UTC coach Russ Huesman against WoffordRuss Huesman knows a chip on the shoulder when he sees it. His University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football team played with one last year when it steamrolled the Southern Conference on the way to a 7-0 league record and second consecutive title.
So he knows when he watches video of The Citadel – ranked 20th in the Football Championship Subdivision coaches’ poll and 21st in the FCS STATS poll – that the Bulldogs are a team playing with a chip.
UTC head football coach Russ Huesman shouts to players as wide receiver DeJuan McQuarters leaves the field during the Mocs’ SoCon football game against Western Carolina at Finley Stadium on Saturday, Oct. 31, 2015, in Chattanooga, Tenn.“I didn’t know anything about anybody other than our team (in the preseason),” Huesman said. “I didn’t have a feel for it, but they’re playing with a chip on their shoulder. Whether they say it or not, you can see it. You can see it in their confidence, in how hard they play and how they’re finding ways to win games.
“Everybody in this league is competitive and we know we’ve got a good one, but hopefully our guys are ready to go.”
Picked seventh in the SoCon in the preseason, the Bulldogs have defeated their six opponents in conference play by an average of 18 points. The Citadel coach Mike Houston said pride was a big factor in how the team has responded this season, and although he and his players didn’t admit there was a chip on their collective shoulder, they didn’t deny it, either.
“I think you can go back to the Wofford game and that kind of answers itself,” Houston said. “I’ve got a group of guys that have a lot of pride in their abilities and performance, and I’ve got a coaching staff that has a lot of pride in what we’ve been able to do over the years. Last year was embarrassing, to be honest, with the way we played sometimes. It’s not the way we want to be represented and that’s not the way The Citadel deserves to be represented. It doesn’t mean you have to win every game, but it’s the way you compete and the way you play.
“This is a blue-collar institution – it’s built on toughness, hard work, dedication and loyalty – and it’s what the football team should represent on the field, and I think the guys feel the same way. They wanted to prove that they can go out and compete with anybody in the league, and I think that’s what they’ve shown.”
Houston was very quick to disagree with The Citadel’s preseason placement in the SoCon polls, and he said as much at the media day. He had watched his team go through spring practice and said he felt really good about the plan that was being put in place.
“I think we’ve been playing really good football lately, and we just like to compete,” quarterback Dominique Allen said. “It started in camp when Coach Houston wanted us to line down and compete, which was our theme all throughout camp. I think we have really taken the ‘line down and compete’ phrase to heart: We just come in every day and know we have to compete and have a job to get done. I think we do a really good job of knowing what we have to do in order to complete our goals week in and week out.”
Final coaches’ luncheon
UTC’s final football coaches’ luncheon for the 2015 season will be Thursday at noon at the Spring Hill Suites at 495 Riverfront Parkway. Admission is $15 and includes the meal and program, and Huesman will preview UTC’s game against The Citadel.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him at twitter.com/genehenleytfp.