Chattanooga Mocs Football 2013 Season Preview

Chattanooga Mocs Football: Previewing 2013

CHATTANOOGA, TENN.–Things have been relatively quiet in the Scenic City of Chattanooga, Tenn., during the off-season, as a city quietly awaits seeing their Mocs take the field for a chance at the Southern Conference title in 2013. The Mocs will certainly be one of the favorites, and with Appalachian State and Georgia Southern being ineligible for the Southern Conference crown, many feel the Mocs are destined to wear the crown in 2013.

The Mocs haven’t made the FCS postseason since the 1984 season,which was the only playoff appearance in school history for the program. So many times since Russ Huesman’s second season in the Scenic City in 2010, have folks expected to see the Mocs find themselves in the FCS postseason. The big reason why this season not only sees the best chance for the Mocs to return to the postseason for the first time in 29 years, but also the best chance for a Southern Conference regular-season title since that campaign.

Chattanooga has had an inordinate amount of heartbreaking losses over the past couple of seasons, and even going back to the 2010 season, which saw the Mocs open the season with a 42-41 loss to Appalachian State in a game the Mocs held a 28-7 lead at the half, and a 35-14 lead in the fourth quarter. and have lost nine games by a TD or less over the past three seasons, including a pair of overtime losses last season. The Mocs’ ability to challenge the upper echelon of the Southern Conference each of the past couple of seasons hasn’t been really a question, but it’s been the ability to win close football games.

This season, the Mocs return 21 players with starting experience, and it will be the second season in which the Mocs will utilize the spread offense. The Mocs also return seven of eight players who garnered first or second team All-Southern Conference last season. On the defensive side of the football, the Mocs return 10 starters from a unit that ranked 20th in the nation and second in the Southern Conference in total defense last season (308.4 YPG).

The Mocs, who are coming off a 6-5 2012 season, will play a 12-game schedule this fall and will open the season by opening at home on Aug. 29 against Volunteer State rival UT-Martin,with kickoff slated for 7 p.m. The Mocs also face Georgia State on the road on Sept. 7, while returning home to take on Austin Peay on Sept. 14.

The Mocs close out the 2013 season with a trip to defending FBS National Champion Alabama on Nov. 23. In conference play, the Mocs have key matchups at home against The Citadel (Oct. 26) and Wofford (Nov. 9), while having tough road tests at Appalachian State (Nov. 2), Georgia Southern (Sept. 28) and Samford (Nov. 16).

 Chattanooga 2012 Season Recap

The Scenic City would once again embrace Russ Huesman’s Mocs, who completed the 2012 season with a 6-5 record, including a 5-3 mark in the SoCon, tying for fourth place in the SoCon in 2012.

The Mocs would suffer regular-season losses at Jacksonville State (27-24), at South Florida (34-13), Georgia Southern (39-31, OT), at Wofford (16-13 OT) and Appalachian State (34-17).

Chattanooga’s wins during the 2012 season would come against Glenville State (35-0), at No. 11 The Citadel (28-10), at Furman (31-10), Samford (20-13), at Western Carolina (45-24) and Elon (24-17).

The Mocs closed the season as one of the hotter teams in the SoCon, with four wins in their final six games.

Once again, Russ Huesman’s Mocs were in striking distance of the FCS postseason, and three losses by a combined 14 points kept the Mocs at home once again.

But the 2012 season was a success for the Blue and Gold in many respects. There was plenty of anticipation for the 2012 season among Mocs fans and coaches, as it would be a new era for UTC football, with the implementation of the spread offense. The season would begin with a bit of a quarterback controversy, with both freshman Jacob Huesman and sophomore Terrell Robinson vying for the starting responsibilities.

Huesman established himself as one of the top freshman signal-callers in the nation last fall by having one of the best freshman seasons by a quarterback in the history of the program. Huesman’s 904 rushing yards are a rushing record for a quarterback in the 105 years of Mocs football. He finished third in the voting for the prestigious Jerry Rice Award, presented by the Sports Network, which is given to the nation’s best freshman player. Huesman also set  UTC freshman records for completions (167), attempts (256) and yards (1,712)

Both end up playing vital roles for UTC in 2012, with Huesman eventually acquitting himself as a leader of the offense as the season progressed, and would eventually establish himself as the starter even though he would end up splitting time under center with Robinson. Robinson would establish himself as one of the premier threats in the Southern Conference, finishing with 489 yards receiving and five scoring catches, 222 yards rushing and three TDs, and 296 yards passing and a pair of TD tosses.

