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Rodney Allison
Five questions as the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga heads into spring football practice Wednesday:
1. Who’s the quarterback?
For the first time since the spring of 2004, Antonio Miller isn’t part of UTC’s quarterback equation. It’s time for a new quarterback to emerge, and the job is completely up for grabs heading into spring practice.
The leading candidates to replace Miller are junior college transfers Michael McDonald and Jare Gault, who enrolled at UTC in January. Both have their strengths and both have something the other QBs on the roster don’t have: experience.
Todd Pastore started the one game Miller missed in 2007 and threw four interceptions and fumbled twice, while Cody Romans saw action in two games and Sloan Allison, coach Rodney Allison’s son, worked with the scout team while redshirting.
The Mocs have a lot of issues to address, but none is bigger than finding someone to lead the offense.
2. Can the new additions get comfortable with each other?
Seven coaches have joined UTC’s staff during the offseason, joining the five junior college players who enrolled in January. That’s a lot of new people to be counted on this year. The time the team spends together this spring will be precious.
3. Will the lines be a liability?
The Mocs lost several starters from their offensive and defensive lines after last season, and new players are going to have to earn those positions, which means dependable backups will have to be developed as well. The team will also be breaking in new offensive line coach J.C. Harmon and defensive line coach Fred Tate. Offensive lineman William Giles is expected to miss all of spring practice with a thumb injury.
4. Who starts in the secondary?
Freshman Buster Skrine came on strong late last season and earned a starting spot at cornerback in UTC’s final three games. He’s the only returning starter in the secondary after safeties Chris Camacho ad Jeff Phillips and cornerbacks Ronnie Jackson and Brandon Golder, whom Skrine replaced, used up their eligibility. The Mocs will benefit from the return of Raeshon Ball, who missed last season with a knee injury.
5. Which redshirts will emerge?
After watching the Mocs go 2-9 last season, the eight redshirt players on the roster will have ample opportunity to climb up the depth chart this spring. Among the redshirts who could contend for starting positions are defensive linemen La’Nard Carr and Eddie Evans.
John Frierson is in his fifth year at the Times Free Press and fifth year covering University of Tennessee at Chattanooga athletics. The bulk of his time is spent covering Mocs football, but he also writes about women’s basketball and the big-picture issues and news involving the athletic department. A native of Athens, Ga., John grew up a few hundred yards from the University of Georgia campus. Instead of becoming a Bulldog he attended Ole ...
