LEXINGTON, Va. - There are some - perhaps many - outside the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football program frustrated with the team's slow start this season. It's a sentiment that's shared by a lot within the program as well, even more since they are the ones affecting the outcomes of the games.
The UTC players and coaches also know a win today - a positive result on the scoreboard - could greatly reduce the frustration.
The winless Mocs open Southern Conference play today at another winless program, Virginia Military Institute, with kickoff at Foster Stadium slated for 1:30 p.m.. The game will be produced on the Stadium Sports Network, which will be available on MyNetwork Chattanooga, online at WatchStadium.com and on Twitter on the WatchStadium account.
"I think we desperately need a win at this point in the season," UTC junior receiver Bingo Morton said. "The only thing on our mind is getting the 'W' this week. Once guys start having more opportunities to make plays and start having more fun on the field, I think those things will come.
"I think we're playing together, but not everything is clicking as one. The offense, defense and special teams haven't come together yet, but when they do it's going to be scary for other teams, so I think once that happens we're going to be really good."
Morton said the team is doing everything right but that some additional energy in practice could lead to a better outcome in the game.
"We just have to have fun," he said. "Let that translate to the game, because I feel we're kind of dead on the sideline, but once it happens in practice and we celebrate having fun in practice, it'll be easier to do that in games and we'll be cheering on our teammates out there on the field."
Practices were loose throughout the week, and full of energy with players bounding around and encouraging each other. It's been 13 years since the program started 0-3, and the Mocs are hungry for a win. Coach Tom Arth echoed that all three phases of the game - offense, defense and special teams - need to be good on the same day, but he still is focused on his team doing things the right way and letting the results speak for themselves.
"We've been winning in other ways, but obviously you're in this to have success, and to be successful winning is a part of the process," Arth said. "That doesn't mean that winning a game and not playing the right way and not playing well is going to make us feel better - you've still got to do it the right way - but when you do it the right way and more often than not you will, you will come up with wins.
"We need to keep fighting, keep having success and playing the game together as a team. We have to feed off each other even more and play a complete game."
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.