Jacob HuesmanSo much for easing into spring practice.
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team hit the ground running, literally, Monday evening. And while the first day of spring drills was mostly about knocking off the offseason rust, the Mocs were reminded several times by coaches during the 26 five-minute periods to pick up the pace.
“We’ve got enough young guys or inexperienced guys who had to step in today and play at a level they weren’t used to before that it was like chaos a little at first,” Mocs coach Russ Huesman said. “It was OK. It wasn’t great but it wasn’t awful. It was a typical first day.
“We had to jog their memory a little about what’s expected, but we have several who aren’t out there and the guys stepping in for them are being asked to go from scout team last year to first-team now. We’ve got a long way to go, so we have to temper it a little.”
Even with eight offensive and five defensive starters back, between graduation and several other players on the sideline nursing injuries or continuing to heal from offseason surgery, the door is opened for inexperienced players to step up at several positions. There’s also a chance for new leaders to emerge through spring drill.