But the Mocs did find inconsistencies on the offensive side of the ball, mostly as a result of youth and lack of familiarity with the new offense. Chattanooga finished the season ranking eighth in the SoCon in total offense  (349.4 YPG), while finishing the campaign ranking fifth in scoring offense (25.6 PPG).

Chattanooga Junior Running Back Kendrix Huitt

The Mocs were stellar on the defensive side of the football in 2012, fielding the SoCon’s second-best defensive unit, as well as ranking 10th in the FCS in total defense (307.9 YPG) last fall.

The Mocs would see Davis Tull garner some impressive notice at defensive end, as the sophomore finished the campaign with 19.0 tackles-for-loss and 12.5 sacks, garnering SoCon Defensive Player of the Year honors, as well as being named a finalist for the prestigious Buck Buchanan Award, which is given to the top defensive player in FCS football each season. Tull also garnered First Team All-America honors, as selected by the America Football Coaches Association (AFCA), while being selected as a Second-Team All-American by The Sports Network.

It was the final season in the Blue and Gold for Josh Williams at defensive end. Williams will go down as one of the greatest to ever don the Blue and Gold of Chattanooga, finishing his career as the program’s all-time sacks leader, with 23.5 sacks in his career.

The Mocs had three players garner All-America recognition, while eight Mocs were selected to the All-SoCon team in 2012. Joining Tull as an All-American for the Mocs in 2012 was Wes Dothard, who paced the Chattanooga defense with 94 tackles a year ago, and Dothard garnered Third-Team All-America honors, as selected by the Sports Network. Tight end Faysal Shafaat was a Third-Team All-America selection by the Sports Network, after leading the SoCon in catches for a tight end, hauling in 37 balls last season.

 Joining Tull, Dothard and Shafaat on the All-SoCon team last season were defensive tackle Derrick Lott, and defensive backs D.J. Key and Kadeem Wise garnered Second-Team All-SoCon honors, as selected by the SoCon’s coaches. Senior offensive lineman Adam Miller garnered Second Team honors at left tackle, as selected by the SoCon media, and Jacob Huesman was selected to the SoCon’s All-Freshman Team.

The 2012 season was another season which saw several close losses, which is a trend that seems to have defined the Russ Huesman era in the Scenic City thus far, and against ranked foes, the Mocs have lost game in the most heartbreaking of fashions. In 2011 and ’12 combined, the Mocs have lost nine games to ranked FCS foes by a combined 26 points, which is an astonishing stat.

Previewing The Offense: 

The Chattanooga Mocs come into the season with 10 players that have starting experience on the offensive side of the ball, and it was a Mocs offense that finished the 2012 season ranked eighth overall in the Southern Conference in total offense, averaging 349.4 YPG, while finishing the campaign ranking fifth in scoring offense (25.6 PPG), fifth in passing offense (183.0 YPG) and seventh in rushing offense (166.4 YPG).

Set to lead the Chattanooga spread offense for a second-straight season is Jacob Huesman (167-of-256 passing, 1,712 yards, 14 TDs, 6 INTs/904 rush yards, 7 TDs).

Just like his predecessor B.J. Coleman, Huesman quickly molded himself into one of the SoCon’s top all-around quarterbacks last season. Huesman was a candidate for the Jerry Rice Award last season, which is given to the top freshman player in the FCS.

His 904 yards rushing were a school-record by a quarterback, while he also added seven rushing scores. All told, the true freshman completed the season with 2,616 yards of total offense and 21 TD responsibilities.

Huesman helped lead a Chattanooga offense that seemingly improved as the season progressed, but still has room for improvement, as the Mocs ranked just eighth in the nine-team Southern Conference in total offense (349.8 YPG) last season.

Huesman isn’t the only player in the Chattanooga player set to start at one of the skill positions that has starting experience under center, as wide receiver Terrell Robinson (40 rec, 489 yds, 5 TDs,  12.2 YPR/296 pass yds, 2 TDs/222 rush yds, 3 TDs) was actually the starter under center prior when Coleman went down with a shoulder injury in 2011, and even split some snaps early on in the season for the Mocs with Huesman last season. Robinson is the type of athlete that the can be inserted into the spread offense to change the pace of a game with his athleticism, and the ability to do a number of different things for the Mocs out of the backfield as a runner and as a passer.

