 yards after catch. Tre' Holloway pulled in three receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown as 11 different Golden Eagles made at least one reception. Tech defense held Cumberland to 104 total yards and limited its rushing attack to 64 yards, while holding its passing attack to just 40 yards. The Golden Eagles recorded one sack, forced two fumbles (0 lost), and grabbed one interception (Gavin Bryson).
HOW IT HAPPENED: Tech opened the scoring with a 25-yard touchdown pass from Visperas to senior running back Torin Baker, marking his third touchdown grab with the Golden Eagles. After the staunch Golden Eagles defense forced the Phoenix to punt, Quintell Quinn capped a four-play 70-yard drive with a four-yard TD rush, pushing the advantage to 14-0. With 42 seconds left in the first quarter, Visperas connected with Littles in the corner of the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown pass, giving Tech a 21-0 advantage through one quarter. In the second quarter, Tech scored four times, including a 19-yard rush by Jennings, a three-yard TD reception by Tre' Holloway, a 53-yard punt return for a TD by Holloway, and a 43-yard field goal by Dom LeBlanc to put the game away. Tech led 45-0 going into the halftime break. In the second half, Jennings scored on a 25-yard rush, backup QB Jace Wilson spun into the end zone for a four-yard rushing touchdown, and Maurice Sims broke away for a 78-yard touchdown rush to finish out a 65-0 victory. The Golden Eagles scored the second-most points in a single game in program history (65), falling just three points shy of the program record set against UT Martin (68) on Nov. 21, 2002.
SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE WEEK: Tennessee Tech redshirt junior wide receiver Tre' Holloway was named OVC-Big South Special Teams Player of the Week, as announced today by the conference. Holloway accounts for 74 returning yards and one touchdown return as well as three receptions for 45 yards and one touchdown reception for 119 all-purpose yards and two total touchdowns in the 65-0 victory over Cumberland (TN) during Week 1. He was named OVC-Big South Special Teams Player of the Week for the first time since joining the Golden Eagles before the 2025 season. Tech wins its season opener for the first time since 2020 against Austin Peay (9/21/20; W, 27-21). The redshirt junior wide out from Washington, D.C., averaged 15.0 yards per reception with a long of 35 yards, and 37 yards per return with a long of 53 yards (touchdown). With his 45 receiving yards, Holloway surpassed the 1,000-receiving-yard mark for his career (1,031) over 26 games combined between Wheeling (25 games) and Tennessee Tech (1 game). Holloway reeled in his first touchdown with the Golden Eagles during the season opener and now has 16 touchdown grabs combined between Wheeling (15) and Tech (1). The 53-yard punt return for a touchdown was the first of his career.
DOMINANT DEFENSE: The Golden Eagles' defense allowed 0 points in a single game for the first time since 2023 against Tennessee State (W, 35-0). It's only the fifth time in the last 25 years that the Tech defense has held an opponent scoreless. The previous shutouts took place in 2013 (W, 34-0 vs. Austin Peay), 2010 (W, 43-0 vs. Lane College), and 2000 (W, 29-0 vs. Samford). Currently, the Golden Eagles are tied for first among FCS opponents with 0 points allowed. More national rankings following week 1 can be found below.
