Cedric Nettles (35) and Sema’je Kendall defend as UTC’s Tommy Hudson fails to reach a deep pass.There were plenty of reasons for University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football coach Russ Huesman to smile following Friday night’s Blue/Gold spring game.
Players were given their shiny new Southern Conference championship rings to celebrate last season, and the offense was clicking both through the air and on the ground in a 24-10 win by the Blue team, which included mostly the second string on offense.
But the most satisfying smile from Huesman came as the old defensive coordinator in him began talking about what he saw from that side of the ball in the Mocs’ final practice of the spring. The first-team defense limited the starting offense to those 10 points — three in the first half.
“Our first defense looked really good, and I was proud of that,” Huesman said before pausing to single out rising sophomore end Keionta Davis and allow a sly smile to curl his lips. “Keionta is disruptive.”
Davis, who will line up on the opposite side of the defensive front from All-American Davis Tull, again showed glimpses of why opponents will have a tough time choosing which side to focus on this fall. He finished Friday’s scrimmage with two sacks, a tackle for loss and a pass breakup to earn defensive MVP honors, and he also was named the Bob Davis Winter Warrior award winner for his offseason dedication and performance throughout the spring.