Three long months without stepping onto Scrappy Moore Field finally came to an end for Alphonso Stewart and the rest of the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team Friday afternoon.
The Mocs went through a two-hour session that included an assortment of drills as the first of their 15 allotted practices of the spring season. Individual drills soon transitioned into competitive drills between the offense and defense, with a talented receiving corps winning their fair share of battles against an experienced defensive backfield.
“It means a lot because we don’t have a game to prepare for now,” said Stewart, a sophomore wide receiver. “I’ve been missing being out here. I’ve been waiting since the last game to get back out here to Scrappy, get back out with my boys and have fun.”
There was plenty for coach Russ Huesman to be pleased with on the first day. While competition was the name of the game Friday, it wasn’t much of a “judgment day,” considering the players weren’t wearing pads.
Malcolm Colvin, left, receives a pass on the first day of spring practice Friday as Kenneth Garrett defends at Scrappy Moore Field. Watching, in the background, is former Bradley standout James Stovall.Still, he was pleased with the energy level the players brought to the practice field. Some of that was because so much experience is on the roster, with seven starters returning on each side of the ball. An experienced squad knows what to expect.
“It should be that way in the first practice,” Coach Huesman said. “I thought the guys ran around well and looked like they were in pretty decent shape; they were hustling and chasing the ball.”
Another expectation within the program is maintaining the success from last season. The 2014 team had a chip on its shoulder from being shut out of the playoffs the season before, despite claiming a share of the Southern Conference championship.
They parlayed that into an undefeated conference record and a 10-4 overall season, which ended in the FCS quarterfinals in a narrow loss to New Hampshire.
“At the end of the day we have the same goals, which are trying to reach the national championship,” defensive back Lucas Webb said. “Last year we fell short, but we think it’s something we can fix and something we can advance. The coaches have done a really good job making sure we don’t get complacent, and making sure we worry about ourselves and not everybody else.
“They’ve also made sure we know that what’s in the past is in the past. This is a new year, a new team, and we’re going to try our best to be better.”
The team’s second practice will be this morning at 10.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.