NATIONAL RANKINGS (FCS – Week 1)
T-1st Scoring Defense (0)
1st Punt Return Yards (39.33)
2nd Passing Yards Allowed (40)
3rd Total Defense (104 yards)
4th Scoring Offense (65)
6th Total Offense (570.0)
9th Rushing Offense (286.0)
13th Passing Offense (284.0)
20th Rushing Defense (64.0)
TOP 25 RANKINGS
STATS PERFORM
| Rk | School | 1st | Rec |
| 1 | North Dakota State | -53 | 1,397 |
| 2 | South Dakota State | -2 | 1,333 |
| 3 | Montana State | -1 | 1,274 |
| 4 | South Dakota | 1,171 | |
| 5 | Tarleton State | 1,164 | |
| 6 | Montana | 1,027 | |
| 7 | Illinois State | 961 | |
| 8 | UC Davis | 958 | |
| 9 | Rhode Island | 953 | |
| 10 | Idaho | 879 | |
| 11 | Lehigh | 745 | |
| 12 | UIW | 730 | |
| 13 | Villanova | 718 | |
| 14 | Southern Illinois | 423 | |
| 15 | Jackson State | 422 | |
| 16 | Abilene Christian | 396 | |
| 17 | Tennessee Tech | 371 | |
| 18 | Sacramento State | 351 | |
| 19 | Northern Arizona | 349 | |
| 20 | North Dakota | 325 | |
| 21 | Monmouth | 323 | |
| 22 | Nicholls | 265 | |
| 23 | Mercer | 229 | |
| 24 | Southern Utah | 226 | |
| 25 | Stephen F. Austin | 146 |
AFCA FCS TOP 25
| Rk | School | 1sts | Pts |
| 1 | North Dakota State | -25 | 649 |
| 2 | South Dakota State | 586 | |
| T3 | Montana State | 567 | |
| T3 | Tarleton State | -1 | 567 |
| 5 | UC Davis | 469 | |
| 6 | South Dakota | 465 | |
| 7 | Illinois State | 446 | |
| 8 | Rhode Island | 440 | |
| 9 | UIW | 412 | |
| 10 | Montana | 402 | |
| 11 | Idaho | 384 | |
| 12 | Villanova | 338 | |
| 13 | Lehigh | 291 | |
| 14 | Jackson State | 268 | |
| 15 | Southern Illinois | 239 | |
| 16 | Sacramento State | 213 | |
| 17 | Abilene Christian | 211 | |
| 18 | Monmouth | 184 | |
| 19 | Northern Arizona | 167 | |
| 20 | Tennessee Tech | 159 | |
| 21 | Mercer | 156 | |
| 22 | North Dakota | 95 | |
| 23 | Stephen F. Austin | 60 | |
| 24 | ETSU | 58 | |
| T25 | Nicholls | 57 | |
| T25 | Western Carolina | 57 |
NEW EAGLES IN THE NEST: There are a lot of new faces on the Golden Eagle lineup as head coach Bobby Wilder has used the transfer portal to Tech's advantage, bringing in a lot of talent – not just on the field, but off with 32 total players on the roster with degrees – with experienced student-athletes. Behind center, quarterback Kekoa Visperas is an exciting addition to the lineup after a fantastic season at Eastern Washington last year, where he had the nation's best completion percentage at 74.3, throwing for 2,171 yards and 17 touchdowns, while also rushing for nine more scores. D.J. Linkins and Tremel Jones return for another tour of duty on the receivers core, but will be joined by Robert Morris transfer Noah Robinson, who was an All-OVC/Big South selection with the Colonials. Aidan Littles had a breakout season last year at running back and will be teamed with Murray State transfer Q'Daryius Jennings. On defense, the Golden Eagles were dealt a blow with the departures of defensive lineman Daniel Rickert and cornerback Caldra Williford following the spring workouts, but Tech has incredible depth on defense with Tim Coutras, Omari Philyaw, Toby Bolton and Leon Thomas anchoring the secondary, Aaron Swafford and Theron Gaines at linebacker, Jalin Shephard at nickel and a strong defensive front with Xavier Randolph, Jeremiah Sandiford, Kanstin Brooks, Maurice LaPierre, A.J. Crawford, Tyler Swann, Chima Iwuagwu and Idris King. On special teams, Jones, who the OVC-Big South recognized as a punt returner, kick returner, and all-purpose player, will be a big weapon for the Golden Eagles on returns, while Dom LeBlanc returns as kicker and Spencer Ashby on punts.
PICKED FIRST IN THE OVC-BIG SOUTH: The Tennessee Tech football team made some incredible strides last season under the direction of head coach Bobby Wilder as the Golden Eagles claimed their 11th Ohio Valley Conference championship among a four-way tie. This season, the Golden Eagles are looking for more, and the OVC-Big South coaches agree, knowing the potential is there as Tech was picked first in the combined conferences' preseason poll on Wednesday. The pick is a huge indicator of growth in just a year's time, but Wilder isn't content to rest on the preseason laurels. The first-place projection is also the first time since 1978 that the Golden Eagles find themselves atop the OVC preseason projection. Tech was projected second in 2001 and third in 1993 and 1994.
