Jordan Jones and the rest of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga starters had a sideline view of the last game of the Mocs’ spring season, a 35-28 loss to Mercer back on March 27 at Finley Stadium.
The Mocs had ascended to ninth in the country in the Football Championship Subdivision in a spring season that the team had never really embraced, despite the lofty ranking and victories over Wofford, The Citadel and Furman in the weeks leading up to the final game. So head coach Rusty Wright made the decision to sit 21 of 22 starters in the final game, starting 13 freshmen and 17 first-time starters and still nearly pulling out a win against the Bears.
Two days later, the Mocs opted out of the season.
All of that was done to focus on the fall, a season that would bring high expectations but would also put the team under the microscope, as there were some outside of the university – and a few within it – that felt like punting on the season was a bad idea. After all, the Mocs hadn’t won a Southern Conference championship since 2015 and hadn’t made the playoffs since 2016, so considering how rare it was, how could the team turn its back on the opportunity?
But tough decisions were made and the team focused on the fall, which is what made the hours and days after the season-opening 30-20 loss to Austin Peay so confusing. Head coach Rusty Wright admitted afterwards that he “didn’t have his team ready to play.” Players have admitted that they didn’t pay attention to the details and do the little things in preparation necessary to win.