Stand Nick Davison and Nick Craig side by side in full football gear and they're pretty close to mirror images of one another. Craig is an inch or two taller, but otherwise they're nearly twins from the shoulders down.
"Sometimes I can't tell them apart," University of Tennessee at Chattanooga defensive line coach Jimmy Lindsey said.
The UTC defensive tackles not only share the same first name and body type -- long torso, short legs, big arms, shoulders and thighs -- but they're also both having productive springs and making plays when they're on the field together.
"We get that a lot, that we look alike," Davison said following Monday's practice, UTC's 11th of the spring. "We get a lot of (teasing) about our height, but neither one of us let it affect us. I've heard it ever since I got to college."
Craig, a sophomore who started 10 games last season, is listed at 6-foot-2, about 285 pounds. Davison, a Calhoun, Ga., resident who transferred this winter after two seasons at UAB, is 6-foot, 280.
Both Nicks are among the strongest players on the roster. Davison benches 430 pounds, with a 540 squat and a 300 power clean. Craig benches 420, squats 610 and has a 330 power clean.
Craig and La'Nard Carr, who's taller and leaner at 6-3, 250, were at the top of the tackle depth chart entering the spring, but Davison played his way into the mix right away.
"I'm impressed with his work ethic, his personality, his ability, toughness," defensive coordinator Adam Fuller said.
Davison, the Times Free Press North Georgia defensive player of the year in 2007, played in every game during his two seasons at UAB. He said the transition to UTC has been extremely smooth and he's excited about competing with Craig and Carr for playing time.
"There's competition between all of us, which is good," he said. "It makes us all better."
Mocs coach Russ Huesman said he likes the competition because "we're going to have to have three or four ready to play at that position -- you always have to." He said Davison rushes the passer better than expected and is "disruptive in there."
Extra points
Left guard Omre Harris, who suffered a shoulder sprain during last Saturday's scrimmage, did not practice Monday and could be sidelined for the rest of the spring. Offensive lineman Nick Gipson left practice with a hyperextended left elbow. ... After a mediocre practice that finished better than it started, Huesman stressed to his players that there isn't a "four- or five-year plan" for UTC. He said all of them have to put in the work to get to the playoffs in 2010.