SoCon recognizes Tommy Hudson as special player for UTC Mocs

photo UTC receiver Tommy Hudson (8) is alone in the end zone after catching a Jacob Huesman pass for the Mocs's second touchdown. The UTC Mocs visited the Austin Peay State Univesity Governors in the inaugural game of their new Governors Stadium.

Knowing the importance of getting the offense untracked early against Austin Peay last Saturday, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga had a simple and aggressive game plan: Get the ball into the hands of a proven playmaker.

That plan went exactly as scripted as the Mocs targeted receiver Tommy Hudson, who responded with career highs in receiving yards (102) and all-purpose yards (173). UTC offensive coaches script the first 16 plays of every game, and the intent to get Hudson involved early paid off with two touchdowns in the first four minutes of the 42-6 win.

"That was definitely the plan," said offensive coordinator Jeff Durden. "When Tommy returned that punt against Jacksonville State, even though a penalty called it back, that got my attention. He followed up and had a good week of practice, and we wanted to reward that.

"It unfolded just the way we had it planned. He's a guy that can make people miss and make big plays for us."

On the first three snaps of the game against the Governors, the 5-foot-11, 175-pound Hudson had two 23-yard receptions and a 6-yard rush on a jet sweep, igniting a touchdown drive. After getting the ball back on a turnover, the Mocs wasted no time targeting Hudson again, and he hauled in a 33-yard TD pass from Jacob Huesman.

Arkansas-Oklahoma State Live Blog

Hudson later added a 58-yard punt return for a score, which earned him the honor of Southern Conference special teams player of the week.

"I got excited when I found out how involved I was going to be early," said Hudson, who had two TD catches in the season opener, including one covering 70 yards, and nearly completed a rally against Jacksonville State when he brought back a punt 55 yards for the score that was negated by a penalty.

"It can put a lot of pressure on you, but me personally I like knowing I'm going to have the ball in my hands to help my team. That kind of game was really what our offense needed. We had struggled, so it was huge for our confidence to put up points."

After struggling the previous six quarters, the Mocs rolled up 351 total yards and Hudson accounted for nearly half that total. He returned three punts for 65 yards, including the first return for a TD by a Mocs player since 2007.

UTC moved up three spots to No. 14 in the FCS Coaches Poll and slipped one spot to No. 15 in Yhe Sports Network Top 25 rankings. The Mocs are off this week and host Samford next Saturday in a matchup of 2013 SoCon co-champs.

"Tommy Hudson. There's nothing I can even say about him. He's just a ballplayer," said quarterback Huesman, who completed 18 of 23 throws for 224 yards and a pair of TDs. "He's a threat every time he touches the ball. I trust the ball in Tommy's hands 100 percent."

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

Upcoming Events