One of Robinson’s most notable performances as a starter came a couple of years ago against Georgia Southern, when he nearly led the Mocs to an upset win over Georgia Southern on the road, as the Mocs eventually dropped a 28-27 decision. It was the coming-out party for Robinson, who did most of his damage rushing the football, finishing with 114 yards and three rushing scores against the Top-ranked team in FCS football.

As the Mocs’ starting ‘X’ wide receiver, Robinson was sensational last season, charting a team-high 40 catches for 489 receiving yards and five scoring catches. Robinson also rushed for 232 yards and three TDs on 52 rush attempts, averaging 4.5 YPC. In total, including his time as a passer, runner and receiver last season, Robinson totaled 10 TDs (5 rushing, 2 passing, 3 rushing). There’s a good chance that he might split snaps with Huesman again this season, even though Huesman is the starter entering the season.

The running game will have a cast of characters to share the rushing load this fall, and one of the players that started to come on down the stretch last season was Kendrix Huitt (57 rush att, 288 yds, 3 TDs, 5.1 YPC).

Huitt became an important running option on the offensive side of the football for the Mocs in 2013, and in a late-season win at Western Carolina, he had burst out for a career-high 137-yard, 1 TD effort, in a 45-24 win over the Catamounts.

Marquis Green (24 rush att, 126 yds, 3 TDs, 5.6 YPC) and Keon Williams (51 rush att, 155 yds, 3 TDs, 3.0 YPC) also return to provide support in the Mocs’ backfield this fall.

Green didn’t see as many carries last fall as he saw in the 2011 season, as the Mocs made more of a dedicated effort to spread the wealth on the offensive side of the ball, and that should continue to be even more expounded upon this fall. In 2011, Green’s 530 rushing yards and three TDs, ranked him fifth all-time among freshmen in program history.

Williams is an explosive, powerful back which saw action in nine games last season. In his limited career as a Mocs running back, Williams has rushed for 655 yards and seven-career rushing TDs. Williams was a Southern Conference All-Freshman Team selection in 2010.

In short-yardage situations this fall, Chattanooga will look to Tahrain Tyson (6 rush att, 22 yds, 3.7 YPC), who is an experienced back that has seen action in 21 games, with nine starts over the past couple seasons at the fullback position for the Mocs. Tyson, a 240-pound junior, has 165-career rushing yards for the Mocs to go along with a pair of rushing scores.

Chattanooga Senior Wide Receiver Marlon Anthony

But the reason why Chattanooga might be so dangerous in the backfield this season is redshirt freshman Tolerance Shepherd, who will be the top option at the H-back position for the Mocs this fall. He will play a role similar to what J.J. Jackson played last season for the Mocs.

Shepherd is a player much like former Moc Brian Sutherland, who was a player that always presented a threat with his speed. That is the exact type player that Shepherd will be in this Chattanooga offense, and getting the ball in his hands will be paramount for this offense this season with his tremendous speed.

Shepherd had an outstanding spring game for the Mocs, posting 185 yards of total offense and three scores, garnering offensive MVP honors for the Blue and Gold.

Switching gears and taking a look at the Chattanooga passing attack, Mocs quarterback Jacob Huesman will have several solid options to throw to this fall, which will include Robinson, as well as veterans like Marlon Anthony (11 rec, 101 yds, 1 TD, 9.2 YPR) , Faysal Shafaat (37 rec, 295 yds, 5 TDs, 8.0 YPR) and Tommy Hudson (31 rec, 304 yds, 9.8 YPR).

Marlon Anthony is an imposing presence at wideout, that has really yet to perform up to the expectations some had for him when he came to Chattanooga three years ago. The 6-5, 220-pound senior wideout has imposing size and excellent athleticism.

The Acworth, GA, native enters his final campaign for the Mocs having hauled in 55 passes for 629 yards and eight scores in his career for UTC, with his best season having been recorded as a sophomore in 2011, when he finished with 333 receiving yards on 27 catches, and three scoring grabs. Anthony will likely enter the season adding support behind Robinson at the ‘X’ wide receiver position.

Anthony will be joined in the lineup by Hudson, who is expected to get more touches this season in the Mocs’ passing game. Hudson is one of the best athletes in the receiving corps for the Mocs, but also possesses a great pair of hands. Hudson played in all 11 games last season, starting nine times.  In his first two seasons as a wide receiver for the Mocs, Hudson has hauled in 36 passes for 334 yards, but has yet to haul in a TD pass in his career as a Moc. Hudson is slated as the starter at the ‘W’ wide receiver position heading into the season.

