University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football coach Russ Huesman discussed Saturday's season finale at No. 2 Alabama, Heisman Trophy Candidate Mark Ingram and much more during Wednesday's media luncheon at McKenzie Arena.
Here's some of what he had to say:
On last week's 31-28 come-from-behind win over The Citadel ...
We beat a good football team. The Citadel's got good football players, they're well coached and to beat a team like that says a lot about our players and our coaches.
On facing second-ranked Alabama ...
We're going to play hard, we're going to practice hard this week and whatever happens happens.
We have to go out and represent ourselves well. We can't flop around and embarrass ourselves.
On playing money games against bowl subdivision teams ...
I want to play one every year. Just one, not two.
I think it's important for our players to get this opportunity to play against an SEC school.
This year when we go out to recruit, we're going to tell them we're playing Auburn next year.
On Alabama star defensive lineman Terrence Cody, who is listed at 6-foot-5, 365 pounds ...
He's huge and he probably outweighs two of (our linemen). The problem with him is he can move, too.
On if UTC will keep an extra back or two in for pass protection ...
I don't know if a back or two's going to help.
This won't be our typical passing game. (Quarterback B.J. Coleman's) not going to drop back five or seven steps. ... If the ball's in B.J.'s hands more than four seconds, we better have nine guys protecting him.
On being realistic about the challenge Saturday ...
Every game we've played this year, I told our team, 'Guys, we're better than they are. We've got a better team than they do.' This is the first week I haven't said that. They wouldn't believe me if I said it anyway.
On Tide running back Mark Ingram ...
He's special. He can run, he's powerful, he's a really good player.
On the players treating this game almost like a bowl game ...
Whether they think it's a bowl game or not, they're not getting any gifts. They're not getting the warm-up suit or a nice watch or anything like that.
For more Mocs coverage, see tomorrow's Times Free Press. You can also follow John Frierson's coverage of the Mocs on Twitter at twitter.com/mocsbeat.
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 ...
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