UTC defensive back Trevor Wright, right, tackles Fordham wide receiver Jordan Allen in the first half of the Mocs' FCS playoff football game against Fordham at Finley Stadium on Saturday, Nov. 28, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn.Western Carolina quarterback Tyrie Adams is a dual-threat quarterback in a multitude of ways.
There are the obvious reasons, as he has thrown for 1,818 yards and 12 touchdowns in his redshirt freshman season to go along with his rushing abilities (179 yards, touchdown).
He's also a dual-sport dual threat, having won the Southern Conference's high-jump competition during indoor track and field season.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga doesn't have to worry about the latter, but they are very aware of the former.
Adams leads a potent Catamounts offense, one that averages 377.6 yards per game and 22.3 points. The team is off to a 1-6 start with an 0-5 record in league play but remains dangerous regardless of its record.
"They have athletes at every position. Quarterback, receiver, running back," defensive coordinator Adam Braithwaite said. "They run a scheme that forces you to defend every inch of the field. They have an O-line that'll fight you, come out and scrap you every play, so they're very dangerous as far as that goes."
Along with Adams, the Catamounts have preseason SoCon offensive player of the year Detrez Newsome at running back. The 5-foot-10, 210-pound junior has 472 yards rushing and five scores to go along with 251 yards receiving and four more touchdowns despite battling some injuries throughout the season. They also have receivers Terryon and Spearman Robinson (no relation), who have combined for 79 catches for 980 yards and seven scores.
Terryon ranks third in the league in both receptions and yards per game.
It starts with the quarterback, though, and UTC defensive back Trevor Wright said defending the dual threat puts more pressure on the defenders and their responsibilities.
"We have to make sure we contain him and stay on the receivers, because he's going to get out of the pocket sometimes, create plays and more duration to the play," Wright said. "We have to stay in our coverage and be more aware of where he's at on the field."
Russ Huesman said Adams' ability reminds the UTC coach of the Catamounts' last quarterback, Troy Mitchell, the program's all-time leader in total offense with 9,397 yards, which ranks fourth in SoCon history. Mitchell left with 7,354 yards passing and 69 total touchdowns, also records.
"It changes a lot of what we want to do and how we want to defend," Huesman said. "Their offense, understanding that (Adams) can beat you with the legs, so we're treating this like we treated the guy last year. The guy last year was an excellent player and we had to know where he was at all times so we had to defend the quarterback-run stuff.
"This will be a different approach for our guys."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.