From the day he stepped on Scrappy Moore Field as a redshirt freshman, safety Lucas Webb has been an integral part of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga defense.
He could be even better in this, his final season.
The 6-foot-1, 205-pound senior with 40 career starts and 10 career interceptions has “made tremendous strides” to improve as a player for the Mocs. The three-time first-team All-Southern Conference selection is the school’s all-time record holder with 231 interception-return yards – which ranks eighth all-time in SoCon history – and his three interception returns for touchdowns are tied for first all-time.
But as a true freshman in 2013, he had a lot that needed to be worked on. And for the first time since he was 9 years old, his only time on the field was practice time.
“It was hard at first,” Webb said this summer, “but in the later part of it I realized it helped as far as learning the game, learning how to practice and how to play. There were a lot of tendencies I needed to get rid of from high school to be able to play in college.”
It would appear that he learned pretty quickly, as he had six interceptions in his first season on the field and finished 16th in the voting for the Jerry Rice Award, given to the Football Championship Series national freshman of the year. Since then, he’s had four interceptions – including two returned for scores – and forced two fumbles, but the new coaching staff said a point of emphasis has been working on his tackling to make that a strength along with his playmaking ability once the ball gets in his hands.
“He’s made tremendous strides and he was a really good player when we got here, which is a credit to the previous staff, but I think he’s improved significantly,” defensive coordinator Tom Kaufman said. “Tackling has gone from a major weakness to a major strength of his, and he’s shown some leadership ability.”
The scheme under the new coaching staff is far more complex than it was previously, with so many interchangeable parts throughout the defense. Players are being asked to think more than they have before, but as they’ve learned, they’ve realized the staff is putting them in positions to make plays.
Webb, who is a captain this season, said the additional responsibility has caused the defense to “mature mentally,” because with so much competition on the practice field, there’s more need for players to be in their playbooks and know what they’re doing.
Head coach Tom Arth said Webb has been one of those guys who’s been prepared.
“He’s so fun to coach,” Arth said. “His personality in meetings; he’s eager to learn, to understand; he already knows so much and is asking great questions, and he’s able to start figuring things out for himself and piecing it together. When you take a guy that has his size, speed, athleticism and a mind like he has and a love for the game like he has and a heart for football and for his teammates like he does, he can be a really special player for this program.”
Webb and the Mocs feel as though they’re being overlooked some. They’re ranked No. 12 in one national poll and No. 13 in another but are the preseason No. 4 team in the Southern Conference by both the media and coaches.
The last time that happened, in 2013, UTC earned a share of the league title, but Webb knows the results depend on the players and how they mesh under new leadership.
“It’s my last year, so I just want to be able to go all out and not worry about anything,” Webb said. “I don’t want to play anything safe, just go out and trust my teammates and use my God-given ability.
“I can’t wait to look back at the end of the season, see how far we’ve grown and where we’ve come. I just know whatever effort and intensity we put into the year, that’s what the outcome will be.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.