The news was nearly all good from the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team's first preseason practice Thursday at Scrappy Moore Field.
With the sun mercifully hidden behind clouds throughout and the temperature in the mid-to-upper 80s, the conditions for the Mocs couldn't have been much better.
"We got a break with the weather," said Russ Huesman, beginning his third season as Mocs coach. "This was unbelievable."
The players, sporting new practice jerseys (offense in white, defense in blue), ran around with a lot of energy during the two-hour session, and the coaches didn't have to do much yelling.
"If we can carry the intensity that we had today, nothing but good things will come out of the practice," quarterback B.J. Coleman said. "No question."
The day's only downer was a shoulder injury sustained by cornerback Chaz Moore. The sophomore starter could miss at least a couple of days of practice.
UTC will be back practicing at Scrappy at 6:30 this morning.
Captains' Quotes
Quarterback B.J. Coleman: "It was fun having my baby brother [Jarrod, a freshman tight end] out here, definitely. I thought he did some good things, but there were a couple of times that he should have caught the football -- and I think he'd be the first one to tell you that."
Safety Jordan Tippit: "The first few days, I know and the coaches know that we're not going to have everybody together, everybody's not going to know what they're doing. But we want speed; we want everybody running to the ball."
Safety Chris Lewis-Harris: "I like working with the new guys. Everything I can tell them, I try to let them know and fill them in on every little thing that I can."
Linebacker Ryan Consiglio: "Personally, I just want to come out here and get better on the things that I need to get better on. I spent the whole summer watching film and seeing what I can do to be a better player and a better leader."