Mocs football practice report No. 4

Saturday, August 3, 2013

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team's fourth preseason practice got going at Scrappy Moore Field this morning at 7:45. Starting more than an hour later than Thursday and Friday meant that the players got to get a little more rest as the grind of the preseason begins to take effect.

Both sides of the ball made plays this morning and the coaches seemed to like most of what they saw. Here are some odds and ends from this morning:

Top play: Redshirt freshman wide receiver C.J. Board had an excellent day, with several long touchdown catches. His most impressive play was a quick-reaction diving catch that had offensive coordinator Jeff Durden screaming about what a great grab it was.

Top players: Board was probably the player of the day with numerous big plays. Running back/slot receiver Marquis Green had a big gain and a long touchdown catch in the same series. Defensive end Zach Rayl also caused some problems, as did linebacker Wes Dothard.

Quotable: "The wide receivers are getting better and better every day. They're giving us a challenge every day and that's making us better. Today they caught a lot of deep balls." - senior cornerback Chaz Moore.

A good sign: The Mocs' passing game continues to show improvement, though part of the reason for that is the effectiveness of the ground game. The offensive balance is helping keep the defense off balance.,

A not so good sign: Free safety Zach McCarter left practice in period 23, after tweaking his right knee. It's the same knee he had surgery on after the 2012 season. Mocs coach Russ Huesman said he didn't think it was anything serious.

Up next: The Mocs are back on the field at 7:45 Sunday, but this time they will be in full pads for the first time. Of course, UTC doesn't very little tackling in practice, so the addition of football pants won't exactly lead to non-stop collisions.

For more Mocs coverage, see tomorrow's Times Free Press. You can also follow beat writer John Frierson on Twitter at twitter.com/MocsBeat.