Through two games last season, it was hard to gauge the prospects for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga offense. With a patchwork offensive line being pieced together on the fly due to the loss of guard Synjen Herren, the team had averaged 183.5 yards of total offense per game in losses to Football Bowl Subdivision member Central Michigan and then ninth-ranked Jacksonville State.
Quarterback Jacob Huesman, who rushed for 1,009 yards for the season, was sitting at 51 through those two games, bottled up by the defensive fronts of the Chippewas and the Gamecocks.
The unit hopes to get off to a better start this season.
The eighth-ranked Mocs host seventh-ranked Jacksonville State on Saturday at Finley Stadium. The Gamecocks defense features transfers from Alabama, Auburn and Kentucky. A number of UTC players said that might have led to a level of intimidation during the 2014 meeting, but they said that wouldn't be the case Saturday.
"We weren't prepared. We were intimidated, I feel like, and I know a lot of the other players felt the same way," UTC receiver Xavier Borishade said. "Knowing the kind of team they are, we're ready for them now. They're a good football team, we're a good football team and we're excited for this Saturday. They get a lot of players coming from SEC schools, a lot from big-name schools."
UTC offensive coordinator Jeff Durden said the Gamecocks' ability to get pressure with their front four - who combined for seven tackles for loss in last year's game - lets the rest of the defensejust play football. As a result, blitzes don't have to be designed because most of the pressure is coming from up front.
"We've got to handle the pressure," Durden said. "We've got to find a way to protect our quarterback and make them play. Last year I didn't feel like we made them play. We have to convert third downs.
"They do everything good; they're a contain-type outfit and they keep things in front of them. They're a tremendous challenge just because of the personnel they've got. They get a lot of transfers, but we're a year older so hopefully we're smarter and better. We weren't ready for the pressure last year, but we're 14 games better because of the playoff run, which is like an extra spring practice. We're a little faster, a little bigger, a little stronger, and we're going to see how we match up."
The offense was still a work in progress against JSU a season ago. The Mocs were young at receiver and young on the line. That helped lead to some mistakes and the unit's worst performance. Huesman was a big part of the Mocs' progress, but the game against the Gamecocks wasn't one of his better ones, as he threw for 38 yards, ran for 11 and was sacked four times.
Like Borishade and Durden, he feels more confident going into this season's game.
"I'm really excited about the offensive line in front of me. It's probably one of the best I've been able to play with," Huesman said. "Thankfully, we're all healthy so far and I'm really excited about that; it will make for a better matchup up front with them. I have weapons around me. We've got the playmakers to do it, and I'm feeling good about it."
The Mocs have spent the offseason talking about how excited they were to play Jacksonville State. That's in part due to the fact that the Gamecocks are their season-opening opponent, but also because memories of poor performances die hard. The only way to right that wrong is to go out and play again - and better.
"This year we're not worried," Borishade said. "We're going to be more aggressive. We've been waiting for this moment since last year, and we're going to go out there ready to fight."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.