Alphonso Stewart was worried.
Perhaps because he grew up in Alabama, where football is more important than oxygen, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga sophomore wideout was more than a little concerned that his fellow UTC students might give up on the Mocs after Saturday's 23-20 loss to Jacksonville State.
"I was afraid they might not stick with us," he said of the Mocs' 0-1 start. "But when I got to class Tuesday, everybody was really supportive. They're like, 'You're the same team as before. We still believe in you.' That was big to me."
It was big for Vantrel McMillan, too. The junior defensive end heard similar words of encouragement during his classes.
"The support was amazing Saturday," he said of the 15,812 who filed into Finley for the season opener. "But the support on campus today was great, too. Everybody told us to hold our heads high - that we're still a good team. They said we'd get them in the playoffs if we play them again."
UTC defensive lineman Vantrell McMillan takes a drink during the Mocs' football practice Friday, Aug. 1, 2014, at Scrappy Moore Field in Chattanooga, Tenn.
UTC head coach Russ Huesman claps the hand of UTC tight end Malcolm Colvin during the Mocs' season-opener football game against Jacksonville State at Finley Stadium on Saturday, Sept. 5, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn.That's the goal, of course. Not so much revenge on Jacksonville State, which has now beaten the Mocs two straight Septembers inside Finley Stadium, but the Mocs are determined to make the playoffs for a second straight season after failing to make it a single time between 1984 and last year.
And while UTC coach Russ Huesman certainly hopes his team reaches the postseason, he sounded certain Tuesday that the Gamecocks will be there.
"They're very talented," he said. "If they stay healthy, Jacksonville State should not only make the playoffs, they should do some damage once they get there. They could go a long way."
But that doesn't mean the Mocs can't return there, too. Last year's Jax State loss didn't prevent a playoff run. Huesman sees no reason this one should, either.
"We actually played better on both sides of the ball in this game (than last year's Jax State game)," the coach said. "There's no question about that. And we played so hard. But you've also got to play smart. We didn't always do that on Saturday."
It's just one game. Certainly it was the kind of game that could have changed the mindset about the Mocs for all those who don't normally make their way to Finley on football Saturdays but did for the Gamecocks game. It's the kind of outcome that could certainly keep those fair-weather fans and fence sitters from coming back for the regular season's final four home games, beginning this Saturday at 1 p.m. against Mars Hill.
That's life for almost any school at UTC's FCS level. The window to wow the neutral in any given season can be a single game. But Moc Maniacs might also look at this a different way. The only certain path to the playoffs is to win the Southern Conference. A loss to Ohio Valley Conference member Jax State means nothing regarding the SoCon. And a win would have meant almost as little, though it might have helped secure an at-large berth.
But winning the SoCon is better. Winning the SoCon is a foolproof plan to reach the postseason. And should the Mocs go 7-0 in league play, they should receive a first-round bye in the 24-team tourney, as well as a home game.
"It was just one game," McMillan said. "We're not going to let this game dictate our whole season. We still have goals to attain."
And that's the point. Except for winning every game on the schedule other than the regular-season-ending money game at Florida State, everything else that would seem to matter to these Mocs is still attainable. The goal of reaching Frisco, Texas, for the FCS title game is no more difficult than it was a week ago.
It may even be easier, because now the Mocs are frustrated, even angry. Especially their head coach. Complacency should no longer be a concern.
"I feel bad," Huesman said. "We fought hard. But I feel the same as I do after every game we lose. I feel like dog crap, if you want to know the truth."
Winning against Mars Hill, then the following week at Samford could certainly change that. And something else Huesman said strongly suggested that he expects his team to start posting wins and lots of them, just as they were predicted to do when voted eighth in the preseason in the FCS poll.
"I like our team a lot," he said. "We're going to be fine."
If that doesn't return at least most of those 15,812 to Finley for the four remaining home games, it should.
Contact Mark Wiedmer at mwiedmer@timesfreepress.com.