When D.J. Key has played this season, whether it was off the bench or starting, at safety or linebacker, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga redshirt freshman has been productive.
Key started two games at safety when Jordan Tippit was out early in the season with an ankle injury. Saturday at No. 9 Wofford, he will make his first start at linebacker.
“We just think D.J. Key has to be on the field,” Mocs coach Russ Huesman said. “He’s just a playmaker and somewhere, somehow he needs to be in there.”
Key will replace J.D. Dothard at the Will (weakside) spot. Dothard, the starter at the beginning of the season, was filling in for Gunner Miller, who has been out with a shoulder injury since the Elon game.
Despite getting limited action on defense during the middle of the season, Key is third on the team with 47 tackles, including 31 solo stops.
He had 12 tackles off the bench at Jacksonville State after Tippit was injured and played most of the game at Will last week against Samford, making eight tackles.
“I guess I do all right, but there’s always room for improvement,” Key said.
The Mocs (6-4, 5-2 Southern Conference) will need all of their linebackers to be in top form against Wofford (8-2, 6-1) and its triple-option attack.
Starting middle linebacker Shane Heatherly (concussion) did not practice Tuesday but likely will be good to go by Saturday.
Thirteen nominees
The SoCon sent out to voting media Tuesday its list of nominees for postseason honors and awards, and 13 Mocs are up for all-conference.
Wideout Joel Bradford, who leads the league in receiving yards, is nominated for offensive player of the year. Linebacker Ryan Consiglio, fifth in the league with 103 tackles, is a candidate for top defensive player.
Cornerback Kadeem Wise is one of two nominees for freshman of the year, along with Western Carolina receiver Deja Alexander. Wise is tied for second in the SoCon with six interceptions.
Blowout series
If Saturday’s game is still up for grabs in the fourth quarter, it will break the recent trend in the series. Only once in the last seven meetings has the game been decided by less than 26 points.
The Mocs beat Wofford 25-13 in 2005, but the rest of the games since since 2003 have been blowouts. The worst of the lot were Wofford’s 55-0 drubbing in 2006 and 56-7 laugher in 2008.
UTC got some revenge last season, routing the Terriers 38-9.