The conditions at Finley Stadium on Friday afternoon were perfect for a lackluster effort. Despite the 100-degree heat, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team managed to get a lot out of its first scrimmage of the preseason.
“You’ve got to put that out of your mind and come out here and play ball,” strong safety Jordan Tippit said.
It was so hot on the field that the scorching turf melted the heel off senior associate athletic director Matt Pope’s shoe. It was so hot that most of the 60-plus fans watching did so nestled up next to the skyboxes where a little shade available.
Meanwhile, on the field the Mocs scrimmaged like it was an 80-degree day, due in part to rotation of first-, second- and third-team players.
“There were some really good things today, on both sides of the football,” quarterback B.J. Coleman said. “Today, out here in the heat, I’m very proud of the guys for the way they practiced.”
The first-team offense got off to a decent start with a couple of first downs – both coming on Coleman passes to wideout Joel Bradford. Later in the drive, however, Coleman tried to get the ball to wideout Chris Marshall, who was covered by cornerback Kadeem Wise.
Marshall and Wise both went for the ball, which bounced off them and was intercepted by Tippit.
“That was all thanks to the rush by the D-line,” Tippit said. “They got pressure on B.J. and then Kadeem broke on it nice, so a lot of that wasn’t me. I just ran to the ball.”
Tippit nearly got another interception late in the scrimmage, but the ball bounced off his hands.
“I don’t even know what to say about that one,” he said, shaking he head. “I’m really perturbed at that one.”
Coleman and Bradford later connected on a 33-yard touchdown down the right side. No official statistics were kept, but unofficially Coleman finished 11-for-23 for 123 yards, while Bradford had three catches for 48.
The offense’s other touchdown came on a Graham Nichols screen pass to running back Erroll Wynn, who ran 8 yards into the end zone. Freshman kicker Nick Pollard also kicked a 47-yard field goal, earning a handshake and a slap on the rear from Mocs coach Russ Huesman.
It was a good scrimmage for the Mocs’ running backs, all of whom ran the ball hard. J.J. Jackson led the way, unofficially, with 36 yards on seven carries.
Friday’s scrimmage was the Mocs’ 11th workout of the preseason. Coleman said the team has come a long way since the start of practice and he expects to see significant progress before the second scrimmage next Saturday.
“The coolest thing is going to be seeing what happens from the first to the second scrimmage,” he said. “That’s when you make your biggest jumps.”