University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football coach Russ Huesman did a lot of yelling during Tuesday’s practice, directing much of it at the special-teams units.
In last week’s 38-17 win over then-No. 10 Jacksonville State, the Mocs made play after play on offense and defense. But the special teams play lagged far behind, Huesman said.
“The kicking game in general, all the way across the board, was horrible,” he said. “Coverage, kicks, punts, missed tackles, a kick out of bounds — horrible. We’ve got to get that fixed. You’ll lose games with that.”
Nick Pollard has had a field-goal attempt blocked at Nebraska and an extra-point try blocked against JSU. Both were the results of low kicks, Huesman said, so this week the emphasis is on Pollard getting the ball up quickly.
During practice Tuesday, coaches stood at the line of scrimmage with 5-foot tackling dummies held above their heads as Pollard kicked.