PRESEASON WATCH LISTS
Tim Coutras - Buck Buchanan Award Watch List, OVC/Big South Defensive Player of the Year,
Tremel Jones – OVC/Big South Kick returner/all-purpose player and punt returner.
OVC PRESEASON DEFENSIVE WATCH LIST
Hudson Tucker (DL)
Aaron Swafford (LB)
Tim Coutras (DB)
Spencer Ashby (P)
Tremel Jones (KR/PR)
OVC PRESEASON OFFENSIVE WATCH LIST
Kekoa Visperas (QB)
Aidan Littles (RB)
Noah Robinson (WR)
Brian Courtney (TE)
Drew Wilder (OL)
Tremel Jones (All-purpose)
Dom LeBlanc (PK)
GOLDEN EAGLE FOOTBALL HOME TIMES ADJUSTED TO NOON: Progress is being made on the new Tucker Stadium on the Tennessee Tech campus, continuing the spirit of growth and renewal at the University. However, as the construction project continues, the start times for all Tennessee Tech home football games have been adjusted to 12 PM Central starts, with the first six home contests now scheduled to begin at earlier times. The season finale against UT Martin will remain at its originally scheduled noon kickoff. The reasoning is simple – with the construction project continuing and lights being taken down around the facility for the duration of the build, this will allow fans ample time to cheer on the Golden Eagle football team and exit the facility before sunset, keeping them safe as they enter and exit the stadium. Tech was picked first last week in the Ohio Valley Conference/Big South Conference Projected Order of Finish after ending the 2024 campaign in a tie for first place for their 11th league championship in program history. The Golden Eagles open the season on August 30 against Cumberland for the first of seven home games this season at Tucker Stadium as Tech looks to win the OVC-Big South title outright.
SEVEN HOME GAMES HIGHLIGHT 2025 TECH FOOTBALL SCHEDULE: Tech Football hosts in-state foe Chattanooga on Sept. 6. Tech last played the Mocs in 2018 in Dewayne Alexander's debut as head coach. The last time the Mocs came to Cookeville was in the 2014 season. A first-time foe for the Golden Eagles will visit Tucker Stadium on Sept. 13 as Davidson, out of the Pioneer League, will take on Tech. Davidson went 6-5 last season, including a 4-4 mark in the Pioneer. Following the bye on Sept. 20, Tech will open Ohio Valley Conference-Big South Football Association play on Sept. 27 at Tennessee State. In October, Tech's slate includes a visit from Western Illinois (Oct. 4), two straight weeks on the road at Charleston Southern (Oct. 11) and Lindenwood (Oct. 18), then back home for a contest against Southeast Missouri (Oct. 25). November opens with the annual Homecoming game with Gardner-Webb (Nov. 1), then the final road swing of the season begins with a conference trip to Eastern Illinois before going to Lexington to take on Southeastern Conference foe Kentucky on Nov. 15. That game marks the first meeting with the Wildcats since the 1951 season. Tech closes out 2025's regular-season schedule at home as the Golden Eagles host UT Martin on Nov. 22. Game times and other special events will be announced at a later date.
STATE 16: The Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles have 41 players on their roster from the great state of Tennessee. Clayton Harris (DL), Tayton Swift (DB), Timothy Jones (DB), Jay'un Smith (DB), Mason Goree (DB), Alex Delk (OL), Wes Delk (OL), Thomas Johnson (DB), Mason Taylor (DB), Branson Turnbow (WR), Aaron Swafford (LB), Kade Butler (QB), D.J. Curll (LB), Dom Reed (LB), Luke Meyer (DL), Torin Baker (RB), Tyler Nix (TE), Jameson Wharton (DB), Robbie Jacobs (WR), Seth Vaughn (DL), Keilan Harris (LB), Aja Jones (WR), Xavier Randolph (DL), Cameron Booker (WR), Theron Gaines (DL), Armaan Lehal (OL), Ethan McLaurin (DL), Eric Taylor (DB), Richard Bryant (DB), Derrick Burroughs (DB), D'Arious Reed (WR), Tim Coutras (DB), Zion Tamaska (RB), Coby Walton (QB), Xavier Hickman (DL), Nick Owens Jr. (WR), Aidan Littles (RB), Isaac Knowles (WR), Isaac Jackson (RB), C.J. Wyller (DL), Tucker Kyne (TE).
