During a scrimmage in which the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga offense attempted 40 passes, the Mocs’ receiving corps had ample opportunity to show off its depth.

Clint Woods led in catches with five, Blue Cooper and Joel Bradford each had three and tight end Patrick Wilkinson made two. Fullback Brent Hayes caught a pass out of the backfield and rumbled down the sideline for a 20-yard gain.

“We’ve got a lot of guys that can catch the ball,” Woods said.

Woods’ leaping grab for a first down on a third-and-10 play might have been the most athletic move of the day, but Wilkinson made the most unlikely catch.

Late in the scrimmage, quarterback Tony Pastore fired a pass down the left hash-marks to Woods. The ball tipped off Woods’ fingertips and Wilkinson, a 6-foot-7 transfer from Georgia Military College, was able to grab it and gain a few yards for a 10-yard play.

After struggling at times in the spring and early in the preseason, Wilkinson has picked up his game in the past week or so. Part of the reason for that, he said, was Mocs coach Rodney Allison’s recent initiative for maximum effort out of everyone on every play.

“It’s all that hustling we have to do now or we get (punished for loafing). That’s the reason I was there to make that catch,” he said. “When you have to do all those up-downs after practice, you start hustling a little more.”

Wilkinson, the backup tight end, also credited starter Joseph Pitman for helping him improve.

“He’s been sitting down with me and teaching me the offense a little better,” Wilkinson said. “Being so tall in high school, I’d just run a route and they’d throw it up to me, but now I’m having to read defenses better. I’m finally getting to the point where I feel a lot more comfortable and I don’t have to think as much. Everything’s coming much more natural to me.”

The Mocs also got a little deeper at wide receiver Friday with the arrival of junior college transfer Christopher Marshall. He had to complete course work at Glendale (Calif.) Community College before joining the Mocs.

Injured Mocs improving

Of the 14 players who sat out Saturday’s scrimmage because of injury, most are expected to return to practice this week, including offensive lineman William Giles (knee), quarterback Jare Gault (ankle) and running back Erroll Wynn (hip).

The Mocs are scheduled to have meetings and lift weights today but will not practice; nor will they practice Monday as they begin their usual in-season routine. Allison said Gault, who suffered a high ankle sprain last Monday, will practice on Tuesday.

Defensive end Josh Beard suffered a knee injury late in Saturday’s scrimmage and did not return. Allison said the early diagnosis was a mild MCL sprain.

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