Joe Pizzo didn’t need long to answer when asked how he’s been sleeping lately.
“I’m not,” the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga offensive coordinator said Tuesday.
Two games into the season, UTC coaches on that side of the football are still figuring out what they have. Injuries have sidelined several players the offense was built around, and Pizzo and his staff have spent the first weeks rebuilding the plan to better suit those healthy enough to line up on game day.
Pizzo said the Mocs installed one offense during spring practices and went into preseason camp this summer believing that was what they’d run during the fall. Then the injuries piled up.
“Some of them are true freshmen that haven’t been in the program very long, and some of them have been on scout team and are just now getting reps with the ones (first team),” Pizzo said of the players who have stepped in. “So it’s almost like reteaching an offense, but at the same time, me as a play caller figuring out what can these guys excel at and try to get them in the best position we can.”
The next test comes Saturday, when UTC (1-1) makes the trip up Interstate 75 to Eastern Kentucky (0-2). Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Richmond’s Roy Kidd Stadium.
Last week’s 24-9 home loss to Tennessee Tech, a top-15 team in the Football Championship Subdivision national rankings, showed both sides of the problem.
The Mocs rushed for 190 yards, including 113 on 12 carries from junior running back Journey Wyche in his season debut, but they also completed just six passes for 37 yards, were 3-of-13 on third-down conversions and threw two interceptions that set up 14 points for the Golden Eagles. UTC’s offense advanced inside Tennessee Tech’s 20-yard line three times and came away with three Jude Kelley field goals from that trio of red-zone trips.
“We controlled the football game. We did what we wanted to do. We just didn’t execute,” said Pizzo, who has been UTC’s offensive coordinator since the 2019 season, when current head coach Rusty Wright took over. “It was either a protection or a route or the quarterback.”
Wyche’s return gave the Mocs a second reliable running back as he joined Kevin Lalin, who rushed for 128 yards in the opener at West Georgia.
“Journey back was huge last week because you saw the way we ran the ball,” Pizzo said. “And if we can get Harrison (Bey-Buie) back at running back, now we can do some two-back (sets).”
(READ MORE: Mocs running back Journey Wyche solid in return from injury)
Transfer tight end/receiver Will Jackson-Linkhart, who hasn’t been officially cleared while dealing with an NCAA eligibility matter, was working with the main offense Tuesday after spending portions of last week on the scout team.
“I haven’t heard anything on Will,” Pizzo said Tuesday. “He’s a huge, huge part. Offense was built around him. If we can get him back, that makes a difference.”
Other players remain out due to injuries. The Mocs are still without Josh Williams, their leading receiver in 2025, and fellow junior Taylor Crumedy, who started the 2025 season opener and caught a touchdown pass last year, while sophomore receiver Jaden George has an infection in his hand. It’s unclear whether any of the three will be available to face Eastern Kentucky, and tight end John McIntyre, who was injured last week, is questionable.
“Hopefully by conference (play), we’re back to semi-full strength and we’ll be able to throw the football,” Pizzo said. “We’ve just got to be able to throw a little bit better than what we have been. Well, a lot better than what we have been.”
Saturday’s matchup is UTC’s last before its Southern Conference opener against Wofford at Finley Stadium on Sept. 19.
Through two games, UTC has averaged 169.5 rushing yards and 108.5 passing yards. Quarterback Battle Alberson has completed 15 of 33 passes for 217 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions, and 72 of those yards came on one completion to Ashton Schumann in the opener. The Mocs have been sacked seven times and have scored touchdowns on two of their seven red-zone trips.
Receivers coach Ricky Spradling said the thin depth chart has the staff managing every position group week to week.
“Each position is one guy away from it just being depleted,” Spradling said. “The good thing about our system is it’s interchangeable. So you can run our system regardless of who’s out there.”
Spradling said the Mocs aim for 10 explosive plays a game and “haven’t got close to that right now.” He said getting Jackson-Linkhart and a few others back would change that.
“We do really feel good about this group,” Spradling said. “We can do something with this group.”
Wright said the last thing he needs to do is berate his offensive staff.
“I can promise you that if there’s anybody banging their head up against the wall trying to get it figured out, that group is,” Wright said. “We get paid to coach. We get paid to try and figure it out, and there’s no doubt in my mind we’ll figure it out.”
(SIGN UP: Get the daily sports newsletter in your email box by clicking here)
Junior center Devin Lively, a team captain, said the message this week has been about the details.
“We had some opportunities to win that game Saturday, and we didn’t get it done in the big moments,” he said. “So I think my role for us is to help us stay focused in practice.”
Eastern Kentucky is playing its home opener after losing 45-21 at Western Carolina and 49-7 at Jacksonville State. It’s the first meeting between the Colonels and the Mocs since 2011, and UTC is seeking its fourth straight win in a series its leads 3-2-1.
Pizzo — who had previous stints as the offensive coordinator at Gardner-Webb, North Carolina A&T, North Greenville and Mercer before coming to Chattanooga — said he has never been in a situation quite like this one.
For now, the late nights come with the job.
“My wife doesn’t like me a lot right now,” he said, “but it is what it is, and we’ve got to play with what we’ve got.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com.