The Chattanooga Mocs football team has the day off after three straight to open camp for the 2017 season. The work to this point is encouraging to the first-year coaching staff.
“The guys have worked hard,” Coach Tom Arth shared shortly after the Wednesday night group’s effort.
“It’s been tough out in the heat, particularly the upperclassmen coming out in the middle of the afternoon. They’ve responded very well to it and gotten better as we’ve gone along.
“It’s a good start.”
A few notes from a “casual” observer…
The defense is off to a good start with the scheme change. The Mocs made their mark the last decade building a strong reputation along the defensive line.
The squad led the Southern Conference in sacks each of the last three seasons. Great individual efforts from Josh Beard (2009), Davis Tull (2012, 2013, 2014) and Keionta Davis (2016) earned Defensive Player of the Year awards.
There’s been plenty to get excited about. The trio of senior Taylor Reynolds with juniors Isaiah Mack and Derek Mahaffey opened eyes. Senior D.J. Prather is off to the best start of his career. That group brings experience benefitting up-and-coming performers in Brandon Bourk, Telvin Jones, Jonathan Decker and Devonnsha Maxwell.
Two things noted after day three concluded. One, this defense is going to go as the d-line goes. Also, the work of the defensive staff as a unit. With so many new faces in practice jerseys and on the coaching side as well, the ability to work together and be on the same page stands out.
Quotable: “We’ve got a long way to go, but we’ve seen some really good things out of these guys. We throw a lot at them from an install-standpoint. For the most part, they’ve handled it well. The effort has been a bit inconsistent. That’s something we definitely have to ramp up.” – Defensive Coordinator Tom Kaufman.
The first day of practice on Monday was not kind to the offensive line or the wide receivers. Both were challenged and both responded the following two days.
The o-line entered camp with questions. Two starters return from the 2016 edition and one of those (Josh Cardiello) is making the move from guard to center. Questions require answers and in the early going, this line is responding.
The receivers’ room features a talented group, but it was plagued with drops on day one. That was cleaned up quickly with the group impressing since.
The most eye-popping crew is at running back. Richardre Bagley returns along with Alex Trotter adding in Presbyterian graduate transfer Darrell Bridges. Along with Chris Miller and Chris Broadwater, there is depth and talent being displayed at a high-level early on.
The coaching staff said, “We’ve had a great 3 days. The kids really responded after day 1. They’re working extremely hard and competing. We’ve got a good football team. When we get together in team periods, that defensive line really challenges us every day. We’re getting better, it shows how hard they worked this summer with coach (Chad) Pearson in the weight room and in conditioning.” – Offensive Coordinator Justin Rascati.
Apropos of nothing, but the team spirit is strong. That permeates from the coaching staff through the squad as a whole. It’s a group that seems very connected.
The compete-level has been high. It gets testy at times which is usual for camp in the heat of the summer. But at the end of the day, there is one goal, one team…one family.
It would remind you of two brothers who are at each other’s throats all day long, but when someone outside comes at one of them, they’re coming at both. They’re stronger as unit and in the early going, it shows.
Coach Tom Arth said, “I think we’ve seen a lot of progress in just three days. The defense came out day 1 and played great. The offense responded day 2. Day 3 we really put it together as a team. It was competitive, back-and-forth, no one really dominated the day. The improvement we’ve seen in special teams, it’s like a totally different group.”
When asked to wrap up the first three days in a word or phrase, Arth deliberated a bit before settling on potential.
“I think there is a lot of potential. That’s a great word. We’ve had flashes of really great, excellent things. Then there are moments that aren’t very good at all. We need to find consistency in our execution. When we do that, we have a good enough team to have a shot. If we’re up-and-down, it’s going to be very hard for us.”
The Mocs are preparing for the season opener against Jacksonville State. The two teams square off Saturday, Aug. 26, at 6:30 p.m. (EDT) in Montgomery, Ala., in the Guardian Credit Union FCS Kickoff Classic. Tickets are on sale now on GoMocs.com.
The home opener is Saturday, Sept. 16, against UT Martin at 6 p.m. Season tickets are on sale now on GoMocs.com or by calling the UTC Ticket Office at (423) 266-MOCS (6627).