When asked Saturday afternoon about his team’s next opponent, University of Tennessee at Chattanooga linebacker Nakevion Leslie said he had heard that Sam Houston State had a “pretty good team.”
Statistically speaking offensively, that may have been an understatement.
Ninth-ranked UTC’s next opponent in the NCAA Football Championship Subdivision playoffs, the top-ranked Bearkats, has put together one of the most prolific offensive performances in recent memory.
They rank first in the country in points per game (54.2), total offense per game (584.0), yards per play (7.6) and passing efficiency (179.8). Quarterback Jeremiah Briscoe leads the attack with numbers that would resemble a video game on rookie mode, completing 67 percent of his passes for 4,096 yards and 52 touchdowns to only seven interceptions. Five of his receivers have at least 25 catches, and Yedidiah Louis and Nathan Stewart each has 11 touchdowns receiving.
Their rushing attack is above average as well, as they’ve averaged 197 yards a game on the ground. All of that has led to the Bearkats getting out to quick starts, as they’ve outscored opponents 379-93 in the first halves of games.
“Our coaches will come up with a pretty good game plan, and we’ve just got to come out with the same attitude we had today of attacking, being physical, playing aggressive and being hungry,” Leslie said after the Mocs’ 45-14 win over Weber State.
Defensive tackle Justin King, who showed off his versatility Saturday with 1.5 tackles for loss and two near-interceptions as well as a 12-yard kickoff return, called this week’s game a “great opportunity to keep playing football.
“Sam Houston State is a great team: They got a bye for a reason and are seeded high for a reason,” King said. “We’re going to come out there, do what we do, practice hard this week and be ready to take the flight out there and compete.”
The Mocs gained a lot of confidence in how they played in the regular-season loss to Alabama, and a lot of that carried over to the Weber State game, when they reverted back to the team that started the season 6-0 and ranked third in the country. They’ll need that carryover to continue this week, as it’s debatable that the Bearkats are the best offensive unit UTC has faced in years.
“I hope our guys realize what it takes to play well against Alabama and what it takes to win these kind of football games,” coach Russ Huesman said. “Doing things the coaches ask, make a commitment to be great, to work hard and study film. Two weeks ago, I think these guys refocused and recommitted themselves to play.
“Next week hopefully we can continue this trend and continue to work hard.”
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.