The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team has gone through a few short practices this off week before the season finale next Saturday at home against East Tennessee State.
The sessions haven't lacked for intensity, though.
"They've been real practices," coach Tom Arth said Thursday. "The way it should be."
The team has gone through a lot of "good-on-good" competitions with the No. 1 offense against the No. 1 defense. It's the first week since late August that the Mocs haven't been implementing a game plan for an opponent.
In the past three weeks, the effort in the practices in preparation for games has been ratcheted up, as a team that realized it fell short of its own expectations wants to finish strong to build some momentum for the 2018 season.
"It would certainly be great if we had 10 more games to play, but things have been coming together," Arth said. "There's been marginal improvement throughout the course of the year, and now you're starting to see it all add up to us playing better. We still have a long way to go overall, but it's exciting to see the way guys have challenged themselves and improved."
Davis invited to bowl
Senior linebacker Tae Davis has received an invitation to play in the NFLPA Bowl, which is set for Jan. 20 at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, Calif.
In his first season since moving from safety, the 6-foot-3, 215-pound Davis has 72 tackles - five for loss - a sack and a forced fumble. The fumble led to the deciding field goal in the Mocs' 23-21 win over then eighth-ranked Samford on Oct. 28 in Birmingham, Ala.
"It's so exciting for Tae," Arth said. "He's worked so hard. He really went out on a limb with us in terms of us asking him to move positions. He never once hesitated; he was excited, and that's been key because he embraced it and realized the potential he has at that position. He's done everything in his power to become the best linebacker he could be, and people recognize that.
"When you do the right things, the right way, great things happen to you, and he's a fantastic example of that."
Welcome returns
Running back Richardre Bagley, who has missed the past four games with an injury, returned to practice in a limited role Thursday. Despite missing five games this season, Bagley leads the team in total yards with 656, an average of 131.2 per game.
Junior defensive back Kareem Orr is back after missing the Wofford game due to a "team issue." Orr has 31 tackles, three for loss, two fumble recoveries and an interception this season.
Other sports signees
The UTC women's basketball team officially announced the signings of 6-foot-2 Hardin Valley forward Abbey Cornelius and 6-foot guard-forward Eboni Johnson from Hoover, Ala. Cornelius was the District 4-AAA most valuable player in 2016-17, averaging 15 points, 11 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and two steals per game for the Lady Hawks, while Williams averaged 11.6 points, 7.5 rebounds and blocked 84 shots for the Alabama Class 7A state champions.
The volleyball team announced three signees, including Signal Mountain 5-10 hitter and middle blocker Maia Rackel, who plans to graduate in December and enroll at UTC for team activities in the spring. Rackel was a second-team Times Free Press Best of Preps selection in 2016, leading the Lady Eagles in kills, digs and blocks.
Affirming his commitment to get the best area players, coach Travis Filar said of Rackel: "I truly believe she is one of, if not the best, athletes in her class in the entire state, and she has led her high school and club programs the last three years on and off the court. She's an exceptional attacker and blocker that possesses great versatility. She plays at a height above the net that we don't have in the gym right now, and her backcourt skills have improved tremendously."
The program also added 6-foot setter Gylian Finch of Oregon High in Mount Morries, Ill., and 5-10 outside hitter Jaquelyn Langhaim from Lone Peak High in Alpine, Utah.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.