The schedule shows that the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team will have 12 chances to win or lose games this season.
In coach Rusty Wright’s eyes, though, there are many more opportunities than that. They are the victories and defeats the great majority of people never see, but, according to Wright, they are critical in determining what happens on Saturdays.
“We talked about this in the locker room after the game Saturday,” Wright said at Tuesday’s weekly media gathering, referring to the 1-3 Mocs’ 37-14 loss to James Madison. “We had a pretty good week of practice last week. Wednesday was not very good. You can’t play the No. 2 team in the country and not have a good week. Every day has to be good.
“I told them first thing Monday morning, I’m not going to talk about Western Carolina. I’m going to talk about Chattanooga and let’s figure out a way to win Monday. Then let’s get up Tuesday morning and figure out a way to win Tuesday. If we do that leading up to Saturday, we’ll be fine. We have not quite conquered that as a whole group. Now, some of them have, but we all have to.”
Whether it was the end of a brutal three-game streak, the beginning of homecoming week or the fact Saturday’s game with Western Carolina starts Southern Conference play, Tuesday morning’s practice had a different feel, according to Wright.
To those watching it might seem difficult to label the day a win or loss, but to Wright and his staff it was pretty clear-cut.
“Today was a win,” Wright said. “We were worn out after practice was done today. I didn’t do anything different. They went out there and competed that way. That was the difference between a win and a loss in practice – not saving yourself Tuesday because you’re tired or a little beat up or you’ve got a test you have to take.
“You have to give of yourself Monday through Friday so that on Saturday you will give it all up and do anything you possibly can to win because you did everything right Monday through Friday.”
Staff photo by Erin O. Smith / UTC quarterback Nick Tiano (7) runs the ball during the UTC vs. James Madison University NCAA football game Saturday, August 21, 2019 at Finley Stadium in Chattanooga, Tennessee. JMU beat UTC with a score of 37-14.Two hours after practice, senior quarterback Nick Tiano, unaware of Wright’s comments, backed his coach’s description of Tuesday’s session and its importance in attempting to end a three-game losing streak.
“Practice is where you win games,” he said. “We’ve seen that over these last five years, you have a great week of practice and you play great on Saturdays. A good practice is when you bring the energy.
“It’s tough. You come off a loss and it’s easy to come out flat on Tuesday. You’re hot and you’re sore, but you can’t let it happen because that stuff carries over. If you have a bad Tuesday you’re going to have a bad Wednesday, and then you’re going to play bad on Saturdays. Today was, for sure, a good practice.”
The early message this week is of a new beginning for a team with 30 new players that has yet to find its identity. With the final eight games against conference foes, the Mocs will have the chance to wash away the bad taste of the poor start and reach their goals.
“We look at it as we’re 0-0,” junior defensive back Jerrell Lawson said. “We have a lot of guys who take this game very seriously. Even though we’re on a three-game losing streak, we have to have the mindset of taking care of our business every day.
“Everything we want is right there in front of us.”
Contact Lindsey Young at lyoung@timesfreepress.com or at 423-757-6296; follow on Twitter @youngsports22.