UTC questions: Some answered, some remain

photo Defensive end Davis Tull has had another good season with the Mocs this year, with seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss.
photo UTC head coach Russ Huesman directs players on the sidelines.

The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team turned the corner of the halfway point of the regular season last week and now heads toward a possible outright Southern Conference championship and NCAA playoff berth. With just five games remaining on the schedule the Mocs have answered several preseason questions and are tied atop the conference standings. But as they try to gain full control and make a playoff run, a few questions linger.

Three things we know

1. Defense is as good as advertised: The Mocs rank at or near the top of every statistical defensive category in the Southern Conference, including total defense (290.3 ypg) and scoring defense (20.3 ppg). The front has lived up to expectations, led by two-time SoCon defensive player of the year Davis Tull, who is having another All-America type season with seven sacks and 12 tackles for loss.

2. Special teams are special: Senior Tommy Hudson is the first player since UTC went to Division I to return two punts for touchdowns in a season, while Henrique Ribeiro is perfect on eight field-goal attempts and Nick Pollard is a defensive weapon with his ability to put kickoffs into the end zone and angle punts that can't be returned or are downed inside the opponents' 20. The Mocs rank first or second in kickoff and punt coverage.

3. There is running back depth: When he's healthy, senior Keon Williams is a bull of a runner capable of converting short-yardage situations as well as break tackles for big gains. But as he's been dinged up lately, sophomore Derrick Craine has proven to be just as capable. Senior Marquis Green and freshman Richardre Bagley are smaller but have the speed to give the offense more big-play potential, and quarterback Jacob Huesman has looked like the SoCon's top offensive player with his dual-threat ability of late.

Three questions remain

1. The offensive line: Having two likely starters decide not to return and a key injury just before the season began left this group with more questions than any other position. The linemen have shown improvement the past three conference games but are still a work in progress.

2. Winning a close game: It's been noted that the Mocs have lost 10 straight games decided by three points or less. Two of their losses this season were by a combined seven points. At some point, whether in the regular season or playoffs, they likely will have to find a way to gut out a narrow win to advance.

3. Freshman defensive backs: Last week the Mocs started Tavon Lawson in place of injured Sema'je Kendall in their dime package (six backs) and Trevor Wright at cornerback in place of Jeremiah Hay. Those two, as well as Tae Davis, are talented but are still freshmen, and how quickly they progress could determine just how stingy the defense is.

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