The West Georgia Wolves kicked off a new era of football under new head coach Steve Englehart. Everything lined up to be an exhilarating night for the West Georgia Wolves. However, that slowly turned as the night went on, as the fans at University Stadium watched their team drop their first game of the 2026 season to the UT Chattanooga Mocs, 24-10.
The evening took the turn before the game even began, the West Georgia athletic department put out a statement that new head coach Steve Englehart would not be on the sideline for the game due to a self-imposed corrective measure from an ongoing NCAA and UAC investigation into a compliance violation. The news and its timing sent shockwaves through the Wolves fan base, as the statement was put out at 5:30 PM, an hour and a half before kickoff.
Nonetheless, there was still a game to be played, and associate head coach and offensive coordinator Jayson Martin would take over head coaching duties for the game.
The First Half
Both teams struggled to move the ball effectively in the first 18 minutes of the game, but a 24-yard run by Wolves quarterback Collin Hurst would prove to be the first huge play of the game, setting the Wolves up with a first-and-goal for the one-yard line. The first touchdown of the season for the Wolves would come just one play later, as running back Christian Monfort would find the end zone to take a 7-0 lead with just over seven minutes left in the second quarter.
The Mocs would use a 13-play drive that only moved the ball 26 yards to get a field goal as time expired at halftime to head into the locker room trailing the Wolves 7-3.
The Second Half
As the second half started, both teams were looking for a spark on offense to serve as a momentum swing, and the Mocs got just that when quarterback Battle Alberson connected with wide receiver Ashton Schumann for a 72-yard touchdown just two plays into the second half to give the Mocs their first lead of the game, going up 10-7.
The Wolves responded by moving the ball 50 yards in 5 plays highlighted by a trick play that resulted in wide receiver TJ Lockley completing a 57-yard pass to tight end Josh Schuchts on the first play of the drive. After two incompletions and a completed pass that went for –2 yards, Wolves kicker Freddy Perez would make his field goal attempt of the season from 43 yards out to tie the game at 10 with 12:50 left in the third quarter.
From there, the Mocs took complete control of the game, scoring on their next possession by way of a 20-yard touchdown pass from Alberson to wide receiver Boobie Levell, putting the Mocs up 17-10. Another score by the Mocs in the fourth quarter by way of a 6-yard rushing touchdown from Kevin Lalin would put the Mocs up 24-10 with 9:53 left in the game.
The Wolves offense would not find the scoreboard again in the contest, and as the final buzzer sounded, the Mocs celebrated their 24-10 season-opening win.
Stars of the game
The West Georgia offense struggled to move the ball throughout the game, as they were held to 217 yards of total offense, and only 38 rushing yards on 19 attempts. Quarterback Collin Hurst would finish the game completing 20 of his 31 passes for 181 yards.
On the defensive side for the Wolves, linebacker Andrew Ruffin led the way for the Wolves with nine tackles and a sack, while fellow linebacker Chidu Bekee would finish with seven tackles and 1.5 sacks in the contest.
Mocs running back Kevin Lalind proved to be the go-to guy for the offense, as he finished with 30 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown.
What does this new era now look like?
While the announcement of the self-imposed corrective measure of Steve Englehart put the new era on pause, fans could be asking themselves what this new era of Wolves football looks like, how long this NCAA and UAC investigation will be, and exactly how much time Englehart will be sidelined by it. One thing that can be said about the new era is that the defensive line looked solid for most of the game, coming away with four sacks, Collin Hurst combined for over 200 yards of offense, and the team did not turn the ball over.
What’s next?
Up next for the West Georgia Wolves will be a trip to Kennesaw next Thursday to take on the Kennesaw State Owls. That game is scheduled to kick off at 7:00PM on ESPN+.
