After a lackluster effort in its last previous practice, Tom Arth challenged his University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team to have a much better effort in the final spring workout Tuesday.
In some ways the Mocs responded, but they leave the spring session still with a long way to go.
There are some positives to be taken from the first workouts for a new coaching staff. Quarterback Alejandro Bennifield's play has been on par with what the coaches expected, and there is depth behind him in Mississippi State transfer Nick Tiano from Baylor School and former East Hamilton standout Hunter Moore, as well as incoming freshman Cole Copeland, who played at Bradley Central.
Defensively, the line is the Mocs' strength, with the first-team threesome of senior end Taylor Reynolds, junior end Isaiah Mack and junior tackle Derek Mahaffey and a quality backup in senior end D.J. Prather.
"It's not where it needs to be, but it's April 18 and that's the challenge now," Arth said after Tuesday's practice. "Our season will be defined by our willingness to fight and our willingness to finish when it gets tough and they get tired. How are they going to respond?"
Arth, a former NFL quarterback, said he was extremely impressed with Bennifield, who was a second-team All-Southern Conference selection in his first season as a starter.
"You see the arm talent, but what you don't see show up in spring, or practice in general, is his ability to extend the play, make plays with his legs," Arth said. "That'll take pressure off the offense - his ability to take off and scramble, maybe make a play outside of the pocket, or maybe take off and run. It's those hidden yards, third-down conversions, that I think he's going to be able to create for us that will be a really great thing for our offense, and I'm excited about that."
In addition to the defensive line, Arth also praised the development of the players in the secondary and their ability to understand the concepts being laid out to them by the coaching staff.
Arth admitted he saw some corners being cut in meetings - "You could see them not taking quite as many notes as they did in the beginning," he said - but said he was pleased with the progress the team made from the first practice to the last one. A lot of stuff was thrown at the players as far as new schemes offensively and defensively.
Offensive line help is needed, as well as more bodies at the linebacker position, but a talented incoming class should help some there.
The Mocs may not be game-ready, but they've also got four months before the season opener on Aug. 26 against Jacksonville State on national television.
"We're not where we need to be, but we've got a lot of time to get there," Arth said.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.