Anybody who’s been around the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team the past few seasons knows head coach Rusty Wright can be a little salty — something the former UTC player readily admits.
In fact, after Saturday’s statement-making 41-21 Southern Conference win over Mercer at Finley Stadium, when asked what’s different this year for the Mocs (6-1, 4-0), Wright simply said, “I went back to me being me.”
When asked to clarify that comment, he laughed before informing the assembled media it’s not something that could be printed or put on TV.
So it was very noticeable when that same sometimes salty coach twice had to contain his emotions while discussing the 2022 Mocs and what transpired before a nice crowd on a near-perfect October afternoon.
Mercer, despite being ranked lower than UTC — which is eighth in the Football Championship Subdivision coaches poll and 10th in the Stats Perform FCS Top 25, with the Bears 11th in both — was favored entering the contest of SoCon unbeatens. The Mocs, however, used two early turnovers, including Kam Brown’s pick-six, to streak to a 17-0 lead, added four more takeaways and were never really pushed.
It was the kind of game and postseason moment Wright envisioned when he took over prior to the 2019 season. There have been some highs, but in three completed seasons under Wright, the two not altered by the COVID-19 pandemic ended up 6-6 (2019) and 6-5 (last fall), both ending with thuds after early promise, including a turnover-filled loss at Mercer last November.
So it was understandable when Wright paused to gather himself after what arguably was the program’s most impressive win at Finley Stadium.
“That was a group out there that prepared themselves all week,” he said. “It’s a fun group to be in that locker room with. They try their butts off Monday through Friday, and it’s not always the best, but it’s a good group.”
Wright, almost apologizing for his emotions, then added: “Hey, we’re having fun, I promise you. Today was a fun day.”
So much fun that senior offensive lineman McClendon Curtis, after helping the Mocs pile up 447 total yards against a defense that came in first in the SoCon with only 292 yards allowed per game, gave credit to Wright for easing the tension before a game that likely would eliminate its loser from league title contention because 15th-ranked Samford (6-1, 4-0) also sits atop the standings.
“We know every game is important, but Coach Wright looked at us today and said, ‘Just go play,'” Curtis said. “When you hear your head coach say that, you won’t be so tense. Coach believes in us, and he has our back no matter what happens.
“We all want to play so well because we care so much for this team, but we’re human and things happen. It was amazing for a coach to tell us that, and it definitely loosened us up.”
Curtis, along with linebacker Ty Boeck, is one of a handful of players who were freshmen during previous coach Tom Arth’s final season in 2018. The former Central High School lineman remembers those awkward first days of practice prior to the 2019 season and how the great majority of the players he came in with are no longer around.
The talent level is up thanks to three years of strong recruiting, but Curtis points to something else as the key to what — so far — is a magical season.
“Everybody is all in for each other, and we hold each other accountable,” he said with a quick smile. “That’s what I’m most proud of. We just keep playing for each other, and when you play for other people and you put other people first, that’s when success comes.
“That’s one of the things we keep seeing. We play hard, and if we mess up, we pick each other up and keep going hard. We’re happy — the few of us that are still around.”
When asked about that small core group of leaders and what Saturday’s outcome means to them, Wright again had to pause, saying all he really needed to say.
“I hope it’s something they never forget, because everybody built this up to be No. 8 versus No. 11, and it’s a big deal for those guys,” Wright said. “I hope it puts them in a position where those seniors can lead this group and let things play out and see what it looks like.
“We have an opportunity to be a good football team.”
Boeck, the preseason All-American from Soddy-Daisy who was one of four players with six tackles Saturday, was in a reflective mood outside the locker room, where the victory celebration was in full song.
“We are the team we think we are,” Boeck said, a few fresh scratches on his neck and arms speaking of the effort he just gave. “It’s just one step closer to our ultimate goal, and I think this team realizes that. I’m happy for this team, and I’m really happy for Coach Wright. He really wanted this one.
“It’s bittersweet being the next-to-last (regular-season) game at Finley, but I know this team will do its best to give us at least one more of these in the playoffs.
“Four more quarters for me at Finley … man, I can’t get enough of those.”
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @youngsports22.