Shorter presents plenty of unknowns for Mocs

UTC's Lucas Webb intercepts a pass intended for Furman's Andrej Suttles during a game at Finley Stadium last October.
UTC's Lucas Webb intercepts a pass intended for Furman's Andrej Suttles during a game at Finley Stadium last October.

Shorter University returns a tailback who rushed for nearly 1,500 yards last season.

Yet a new head coach, a new offensive coordinator and a new quarterback for the Hawks provide a number of unknowns the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga is working to prepare for as the season opener for both teams approaches.

The Mocs, ranked sixth in Division I's Football Championship Subdivision, host the Division II Hawks from Rome, Ga., at 7 p.m. Thursday at Finley Stadium.

Shorter, picked to finish last in the nine-team Gulf South Conference, returns B.J. McCoy, who rushed for 1,489 yards and 10 touchdowns as a junior. But last season's primary starter at quarterback, Aaron Bryant, has been moved to wide receiver as the Hawks and new head coach Aaron Kelton have scrapped the team's former triple-option attack for a more traditional, pro-style offense with a fullback, two receivers and a tight end.

UTC head coach Russ Huesman said preparing for so many unknowns is "one of the toughest things we have to do."

"You can't scout," Huesman said after Sunday's practice. "You have to get video of where they've been; where the offensive coordinator has been, where the defensive coordinator has been, plus you have to watch film of Shorter so you can see their personnel, so there's a little bit more work involved."

Shorter's new starting quarterback is Matt Williams, who once had a scholarship offer from Tennessee, had high interest from Duke and Louisville, and at one point in 2015 was linked to LSU. He ended up at Pearl River Community College in Poplarville, Miss., last season before making his way to Shorter.

The Mocs watched high school and college footage to acquaint themselves with Williams, who passed for 4,425 yards and 50 touchdowns with five interceptions in 11 games as a junior at Lancaster Christian in Smyrna, Tenn.

"As far as our preparation, it's not any different than how we take each and every game," said Mocs safety Lucas Webb, a third-team preseason All-American. "With the level we're at here, you have really good competition that may or may not have been in the spotlight recruiting. You may have guys as good as big FBS teams that may not have got the same looks.

"I don't think the competition level is significantly different, but we're definitely excited. It's the season opener, so we definitely want to come out and show how dominant we can be."

"Dominate" has been a theme of the Mocs' defensive line in recent years, and it will be up to that group to disrupt things early by putting pressure on Williams.

"Every week we go out, we try to get after the quarterback," said UTC defensive end Keionta Davis, a preseason first-team All-American. "That's been our thing for the past couple of years. It's the same story - no matter who is back there, we've got to get them."

After a Sunday practice delayed by inclement weather midway through, the Mocs will be at Finley tonight for an 8:15 practice.

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.

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