After two weeks of grueling road trips, the football Mocs are at home.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga administration listened and heard complaints of early start times in unbearable heat and responded by pushing September kickoff times back. The team, although winless, made strides from game one to game two, and feels good heading into this evening's home opener against UT-Martin at 6 at Finley Stadium.
It will be the first game at Finley Stadium for the new UTC coaching staff, led by Tom Arth, who admitted excitement about playing at home after games in Montgomery, Ala., and Baton Rouge, La.
"It means a lot to our players, and personally it means a lot to me to go out there and represent our school the best way we know how," Arth said. "We're excited for the opportunity to play such a great team in UT-Martin. We've played two really great teams so far this year, and we're really learning about ourselves and what to do to improve.
"Those opportunities are what this game is all about and why we get so excited to come out and be at our best."
Arth's 2014 John Carroll team had four home games, drawing 11,036 total fans, and in 23 home dates his JCU teams averaged 2,659. The Jacksonville State game in Montgomery drew 12,952 and LSU had 97,289 last week in its home opener, so today will be yet another adjustment for the Mocs.
There will be a good number of fans in attendance, but this time the majority will be rooting for them.
"From everything I hear, I expect it to be exciting with a really great crowd that comes out, and that's something we need," Arth said. "We talk about it all the time within our program: We're not just playing for ourselves, we're playing for our school and our city. That carries a lot more weight when the stadium is packed. We hope to have an outstanding crowd, and we're excited to play at home."
The Mocs feel as though they've grown in those national television losses, and while UTM's Skyhawks aren't as nationally regarded as JSU and LSU, they are a playoff team or fringe contender year in and year out under coach Jason Simpson, a former UTC offensive coordinator.
Going back to the 2010 season, the Skyhawks are third in the state of Tennessee in wins by an NCAA Division I program with 46, tied with Middle Tennessee State. The Mocs are first with 52 wins in that span, while Tennessee has 50, so in a lot of ways this game is a true gauge for the home team. Southern Conference play starts next week at Virginia Military Institute.
"They're one of the top teams in the OVC, and we're definitely looking forward to that challenge," UTC running back Darrell Bridges said. "We're looking to get that 'W' at home, but it's going to be tough. We have to get back to the drawing board, but we're ready.
"We're prepared, but we've got to execute."
UTC alumni Chris Goforth and B.J. Coleman will be the commentators for the Mocs' five home-game ESPN3 showings this season. Goforth, a 1996 graduate in his 22nd year as a broadcaster, also is part of the Atlanta Falcons' radio broadcasts and hosts a weekend radio show in Atlanta. He'll do the play-by-play.
Analyst Coleman was a star quarterback for McCallie School and the Mocs and was drafted in 2011 by the Green Bay Packers.
"When B.J. played for a state championship as a senior at McCallie, I called that game on radio," Goforth said in a UTC release. "I know about B.J.'s work ethic and intense preparation as a player, and I am excited to see what he brings to the telecast."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.