Chattanooga Senior All-America Tight End Faysal Shafaat

Shafaat might be the most dangerous tight end in FCS football entering the 2013 season, and Shafaat is coming off a good spring.

Shafaat, a 6-5, 250-pound product of Orlando, FL, heads into the 2013 season as maybe the top NFL prospect in the Southern Conference. The senior comes into his senior campaign with 56-career catches and seven TDs.

Shafaat enjoyed strong performances catching the football against both South Florida in the season opener, as well as an early Southern Conference game against Appalachian State. He caught a season-high six passes for 50 yards in the season opener against South Florida. In the 34-17 loss to Appalachian State, Shafaat hauled in five passes for 58 yards and a score.

Rounding out the starting receiving options expected to make some noise this fall is redshirt freshman C.J. Board. 

Board comes into the season as a player that the Mocs’ coaching staff is very high on. The 6-2, 175-pound product of Clarksville, Tenn., heads into the season as the starter at the ‘Z’ receiver position. With Board’s big-time speed, he will be one of the Mocs’ main deep threats this fall. Board garnered All-State honors in his senior season at West Creek High School.

The Mocs also have some talented receiving options as the reserve wideouts entering the 2013 season. Bryant Belew (3 rec, 29 yds, 9.7 YPR), Tray James (11 rec, 89 yds, 1 TD), James Stovall, Troy Dye (1 rec, 9 yds) and Alphonso Stewart are also expected to be contributors at receiver this fall.

Of the aforementioned group of pass-catchers, Belew and James are the veteran options.

James started his first three games as a freshman last season, and ended up having a solid inaugural campaign for the Mocs.

Belew has experience and enters his junior season having made the first three grabs of his career last season as a sophomore, including an 18-yard catch in the regular-season finale against Elon. 

The second grouping of receiving options are all young. Stewart and Stovall are two very accomplished freshmen wideouts coming into the program, and both should push for major minutes this fall. Stovall comes to  UTC from Navy Prep and prior to his one  year at prep school, was a star wideout at Bradley Central High School in Cleveland, Tenn., where he was a 6A All-State selection as a senior in 2011. Stovall has good size, coming in at 6-3, 190 pounds. Stewart, a 6-3, 190-pound wideout from Robertsdale, AL, comes to the Scenic City as a two-star wideout according to Rivals.com. 

Chattanooga Sophomore Quarterback Jacob Huesman

Chattanooga’s biggest difficulties on the offensive side of the football the past couple of seasons has been its offensive line, and the Mocs should be solid along the front, returning its most experience and talent as a unit since 2010.

Four starters return to the fold, with the only loss as a result of graduation being offensive tackle Adam Miller. Miller was one of only two starters lost as a result of graduation on the offensive side of the football.

With the four starters returning for the Mocs, UTC has a combined 71 starts among its returnees. The Mocs will try and get its sacks allowed numbers down, having surrendered 49 sacks each of the past two seasons, including surrendering 25 last fall.

The two most experienced positions along the Mocs’ offensive line heading into the 2013 season are center and right guard, where Patrick Sutton and Kevin Revis return at the two positions.

Sutton, a 6-1, 275-pound junior from Sevierville, TN, is a former walk-on, but has started every game of his Chattanooga career since showing up on the Chattanooga campus back in 2011. He has good footwork and excellent hands. Revis, a 6-2, 280-pound and started 11 of 12 games last season.

Corey Levin was impressive in the spring, and the redshirt freshman from Dacula, GA, and he came into fall camp as the starter at right tackle. He is athletic and one of the positional battles to keep an eye on in camp will be between Levin and Hunter Dockery for the starting nod at the left tackle position. Dockery played in all 11 games last season, starting the last seven.

Synjen Herren has all-conference talent at the left guard position, and has recovered from an injury and is at 100-percent. Herren has been a stalwart at the left guard position for the Mocs, starting all 11 games in his freshman season last fall. At 6-4, 315 pounds, Herren is also the most imposing presence along the Mocs’ offensive line.

Left tackle was the lone vacancy along the offensive line coming into the season, as Miller has graduated. The starting services will likely fall to Brandon Morgan, who started the first four games last season until an injury.

   Previewing The Chattanooga Defense:

Chattanooga Senior Defensive Tackle Derrick Lott

Chattanooga brings back 10 starters from a defense that was at times simply dominant last season.

The Mocs were not only among the best in the Southern Conference last season, but also in the nation. The Mocs finished second in the SoCon and 10th in the nation, allowing just 307.9 YPG last fall.

