UTC’s Vantrel McMillan tries to shed the block of Presbyterian’s Tobias Hagins during their Sept. 10 game at Finley Stadium. McMillan and fellow defensive lineman Keionta Davis will be key players in the effort to pressure Sam Houston State quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe in the second round of the FCS playoffs Saturday.With Sam Houston State’s offense set for quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe to get the ball out of his hands quickly, it will be hard for the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga defensive front to add a lot to its season sacks count this weekend.
But it won’t be impossible.
The trick for UTC’s defensive staff in the second round of the Football Championship Subdivision playoffs is to devise a game plan to counter an offense that has had its quarterback sacked just eight times this season. Briscoe – who transferred from the University of Alabama at Birmingham after its Football Bowl Subdivision program was briefly disbanded after the 2014 season – has 4,096 passing yards and 52 touchdowns this season for the Bearkats (11-0).
And he’s not the only player the Mocs (9-3) have to worry about.
“They have a lot of really skilled players, from quarterback to receivers to backs,” defensive coordinator Adam Braithwaite said. “They have a lot of team speed and run a scheme that spreads you out and makes you make plays in space. They have an O-line that does a good job of protecting up front. They try to run the ball and pass the ball – they throw more, but they don’t completely abandon the run game, so we’ve got to defend all levels.”