Alphonso Stewart was worried.
Perhaps because he grew up in Alabama, where football is more important than oxygen, the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga sophomore wideout was more than a little concerned that his fellow UTC students might give up on the Mocs after Saturday’s 23-20 loss to Jacksonville State.
“I was afraid they might not stick with us,” he said of the Mocs’ 0-1 start. “But when I got to class Tuesday, everybody was really supportive. They’re like, ‘You’re the same team as before. We still believe in you.’ That was big to me.”
It was big for Vantrel McMillan, too. The junior defensive end heard similar words of encouragement during his classes.
“The support was amazing Saturday,” he said of the 15,812 who filed into Finley for the season opener. “But the support on campus today was great, too. Everybody told us to hold our heads high – that we’re still a good team. They said we’d get them in the playoffs if we play them again.”