One of the things that has no doubt produce some of the best defenses in school history dating back to the 2009 season is as simple as Russ Huesman, who was known as a defensive mastermind during his time as the head coach at Richmond. That defense was coined by one writer at the Richmond Times Dispatch  as the “Stonewall Defense.”

While the Mocs might not be the “Stonewall Defense” of the 2009 season, it’s one that has a chance to rival the Mocs’ defense of the 2011 season, which saw the Mocs rank highly in the final national rankings, yielding just 305.3 YPG.

The similar element between the 2011 defense and the one that the Mocs fielded last season and the one that will step on the field this season is an outstanding defensive line. Leading the charge will be preseason All-America selection Davis Tull (56 tackles, 19.0 TFL, 12.5 sacks, 3 FFs), who established himself as one of the nation’s best defensive ends last fall, and has a chance to become one of the best to ever put on a Mocs uniform, which is saying something considering the players that have lined up at the position just in the time that Huesman has been the head coach.

Players like Josh Williams and Josh Beard are two names that come to mind when talking about some of the great defensive ends to don the Blue and Gold just in the Russ Huesman era. Beard became the first Mocs defensive player to ever win the SoCon’s Defensive Player of the Year accolade in 2010, while Josh Williams, who finished his career with 23.5 sacks, is at least for the time being, the school’s all-time leader in that category, although Tull needs just 6.5 sacks this season to eclipse Williams’ mark, which was set just last season.

Joining Tull up front this fall for the Mocs will be Zach Rayl (22 tackles, 5.0 TFL, 2.0 sacks, 1 FF, 1 FR), who will play the other defensive end position for the Mocs this fall, while Derrick Lott (57 tackles, 4.0 TFL, 2 sacks, 1 FR) and Navy transfer Chris Mayes (13 tackles, 1.5 TFL) expect to start at the respective defensive tackle positions.

Rayl adds experience and had made a nice adjustment at defensive end since moving from linebacker earlier in his career. Lott transferred in from the University of Georgia prior to the 2012 season, and ended up garnering Second-Team All-SoCon honors. Lott also begins his senior season as a First-Team All-SoCon selection.

Mayes comes into his second season in the program from Navy, and his athleticism and power inside gives him an excellent chance to garner the starting nose tackle position over Josh Freeman (23 tackles, 2 FR in 2011). Freeman will be looking to work his way back into the lineup after sitting out the entire 2012 season with an injury. He was a SoCon All-Freshman selection in 2011.

Others that will look to log considerable time as reserves along the Mocs defensive line this fall will players like Toyvian Brand (25 tackles, 2.0 TFL, 1 FR), who started every game at defensive tackle for the Mocs last season.

Chattanooga could quite possibly have the best defensive line in the FCS heading into the 2013 season, with the starting four all legitimately possessing the ability to make first or second team all-league honors this fall.

Chattanooga Senior Preseason All-America Linebacker Wes Dothard

Like the defensive line, the Mocs have experience and talent at linebacker heading into the 2013 season.

Like the defensive line talent under Huesman, the same has held true at linebacker since he took the reins in 2009.

There were players already in the program, such as Ryan Consiglio and Joseph Thornton, while senior middle linebacker  Wes Dothard (94 tackles, 6.0 TFL, 1 INT, 2 FFs) was a part of Huesman’s first recruiting class in the Scenic City.

Dothard heads into his senior season as a preseason All-America selection, First Team All-SoCon pick and Buck Buchanan Award candidate. Dothard comes into his senior season with 214 career tackles, and should finish his career among the top 10 tacklers in program history. Dothard has certainly made his mark in the Scenic City, and he will look to close out his career in the Blue and Gold in strong fashion. Set to give depth at the middle linebacker position this fall behind Dothard will be Muhasibi Wakeel (12 tackles, 1.0 TFL, 1 FF).

Dothard will be joined as a part of the talented linebacking unit heading into the 2013 season by both Gunner Miller (45 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1.0 sack, 2 INTs) and Nakevion Leslie, who will play the respective outside linebacker positions for the Mocs heading into the 2013 season.

Miller has plenty of experience in the lineup over the past three seasons for the Mocs, and recorded his season-high of eight tackles in the overtime loss to Georgia Southern last fall, while also recording interceptions against both Jacksonville State and Samford last fall.  Miller is set to start at the weakside linebacker position this fall.

