UTC quarterback Jacob Huesman is tackled into the end zone by Mercer defensive back Lendell Arnold for a touchdown during the Mocs’ home football game against the Bears on Saturday, Oct. 25, 2014, at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga,
UTC’s Nakevion Leslie looks to the sidelines. The UTC Mocs visited the Austin Peay State University Governors in the inaugural game of their new Governors Stadium.“The Mercer Way,” as it is referred to by Bears coach Bobby Lamb, hasn’t translated yet into wins in Southern Conference football play this season. But they’ve been close, with their four league losses by a combined 13 points.
The nationally third-ranked University of Tennessee at Chattanooga doesn’t want to become the Bears’ first victim, and the Mocs have constant reminders in their lockers as to how close they were to losing to Mercer just a season ago.
Mercer came to Finley Stadium during the Mocs’ undefeated romp through the SoCon in 2014 and gave them a scare, with UTC holding off the visitors 38-31. It was UTC’s only SoCon game decided by single digits.
“There’s been a lot of talk about that,” Mocs linebacker Nakevion Leslie said. “They have a bunch of good players, and we gave up seven big plays. When you do that, you’re not supposed to win, but luckily the offense was rolling.”
Lamb said this year’s close losses – by one point in overtime to Wofford, by three at Western Carolina, by seven to Virginia Military Institute and by two at The Citadel when the Bears failed on a tying two-point-conversion try with 3:12 to play – “have been very difficult.”
“We keep battling day in and day out,” Lamb said Tuesday. “Our guys have got to believe in our process and believe in what we’re doing here, and we continue to build this program. I really believe we’re getting closer and closer to getting that win. We’ve got a resilient bunch of kids – that’s just kind of the way it’s been here at Mercer – and we’re going to continue to recruit those types of kids that can overcome these obstacles, so we’ve got to continue to keep our eyes on the prize.
“The bottom line is that we’ve got to execute better. We’ve got great effort, great intensity; we’ve just got to continue to execute better in tougher situations.”
UTC coach Russ Huesman knows all too well about close battles. The ability to win tight games is an acquired mindset, and it wasn’t until the Mocs won 35-28 at Appalachian State on a Leslie interception return for a score with 2:52 remaining on the first Saturday in November 2013 that Huesman felt his team finally got over that hump.
“It’s one of those things: You’ve got to get a win,” Huesman said. “You have to get over the hump of winning one like that. We were in the same boat – we couldn’t get a win to get over the hump and snowball a little bit – but Mercer is going to get one, and once they do, they’ll be a dangerous team.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.