When you stand on the edge of uncharted heights, the fall generally can be catastrophic.
When you lose your grip, the slide often can be painful.
But when Russ Huesman lifted his sun-splashed face from his hands moments after his University of Tennessee at Chattanooga had snatched defeat from the jaws of victory Saturday, there was no feel of fall or sight of slip.
There was emotion, and it was raw. And it was passionate. And, truthfully, it was perturbed.
“We have the fans behind us, and the city behind, so now it’s on us,” Huesman said after the Mocs fell 42-41 to No. 3-ranked Appalachian State in front of a crowd of 15,235 at Finley Stadium. “They did their part; we didn’t get it done.”
UTC accomplished plenty whether the standings show it or not. The crowd and arguably more importantly the Saturday-in-the-South atmosphere was impressive. ASU coach Jerry Moore compared it to some of his program’s biggest wins, and his Mountainers won at Michigan three years ago.
“It’s a credit to what they’re doing here,” Moore said, “and this great turnout speaks volumes.”
Saturday’s was not the biggest crowd in Finley Stadium history, but it may have been the best.
The stage was set: The cosmic tumblers had clicked for these Mocs, offering an enviable schedule, a near-capacity crowd against a recognizable foe and a Chamber of Commerce afternoon. This was a three-hour infomercial for the program and the entire athletic department.
There were first-timers and old-timers in the stands, those wearing the block “C” and those wearing any number of other emblems all in the stands at Finley watching UTC.
“They need to keep improving and make the playoffs in the next couple of years,” said Chattanooga’s Bobby Rayburn, who was wearing a UT hat and UT golf shirt in his first trip to a UTC game since the 1997 opener.
Whether Rayburn and the area’s casual fans continue to come for the rest of the season remains to be seen. The general consensus was that the Mocs needed to be competitive, that they needed to play tough and close for a crowd that was hoping for a good game.
They got a great game, filled with drama and roller-coaster rides and ultimately heartbreak. They got a view at future FCS All-American B.J. Coleman, who threw for 340 yards and three scores and ran for two and was talking afterward about what he could’ve, should’ve, would’ve done more. They got an up-close-and-personal look at where the UTC program aspires to be – the lofty status that ASU has achieved.
“We had a lot of games like that, a lot of games we lost that hurt,” Moore said of his program’s ascent in his 20-plus years in Boone, N.C. “The word I’ll use is ‘mature,’ and when [UTC] matures a little more, they’re going to be hard to handle.”
All the “going to be” and “moral victory” talk fell on deaf ears with Huesman, though.
He did not see a one-point loss against an undeniable championship favorite. No, like most coaches, Huesman saw missed chances and missed opportunities.
He watched his team miss three extra-point kicks and fail on a two-point conversion in the final minute. He watched his defense become winded and gassed. He watched his team lose two fourth-quarter fumbles that became ASU touchdowns in the Mountaineers’ avalanche of points.
He watched and we all wondered what it means for the Mocs of today and just as importantly for the program in days, months, even years to come.
“I told the team I’m proud of them and I love them. And then I said there are no moral victories and it’s unacceptable to lose. We can’t get used to playing good and losing,” Huesman said. “I’ll tell you what it means in 10 or 11 games. I’m not sure how you learn anything from this game.”
The lessons from Saturday afternoon may be unclear, but the frustration and pain in Huesman’s voice – and his face – may have been the best sign for everyone involved in UTC athletics.