Jacob Huesman admitted he didn’t have a good game when the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga needed a last-second field goal to defeat Wofford 20-17 on Oct. 24 in Spartanburg, S.C.
The senior quarterback rectified that situation this past Saturday.
Huesman was spectacular in UTC’s 41-13 homecoming victory against Southern Conference opponent Western Carolina, rushing for 168 yards and a touchdown and passing for 191 yards. He connected on all but one of his 15 passing attempts for the best completion percentage (.933) of his college career.
He also became the school’s all-time leader in passing yards, eclipsing Chris Sanders (1999-00), and is now at 7,342 yards for his career. His rushing total was 2 yards shy of his single-game high of 170, set against Georgia Southern as a freshman.
“Man, we’ve got to know those things!” head coach Russ Huesman, the quarterback’s father, said after Saturday’s win. “He ran for 168 yards, but there weren’t many called quarterback runs. He ran the ball 20 times, but out of those 20, only five were actually called quarterback runs. He kept the ball off the read, but that’s our offense – and either you’re going to change or there’s a possibility he could run the ball 20 times.
“He ran the ball good today.”
The younger Huesman started his college career around 185 pounds with 4.4 speed. He now weighs around 225 or so, having beefed up to be able to run between the tackles. That extra weight might have slowed him down when he took off on a 60-yard run in the second quarter that ended at the Western Carolina 15.
“I probably would have finished that run in my high school days,” he said.
He has rushed for 767 yards – second in the Southern Conference to teammate Derrick Craine’s 782 – and six touchdowns and thrown for 1,262 yards and seven more scores this season.
The entire offense, which has been inconsistent at times, was at its best Saturday, with 384 yards and 19 first downs on 37 plays as the Mocs built a 35-6 lead on their way to the 41-13 win.
“It was the kind of breakout we needed,” Jacob Huesman said. “We’ve moved the ball pretty well, but it hasn’t translated into points. We’ve done some things to hurt ourselves, but you could tell there was a lot less of that today, and that was the turning point – we didn’t have as many mistakes.
“We like to feel we can do that against anybody we play, as long as we execute and not hurt ourselves.”
DT commits to Mocs
Quintin Alibocas, a 6-foot-3, 292-pound defensive tackle from Science Hill, became the Mocs’ seventh commitment for the 2016 recruiting class on Sunday.
Hilltoppers coach Stacey Carter said that Alibocas, whom he considers “raw,” had a number of Football Championship Subdivision offers – none bigger than UTC.
“We’ve been wanting him to commit there,” Carter said Sunday. “It was the right decision for sure. He’s a great kid with a huge upside. He’s played football since he was young, but he’s coming into his own recently. He’s a fantastic person and human being that will do well in school, do what he’s supposed to do and not get into trouble.
“I think he’ll get better and better as he gets into the system. He’s got a great future.”
Alibocas will join former Hilltoppers offensive lineman Malcolm White, who is a freshman on this season’s team.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.