As a defensive guy the great majority of his 22 years as a football coach, Rusty Wright can’t help himself when it comes to sneaking a few extra peeks toward that side of the ball during practice.
What the first-year University of Tennessee at Chattanooga head coach saw all too often during spring practices was unsettling, especially at linebacker, a position Wright coached several seasons at different stops during his career.
As the Mocs’ preseason work draws to an end and preparation for Thursday’s season opener against Eastern Illinois begins, Wright feels better about a group that returns only one starter, senior Marshall Cooper.
“That linebacker group has gotten better,” Wright said. “Top to bottom, guys in the last week or so have improved, and having the extra depth has helped. We have several guys we feel comfortable with.
“Of course, Marshall Cooper has had a good camp, Kam Jones has done well, Ty Boeck has also had a good camp. Jay Person, after moving from outside to inside, will help us.”
UTC quarterback Nick Tiano passes as he’s hit by linebacker Marshall Cooper during a scrimmage Aug. 15 at Finley Stadium.Barring late development, they will be the top four inside linebackers, with former Hixson standout Cooper – who led the Mocs in tackles last season with 98 – and Louisville transfer Jones the starters. The outside-to-inside move of Appalachian State University transfer Person, who prepped at Bradley Central, and the continued development of sophomore Boeck has solidified the position.
Boeck, a 6-foot-2, 225-pound Soddy-Daisy graduate who played in 10 games last year, said the position’s depth could be one key to a successful defense.
“It’s been really competitive,” he said. “We’ve got a bunch of good guys, including transfers in Kam and Jay who have come in and stood out.
“The thing about it is, as many people as you can put on the field and be successful, we’ll be able to keep fresh legs and compete at this level. With the schedule we have, it’s very important for us to have fresh legs and for people to be able to step right in if somebody goes down.”
Thursday’s 7 p.m. game at Finley Stadium will be followed by trips to Jacksonville State – which is ranked No. 6 in the STATS FCS preseason poll – on Sept. 7 and Tennessee on Sept. 14 before a home game against second-ranked James Madison on Sept. 21 and the Mocs’ Southern Conference opener against Western Carolina on Sept. 28 for homecoming. Seven more SoCon games will complete the regular-season schedule.
The UTC linebackers have maybe the biggest change from last season in the way they approach stopping teams under Wright and defensive coordinator Lorenzo Ward. The defense will feature more blitzes in an effort to force offenses out of their comfort zones.
Boeck believes the style will play to the group’s strengths.
“He’s an aggressive guy,” Boeck said of Ward. “We blitz consistently, and I like where our defense is right now and the way we are adjusting to it. We’ve got a ways to go, but Coach Ward is a great coach with a great mind for the game and he will get us there.”
Full-time game prep starts Monday, and Wright said his team is as healthy as he could have hoped.
“We’ve still got some guys a little dinged up, and we will get them back in the next couple of days,” he said. “I don’t think there is anybody we don’t have who won’t be ready by Thursday. We will be about as close to 100% as we can be.”
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6296. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.