Leslie, a redshirt freshman from Powder Springs, GA, moves up from the defensive backfield to linebacker, and has been impressive in both the spring as well as fall camp. The 5-11, 210-pound strong side linebacker is a good athlete, and can come up and make plays against the run, as well as possessing the ability to make plays against the pass, with excellent coverage skills. Also expected to provide depth at linebacker this fall for the Mocs are players like redshirt freshman Alex Kirby and sophomore A.J. Hampton (8 tackles).

Chattanooga Senior Three-Time All-SoCon Cornerback Kadeem Wise

 Another experienced aspect of the Chattanooga defense this fall will be the secondary, and set to lead that unit once again in 2013 will be senior Kadeem Wise (55 tackles, 2 INTs, 2 FRs).

The 5-10, 180-pound native of Lawrenceville, GA, has garnered All-SoCon honors three times in his career heading into his senior season. Wise will be one of the top cornerbacks in the SoCon and the FCS once again this fall, and his 10-career INTs tie him for fifth on the school’s all-time ledger.

Wise enjoyed his most comprehensive effort of the 2012 season in a 28-10 win at The Citadel, posting eight tackles and an INT. He also posted a season-high nine tackles in a loss at Jacksonville State.

Joining Wise at corner as a starter for the Mocs this fall will be either Sema’je Kendall (21 tackles, 7 PBUs) or Chaz Moore (52 tackles, 3.5 TFL, 1 INT, 4 PBUs) ,who are locked in one of the more intriguing positional battles of the preseason. Moore brings the experience, while Kendall started the first three games at free safety last fall, leading the team in pass breakups. Both should see significant action at corner this season for the Mocs.

The safety position should also be in shape heading into 2013, as D.J. Key (82 tackles, 2 INTs, 4 PBUs, 0.5 sack) and Zach McCarter (31 tackles, 0.5 TFL, 1 FR, 1 blkd kick) will start at the strong and free safety positions, respectively, for the Mocs this fall. Key has all-conference talent and he was a First-Team All-SoCon pick last fall.

In his career, Key has started 24 of the 34 games he has been a part of for UTC. Key recorded double-digit tackle performances on three occasions last fall, recording those performances against Appalachian State (12), Georgia Southern (11) and Jacksonville State (10). He is a Third-Team Preseason All-America candidate entering the 2013 campaign, according to Phil Steele’s College Football publication.

The secondary should also have some quality depth returning to solidify the unit this fall, with seniors Dean Haynes and C.J. Murrell (5 tackles) set to add depth at the respective safety positions. The Mocs will be a little younger at corner in terms of depth, with redshirt freshmen Beau Simmons and Will Johnson set to see their first action in the Mocs’ defensive backfield this fall.

Previewing The Chattanooga Special Teams:

Chattanooga Junior Placekicker/Punter Nick Pollard

The kicking game has been a constant problem for the Mocs during Huesman’s tenure, and few will forget the games that special teams have played a big role in for UTC, including the 2010 opener against Appalachian State and the 2011 regular season clash against The Citadel.

Nick Pollard is an all-conference talent at punter (41.5 YPP/21st in FCS) and placekicker (9-of-15 on FGs/28-of-30 on PATs).

While Pollard will handle the primary kicking duties this fall, Chaz Moore and Tommy Hudson will handle the kickoff and punt return duties this fall for Chattanooga.

Moore averaged an impressive 20.2 yards-per-return on 17 attempts last season, while Hudson post a 5.2 yards-per-return average on 15 punt returns last season.

The Mocs are a team, that on paper, should be in line to win their fifth Southern Conference title, which would be the program’s first league crown in nearly three decades, and make the program’s second playoff appearance, and first postseason appearance in 27 years. This has to be the season for head coach Russ Huesman and the Mocs, or he could be asked many questions at season’s end.

The 2013 squad might even be more talented than the 2010 and ’11 squads, which featured quarterback B.J. Coleman and wide receiver Joel Bradford. The biggest challenges on the offensive side of the football will be finding a consistent big-play threat at wide receiver and getting better pass protection from the offensive line. Defensively, there are no discernible weaknesses other than maybe inexperienced depth at cornerback.

Chattanooga begins the 2013 season with Thursday night (Aug. 29) clash against UT-Martin at Finley Stadium. It’s a UT-Martin club that finished an impressive 8-3 last season. The Mocs have road tests at Appalachian State (Nov. 2), Georgia Southern (Sept. 28), Samford (Nov. 16) and defending national champion Alabama (Nov. 23) this fall.

Saturday Blitz Record Projection: 9-3 overall, 6-2 SoCon