Chattanooga Outscores West Georgia 24-3 After a Slow Start
West Georgia scored first, and then it scored three more points all night. That is the whole story of a 24-10 Chattanooga win in Week 1, and the fun part is how little of it came through the air. Chattanooga threw for 180 yards on 9-of-17 passing and still ran the ball 50 times for 154. West Georgia ran 19 times for 38.
It started the other way around. Christian Monfort punched in a 1-yard run in the second quarter to make it 7-0, and Chattanooga needed a 39-yard field goal from Jude Kelley as the half expired (0:00 on the clock, which is the right time for a field goal) just to get on the board at 7-3. Then the third quarter turned. Ashton Schumann took a Battle Alberson pass 72 yards to the house at 14:16 for a 10-7 lead, West Georgia answered with a 43-yard field goal to tie it at 10, and Boobie Leavell caught a 20-yarder at 8:22 to make it 17-10. West Georgia never scored again.
Kevin Lalin sealed it with a 6-yard run with 9:53 left in the fourth, and that was the last score of the game. Neither team gave the ball away, no interceptions and no lost fumbles on either side, so this was decided by the ground game. Chattanooga out-gained West Georgia 334 yards to 219.
Chattanooga starts 1-0 and West Georgia 0-1. For fantasy purposes, Lalin is the name to remember. Thirty carries is a workload, and it paid 21 points. Alberson and Schumann tied for second at 20 apiece, and Schumann got there on four catches. Nine completions for 180 yards and two touchdowns will do that.