Alejandro Bennifield, other UTC backups get quality work

photo UTC quarterback Jacob Huesman (14) looks for an open player during the second quarter of play at the Moc's home field in Chattanooga on Oct. 4, 2014.

MOCS GLANCE• UTC (3-2) at TENNESSEE (2-3)• Saturday, 4 p.m.• Neyland Stadium• SEC Network; 96.1 FM

photo UTC's Alejandro Bennifield participates in practice at Scrappy Moore Field.

With a gauntlet of Southern Conference games and tough road tests remaining on the schedule, it was imperative for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team to handle its on-field business early last week.

In having the VMI game in hand by halftime, the Mocs were able to get some needed experience for redshirt freshman backup quarterback Alejandro Bennifield.

There arguably is no bigger key to the Mocs' hopes of an outright conference championship and playoff berth than the health of junior quarterback Jacob Huesman. Last year's SoCon offensive player of the year, and the preseason pick to win that award again, proved just how valuable he is with a 275-yard, six-touchdown performance against the Keydets that earned him a conference player-of-the-week honor.

The revamped offensive line has given Huesman holes to run through and time to throw in the last two games and will need to continue protecting him throughout the remaining schedule, which includes five league games and five road trips, beginning this week at Tennessee.

But as with any athletic quarterback, Huesman's ability to become a runner also makes him more prone to taking shots than a traditional pocket passer, which heightens the importance of having a contingency plan should he have to miss any action because of injury.

"It can be the difference between winning and losing at some point," Mocs offensive coordinator Jeff Durden said. "It's your job as a backup player to be ready. It's about competing every play at every practice so you're ready. That's the same for any position, but especially a quarterback."

After Huesman's 44-yard scoring run to open the third quarter, UTC coaches were able to pull the starters, allowing both redshirt freshman quarterbacks to play. That began with Bennifield, who entered the game with 10:56 to go in the third quarter.

The 6-foot-2, 215-pound left-hander had played against Austin Peay but didn't get on the field in that game until the final minutes of the third quarter and was in for only 10 plays. Against VMI, Bennifield, who led Lovejoy High to consecutive Georgia state finals in his final two prep seasons, responded to the meaningful snaps by giving a glimpse of his potential. He finished Saturday's game as UTC's second-leading rusher with 70 yards on four carries and completed 4 of 5 passes for 55 yards and a 31-yard touchdown pass to fellow freshman Alphonso Stewart.

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No. 3 signal caller Tyler Robertson, who also plays on special teams, ran just once for 2 yards and did not attempt a pass after coming into the game early in the fourth period.

"Alejandro did some good things," UTC coach Russ Huesman said. "He looked good. He looks like he could run this offense. I like ol' 'Dro. When he and Tyler get in there you don't always know what's going to happen, but they're talented players. I'm glad we've got them on our team."

Senior running back Keon Williams left the Samford game early with a hand injury and was held out against VMI as a precaution. His absence opened the door for true freshman Richardre Bagley, sophomore Derrick Craine and senior Marquis Green to share the load, and they combined for 170 all-purpose yards and two TDs.

One freshman who was a much bigger piece of the offensive game plan from the start was Stewart, a 6-3, 190-pound receiver who has shown flashes of potential in practice but had yet to catch a pass in a game before Saturday.

He was targeted early and often, leading the team with six catches (four in the first half) for 71 yards and the TD.

"We had talked about it: We wanted to get him the ball," said Coach Huesman, whose team moved up two spots in the latest FCS coaches' poll to No. 12. "It's important that we get Alphonso going in the passing game because we're going to need him.

"In the second half we actually said we're going to target him and get the ball to him so we can see what he can do with the ball in his hands. That was one of the primary things we wanted to do was to get Alphonso the ball. He did a nice job. He's a talented player."

Contact Stephen Hargis at shargis@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6293.

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