There were a lot of reasons for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team to be focused this offseason.
There was the sour taste in its collective mouth after a close playoff loss, followed by the defection of head coach Russ Huesman to Richmond a couple of weeks later.
There was the dreaded "rebuilding" term being tossed out by some, due to the loss of five Football Championship Subdivision All-Americans and three current NFL players.
That all led many outside the program to question the potential of the 2017 Mocs, although Huesman left a lot of talent in the fold with quality recruiting classes. He was succeeded by Tom Arth, the NCAA Division III national coach of the year but a relative unknown to FCS observers.
And prognosticators knew there was plenty returning. The Mocs were selected 12th nationally in one preseason poll and 13th in another. At Southern Conference media day, a league-high 10 UTC players were selected to the all-conference teams.
Quarterback Alejandro Bennifield (15) throws a sideline pass. The UTC football team practiced at Finley Stadium on August 10, 2017.The team was picked fourth in the league, however.
The Mocs are very aware of that uncertainty, but they're using the doubt as motivation.
"I don't understand how we have all these all-conference players and are ranked fourth - it doesn't make sense to me," quarterback Alejandro Bennifield said recently. "We know what we've done this offseason; we know what we're doing out on the field, and we know how we prepare. If we prepare the right way, focus on us, get better as a team, come closer and get better every single day, we will win every game.
"When we walk off the practice field, we're not walking around like, 'Why are we fourth?' We're talking about what we did at practice today and what we're going to do at practice tomorrow. That's how we will be great this year."
Arth arrived in late December, and he and his coaching staff have revamped everything. It's unknown just how good this team is or just how high the expectations should be going into Saturday's season opener against sixth-ranked Jacksonville State at the Cramton Bowl in Montgomery, Ala.
Some of the players used the term "hungry" when asked how they feel about this year.
"We all know that nobody is really counting on us to win anything. That pushes us more," cornerback C.J. Fritz said. "We've got all new faces, all new coaches, and we've all got a fresh new start from last year."
Fellow junior defender Tavon Lawson said last year's team at times felt "entitled" but this year's attitude is different.
"Now we're thinking, 'Let's go show why we've been labeled the best in the past,'" Lawson said. "That's what we're honed in on. Mentally and physically, every day in practice it's a grind. You can tell the difference in communication; players are staying after (practice) to do more work.
"That's what Coach (Arth) preached on - doing more - and I feel like that's what everybody is doing. We want to be more than average; we want to be great."
Arth said recently that he wanted "hungry" players. He didn't mind that the team was picked fourth in the SoCon, because he liked to be able to use that as motivation, and he added to that by testing the competition level of every player at every position in the offseason.
Now with the season about to start, Arth said he hopes the Mocs can use all of the motivation and turn it into success on the field, but the team "shouldn't need that.
"We have enough to play for, enough challenge internally within our program," Arth said. "They should be hungry, excited and eager to get out there and play and compete, and I hope that's the case."
Tull signs with Rams
Former UTC All-America defensive end Davis Tull signed with the Los Angeles Rams this past week. The 6-foot-3, 240-pound outside linebacker - a three-time SoCon defensive player of the year - had 37 sacks during his Mocs career, a school and league record. He was a 2015 fifth-round draft pick of the New Orleans Saints and spent last season on the Atlanta Falcons' practice squad.
He also has been with the Saskatchewan Rough Riders of the Canadian league.
His addition to the Rams gives UTC a school-record seven players on NFL rosters, joining Buster Skrine (Jets), Chris Lewis-Harris (Broncos), Jacob Huesman (Giants), Corey Levin (Titans), C.J. Board (Ravens) and Keionta Davis (Patriots).
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.