FCS Week 1 Game of the Week – Tennessee Tech Golden Eagles @ Chattanooga Mocs: How to Watch, Preview, Predictions

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Date: Saturday September 5, 2026

Time: 6:00 PM (ET)

TV: ESPN+

The Quick Hits

The SoCon era for Tennessee Tech officially gets underway this Saturday (sort of) as the #12 Golden Eagles play at Chattanooga. Although these two are now conference brethren, this is not an official SoCon game. TTU comes in at 1-0 after a solid Week 0 victory. Last year’s Big South-OVC champs are not your typical new kids on the block as they came into this 2026 season as the odds on favorites to win the SoCon in their first year. This matchup with Chattanooga will go a long way in telling us just how accurate of a sentiment that is even if it doesn’t count in the standings. They looked really good at home last weekend against a ranked Monmouth squad but now it’s time for the first road trip of the fall and all the challenges that come with it.

The Mocs will play host after taking down a feisty West Georgia squad last week. Although there was nothing that jumped off the page in earnest about Chattanooga’s 24-10 victory, it was still a much-needed victory nonetheless. This is a unit that has not made the FCS playoffs for three seasons now and last year they won just five games. In a conference that so often cannibalizes itself, these are the games that tend to make or break season even though they’re in September. Someone will be 2-0 when the lights fade out in Finley Stadium this weekend and, whoever that is, will have firmly planted themselves in the driver seat before the SoCon marathon begins.

The Coaches

Bobby Wilder and his Tennessee Tech program took a big step last year, winning 11 games and reaching the postseason for just the second time in school history. That’s been the name of the game since Wilder took over in 2024; taking steps in the right direction. TTU has gone from a 4-7 team in 2023 to now one that expects to make a legitimate playoff run and push for a bye week. Wilder, the former longtime Old Dominion head man, has won 19 games (14 in conference) in his short time with the Golden Eagles and that is showing no signs of slowing down. He’s constructed a real winner in Cookeville and his team is really, really fun to watch to boot.

For Chattanooga it is the experience of Rusty Wright that leads the day. Wright has called the shots for the Mocs for seven full seasons now as he enters his eighth at his alma mater. The playoffs, though, have largely eluded him having qualified for them just one time in his tenure. Wright has yet to win a SoCon title but has consistently had his team as a top three finisher in the conference essentially every year. Last year was his first losing season since being named the head coach and no one wants to right that ship more than the man himself.

Tennessee Tech Offense vs. Chattanooga Defense

Just a few weeks ago Jax Leatherwood was named the staring quarterback for the Golden Eagles and, just one game in, that appears to have been the correct call. Leatherwood, who came over from Southeast Missouri State, lit it up last weekend against Monmouth, throwing for 289 yards and four touchdowns. He likes to throw it as does first-year offensive coordinator Drew Belcher and, if all goes according to plan, that’s what can be expected again here.

Leatherwood threw the ball 35 times in the Week 0 win and that’s largely because he has a plethora of pass-catchers to look to. Gabe Nunez, Maury Sullivan and Qua Ashley all caught scores last week with Nunez going for 118 yards while doing so. Seven different guys had multiple receptions and Leatherwood spread it around beautifully. He will, however, have to contend with a Chattanooga defense that allowed under 200 passing yards and no touchdowns through the air last weekend.

Defensive backs Keyshawn Jackson and D.J. Adams will be two of the big names Leatherwood has to watch out for when throwing. That duo combined for all five of the Mocs’ PBUs against West Georgia and had just as many tackles between the two of them. Jackson is a talented corner that appeared in seven games last year as a sophomore. Now as a junior he’s expected to be one of the feature pieces in the secondary. Adams, meanwhile, is a senior who played all 12 games last fall with three starts.

When Tennessee Tech does run it will likely be M.J. Flowers who gets the ball. Like many of the Golden Eagles playmakers, he’s a new face as well. Flowers played for UConn last fall, rushing for just 75 yards in his limited attempts. It was evident last week, though, that he’s a big part of what Belcher wants to do with the offense as he got 15 touches and averaged almost four yards per carry.

Senior Mocs linebacker Zion Rutledge will have something to say about that. Rutlege was the team’s second-leading tackler against the Hawks, logging five stops. He was behind only DB Kam Baah-Slay and the both of them should play a big part for the D once again this weekend. Slowing down this Tennessee Tech offense is a job that’s a whole lot easier said than done, though, and if Chattanooga isn’t up to the task, it could end up being a long day.

Chattanooga Offense vs. Tennessee Tech Defense

Last year it was Camden Orth under center for the Mocs. Now it’s junior Battle Alberson. Alberson made three starts in 2025 but now it looks like he’ll be the guy with Orth not around anymore. Last week he completed nine passes for 180 yards and two scores. Those numbers aren’t anything crazy but that’s okay. Chattanooga runs an offense where if he does enough and doesn’t put the ball in harm’s way they’ll be alright. That’s because they’ll be looking to keep the ball on the ground for most of the time in an effort to play keep away from the talented TTU offense.

That’s where running back Kevin Lalin comes into play. Lalin transferred in from Division II Catawba College and, although the sample size is small still, he looks to be a big time player for the offense. Lalin had over 2,200 rushing yards at Catawba and last week he seemed to be right at home with the Mocs, rumbling for 128 on 30 touches. Lalin was far and away the feature component of the rushing attack and if he gets going, the Tennessee Tech defense is going to have their hands full.

The Golden Eagles were one of the top defenses in the FCS last year when it came to tackles behind the line of scrimmage and sacks. In their opener, though, they only notched two TFLs and had zero sacks. Guys like Kanstin Brooks and Malaki Pegues will need to be sound in their assignments on the defensive front in order to slow down Lalin. Pegues played in ten games for Arkansas-Monticello last year and was very active last week. Kanstin, on the other hand, has been with the program for quite a while, having logged 18 tackles for loss in his five years with the team. The TTU linebackers will be just as vital. Greg Turner was at the center of it for the defense last week, authoring six stops against Monmouth and getting in on a TFL.

Just because Chattanooga won’t necessarily be pass-first doesn’t mean they can’t be deadly when they do. Ashton Schumann in specific will be a name that the Golden Eagles will need to hone in on. He went for 100 yards last week and made an explosive play with a 72-yard touchdown nab. Schumann is another non-DI transfer that it appears the Mocs have hit on. He comes in from Central Oklahoma where he was the MIAA Freshman of the Year back in 2023 and posted over 1,800 receiving yards and 12 TDs during his time there.

The Prediction

It will be two different styles clashing and the matchup that will be the deciding factor is Chattanooga’s defensive backs against the myriad of Tennessee Tech receivers and Leatherwood. Nunez and the corps on the outside diced up Monmouth last week and you’ve got to imagine Wilder’s script going in here is largely the same. Yes, establishing the run is always important, but expect Leatherwood to challenge the secondary often and if he does it enough the big plays should come. It feels like the Mocs own offense will need to keep pace to give themselves a chance but it’s not exactly an outfit that’s built to win a track meet. Lalin will help power the Mocs to some points and… hopefully for them… help in the time of possession battle. That could keep it close for a while but there are simply too many weapons that the Golden Eagles have to work with and once they get up by too much, the Mocs will need to switch it up into a style of offense they aren’t as comfortable with. TTU takes this one by a comfortable margin when all is said and done.

Score Prediction: Tennessee Tech 35 – Chattanooga 24

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