Moments after the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga’s 2021 football season, once filled with so many expectations, came to a crumbling finish, coach Rusty Wright was pretty direct in his assessment of the Mocs’ top priority this offseason.
“We’ve got to find a quarterback,” he said after the Mocs lost 24-21 at home to The Citadel on Nov. 20 to finish the season 6-5 overall and 5-3 in the Southern Conference.
“We’ve got to find somebody who can either run or push the ball downfield. We’ll find a way to run the football, but we have to find a way to spread people out and make them defend the whole field.”
It made sense that the Mocs would need to find at least one quarterback this offseason: It’s not a group the coaching staff feels confident about.
Drayton Arnold had just one touchdown and four interceptions while appearing in six games this fall in his final season at UTC, and while McCallie graduate Robert Riddle returned to Chattanooga with some fanfare due to some success at his previous collegiate stop (SoCon member Mercer) and a prior relationship with offensive coordinator Joe Pizzo there, he was never able to get on the field due to injuries that occurred during his time with the Bears. In addition, reports around Ty Gossett haven’t exactly inspired awe ahead of his sophomore season, and practice observations suggest he has a great arm that loves to throw deep passes but struggles to make some of the shorter ones.