While throwing passes to tight end Garrett Hughes in the Chattem basketball practice facility Thursday, quarterback B.J. Coleman said he could hardly lift his right arm. Too much work across the hall in the Wolford weight room.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team’s winter workout program is in full swing, and Coleman said the Mocs are approaching each session with a lot of intensity and enthusiasm.
“It’s really encouraging to see people not just get through a workout, but get in there and crush the workout — and then do extra,” Coleman said. “It’s not about just getting by. It’s about making sure that we do above and beyond the call of duty.”
The Mocs had one of their best offseasons in years last winter. That was driven in part by the memory of a nightmare 1-11 season and the desire to perform for their new coach, Russ Huesman.
Now the Mocs say they’re motivated by their taste of success last season, when they went 6-5 for the program’s first winning record since 2005. In addition, defensive end Jaron Norfleet said, the players saw how a productive offseason workout program can yield results in the fall, and they want to take that a step further this winter.