The Tigers, ranked No. 3 in the nation, forfeited five matches because of a team bout of the flu, and the 13th-ranked Mocs brought home a 40-8 victory over Missouri. The Mocs won three of the five matches which were competed.
It is UTC's second win over a top-15 team this year. The Mocs scored a 28-13 win over No. 14 Ohio State Jan. 3.
"A win is a win," UTC Head Coach Chris Bono said. "Our guys who didn't get to wrestle were definitely disappointed. We have all been looking forward to this match.
"It has been a magical year so far. But the two most important dates of our season are coming up, the SoCon Championships and the Nationals. They are what we have worked all year long toward."
UTC, which finishes the regular season at 16-1 in dual matches, owned a 24-0 lead at the outset after Missouri (12-3) forfeited the first four matches at 125 pounds, 133, 141 and 149. Each wrestler for UTC at those positions is nationally ranked.
The first match actually contested on the mat was at 157, and Jake Yost scored six points in the third period to register an 11-2 major decision over Dane Espinosa. At 165, UTC's T.J. Sayers defeated James Williamson, 8-1 to push the margin to 31-0. Missouri's Matt Pell, an All-America at 184 in 2006 who dropped down to 165 this season, was one of the wrestlers stricken with the flu bug.
Ben Askren finally put the Tigers on the scoreboard with a 10-2 major over 16th-ranked Lloyd Rogers. Askren, ranked No. 1 at 174, ran his record to 33-0 and his personal win streak to 78 matches. He was the National Champion at his weight class last year.
Askren and Pell are the only seniors on the Tigers' roster and were honored prior to the match.
Fifth-ranked Raymond Jordan provided Missouri's other match victory at 184, with a 16-6 major over Josh Edmondson.
The Tigers forfeited at 197, and UTC heavyweight Matt Koz, ranked as high as No. 13, used an escape and an extra point for riding time to defeat No. 20 Mark Ellis in the final match of the day.
The Mocs head to the Southern Conference Championships March 3 in Raleigh, N.C., as the favorite to win their 22nd SoCon title.
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