The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team begins its preseason practice this afternoon at Scrappy Moore Field. Here are five questions that will need to be answered leading up to the opener at Oklahoma on Aug. 30:
1. Who’s the quarterback?
At the end of spring practice, Mocs coach Rodney Allison gave junior college transfer Jare Gault a slight advantage over Tony Pastore in the race for the starting job. Whether it’s one of those two or another QB on the roster, somebody is going to have to earn the job and lead an offense that has ample weapons at running back and wide receiver. Gault has a big arm and is the better mover of the two.
2. Will the remade lines be a liability?
The departure of longtime starters on the offensive and defensive lines left some holes that were filled in the spring, but there’s not a great deal of experience on either side. During camp, the veterans — especially offensive lineman William Giles and defensive lineman Neil Brown, who were held out of spring practice because of injury and already have their diplomas — will have to lead the way.
3. Which newcomer will have the biggest impact?
Gault isn’t really a newcomer anymore since he went through spring practice, so look for junior college transfer linebacker Doug Faatiliga and freshman defensive lineman Nick Craig to make their presence felt from the get-go. Both have been in town working out with the rest of the Mocs for several weeks and should be ready to come in and compete for spots in the starting lineup.
4. Who will handle the kicking/punting duties?
Special teams might be the biggest question mark on the team due to the graduation of longtime punter Jonathan Wright and the hip injury kicker Craig Camay sustained last season. Camay hardly touched a ball during spring practice and if he can’t go, look for freshman Mike Hammons of Polk County to kick. Hammons will also be in the mix for the punting job, along with junior Jeff Lloyd and redshirt-freshman Bret Ploucha.
5. Is this team good enough to win more than a few games and save Allison’s job?
If the offense can develop some cohesion and some big-play pop, and the defense can master the 4-3, then the Mocs should be competitive in most of their games. The key will be developing the confidence and poise that winning teams have because there’s enough talent on the roster to win at least five games, which would likely be enough to get Allison a new contract.
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