Western scored 14 points in the fourth quarter to pull off a 28-21 victory at Chattanooga Saturday afternoon.
The Toppers (6-3) collected 484 yards of total offense compared to the Mocs’ (2-7) 401.
Four turnovers plagued Western’s offense over the contest. The Toppers were 6-of-14 on third down and 1-of-3 on fourth.
“That was about as ugly as it gets when it comes to a victory,” coach David Elson said. “Bottom line is, When you play 12 games, there’s going to be days when you come out, especially on the road, that you’re just not clicking on all cylinders. We’re not going to be real pleased by what we see from the film, but at the end of the day the objective is to win the football game.”
Western took a 7-0 lead when junior quarterback David Wolke threw a 51-yard pass to sophomore wide receiver Jake Gaebler with 9:43 left in the first quarter. It was Gaebler’s longest career reception.
Chattanooga tied up the contest when senior quarterback Antonio Miller rushed three yards for a touchdown with 12:33 left in the second quarter.
The Mocs took a 14-7 lead when junior running back Bryan Fitzgerald rushed five yards for a touchdown with 2:44 left in the half.
The Toppers tied the contest 14-14 when Wolke threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to junior wide receiver Jessee Quinn with :23 left in the first half. It was Quinn’s first career receiving touchdown.
Chattanooga regained the lead in the third quarter when freshman Moc cornerback Buster Skrine returned an interception for a touchdown.
Western tied the contest 21-21 when junior running back Stephen Willis rushed 11 yards for a touchdown with 7:47 left in the fourth quarter.
The Toppers scored the game-winning drive when sophomore running back Marell Booker rushed 12 yards for a touchdown with :53 seconds left in the contest.
The Mocs were able to drive the ball to Western’s 30-yardline, but could not get into the endzone.
Sophomore running back Tyrell Hayden finished the game with a career-high 149 yards on 22 carries.
Wolke went 13-for-23 for 213 yards and two touchdowns.
Western returns to action next Saturday at home against Troy for Homecoming.
Reach Will Perkins at sports@wkuherald.com.
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