Defensive back Trevor Wright has been reliable for UTC

Trevor Wright is a fourth-year starter in the UTC secondary who is preparing for the final game of his college career. The Mocs host SoCon rival ETSU on Saturday.
Trevor Wright is a fourth-year starter in the UTC secondary who is preparing for the final game of his college career. The Mocs host SoCon rival ETSU on Saturday.
photo Trevor Wright is a fourth-year starter in the UTC secondary who is preparing for the final game of his college career. The Mocs host SoCon rival ETSU on Saturday.

For four years, Trevor Wright has just gone about his business.

As other University of Tennessee at Chattanooga defensive backs have been brought in to potentially replace the 6-foot-1, 180-pound Wright, who's now a senior, he has just done his job.

And for the most part, done it well.

Wright is expected to start the 39th and final game of his college career Saturday as the Mocs (2-8, 2-5 Southern Conference) close the season by hosting rival East Tennessee State University (4-6, 2-5) at 2 p.m. at Finley Stadium. Wright grew up in Greeneville, about 30 minutes away from Johnson City, where ETSU is located.

He has started six games this season, splitting time with junior transfers Markell Boston and Kareem Orr at cornerback.

"I just come to work every day," Wright said this week. "I know I've got guys behind me, looking up to me but also wanting to be in the position I'm in, so I just know that I've got a group of guys ready to compete along with me. And I'm ready to compete right back at them, so I just try to be vocally and physically a leader and go into every practice like it is my last and just play hard - whether it's practice, going hard in the film room or the classroom.

"I just leave it up to Saturdays."

Like so many upperclassmen in the program, Wright has picked his game up down the stretch of this season. His interception of Samford's Devlin Hodges was one of seven turnovers forced against the eighth-ranked Bulldogs, and it killed a drive that had started in UTC territory in a game the Mocs won 23-21.

"He's a fun guy to coach," first-year UTC coach Tom Arth said. "He always has a smile on his face. He's positive, competitive, you can joke around with him, and he's been a lot of fun to coach and be around. He's played really well - especially these last few weeks, he's played some real good football games."

He has played a big part in the overall success of the program, too.

His previous three seasons ended with appearances in the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, a streak that will not continue this year. Wright started as a freshman, compiling 50 tackles for the 10-win Mocs in 2014. UTC totaled 18 wins the next two seasons, and Wright started 11 games in 2015 and all 13 last season, nabbing a pick-six against Weber State in a first-round win in the postseason.

"We've had a lot of ups and downs, but for sure it's been a blessing," Wright said. "We've had more successful seasons, but this season, with the new change and a lot of adapting going on to new coaches and everything, it's definitely helped me go on and adjust to life. So looking back at this season here, it's going to help me adapt to change in my life and take on new challenges for sure."

Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.

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