UTC’s James Stovall was brought down by a Keydets defender after catching a pass in the Mocs’ 33-27 Southern Conference victory in Lexington, Va.MACON, Ga. – His confidence is still an issue at times, but when it’s on, James Stovall is a player.
The 6-foot-3, 205-pound sophomore receiver for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga had six catches for 78 yards in the Mocs’ 17-14 loss at Mercer on Saturday.
He had a 39-yard catch-and-run in the third quarter, making the second consecutive week he has made a big play in the passing game. The former Bradley Central standout had a 49-yard completion against Western Carolina that led to a score in UTC’s 42-13 win.
For the season, Stovall has 21 catches for 261 yards and a score. Not bad for a guy who was struggling to figure out if he’d even have a spot in the rotation after an injury-plagued spring.
“There’s always some doubt with me,” Stovall said. “It’s a thing I don’t handle well because I’m really hard on myself. Six months ago if you told me I’d have a big game against Mercer, I’d have to make myself believe (it would happen).
“I’m thankful I’m out here today to help my team.”
He is third on the team in catches behind C.J. Board and Xavier Borishade, sliding into a starting position at slot receiver after Alphonso Stewart struggled with some injuries throughout the season. The typically sure-handed possession receiver got free Saturday on a third-down play, and quarterback Jacob Huesman scrambled before finding him for the big gainer through the middle of the field.
“I’m just thankful to Jacob for putting me in positions to succeed,” Stovall said. “The more I play, the more comfortable I get in the offense.
“I’m just blessed with the opportunity I have, and I’m just trying to make the most of those opportunities.”
Tight end catch
On a third-and-goal play from the Mercer 8, Huesman rolled out to his right and had a short completion to Malcolm Colvin. It was the first catch of the season for a UTC tight end, a season after two-time All-American Faysal Shafaat graduated from the program.
Weird stat?
The Mocs had 417 yards of total offense and punted only one time but scored only 14 points.
There were a pair of lost fumbles and a pair of interceptions, and kicker Henrique Ribeiro missed a field-goal try right before halftime. And on the first drive of the third quarter, UTC drove 66 yards in nine plays only to have Huesman stopped on back-to-back plays at the Mercer 1-yard line.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/ genehenleytfp.