Isaiah Mack and his fellow UTC defensive linemen will have to mind their assignments carefully today against The Citadel’s triple-option offense.CHARLESTON, S.C. – Last season the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team had probably its three best performances on the road.
The Mocs hope for some of that same success this evening.
UTC (1-0) steps into Southern Conference play to face The Citadel in the Bulldogs’ home opener at 6 at Johnson-Hagood Stadium. The Bulldogs (0-1) already have a blemish in league play due to a 28-21 road loss at Wofford last week.
In 2017 the Mocs beat Virginia Military Institute 63-7 and eighth-ranked Samford 23-21 away from Finley Stadium and nearly pulled off an upset of eighth-ranked Wofford a week after the Samford game, falling in double overtime.
After a 1-7 start, those last two games provided a glimmer of hope that things would be on the uptick for a program that had given fans three SoCon championships and three Football Championship Subdivision playoff appearances in the previous four years.
“We had our backs against the wall,” defensive end Isaiah Mack said. “We got to see what we were made of versus other weeks when there was so much talk, so much criticism. We just decided the last two weeks we were just going to play ball and not worry about nothing but ball.”
The approach worked. Samford and Wofford were two of the most high-powered offenses in the league, but the former was held to 50-plus yards fewer than its season average and the Terriers’ 233 yards were more than 100 yards fewer than normal. The UTC offense, while struggling at times, scored 17 points off seven Samford turnovers in the two-point victory.
The Mocs outgained Wofford – the league’s second-best defense in yards allowed as well as points – by 67 yards.
“I think going on the road is a special time,” UTC coach Tom Arth said. “The bus trips – being with teammates in a tight environment, you’re forced to interact, forced to communicate, forced to build those relationships. It’s the same with meals and staying in hotels. It’s a great opportunity, a great experience for the players. I think they enjoy being on the road, being in a hotel, sleeping in a good bed and having meals fed to them whenever they need it.
“I enjoy it. We love playing at home at Finley (Stadium) and being a part of the Moc Walk, but being on the road also has its advantages.”
The 2017 Mocs averaged 25.6 points and 293.6 yards in five true road games, while averaging 11.2 points and 236.4 yards in five games at Finley. When Jerrell Lawson intercepted a pass last week and returned it 26 yards for a touchdown to put the Mocs up 20-7 in their eventual 34-10 win over Tennessee Tech, it marked the first time Arth’s team had topped 20 points at Finley.
The Mocs did so three times away.
Quarterback Nick Tiano said the team’s bond has helped it, from the end of last season through the offseason and to today. The Mocs will need to be at their best this evening against a Citadel team that has lost four straight games and seven of its past nine dating back to last season.
“Last year this team grew closer and bought into the culture these new coaches brought in,” Tiano said. “We’re on the same page, with coaches and players all working toward the same goal. We’re extremely motivated; this is a positive group, and we have fun together in practices and workouts.
“We enjoy the time we spend together, and I think it translates on the field.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenley3.