The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga football coaches have an idea of what they want to do on both sides of the ball.
They’re still working on who’s going to be in there to do it – and how many will help.
Having spent most of training camp watching battles ensue for potential playing time, Tom Arth and his assistants feel good about the depth they’ve been able to accumulate. They’re expecting as many as 22 players – two deep at each position – to get on the field on defense, and around 24 still are competing for rotation spots on offense.
“I’d have it like a line change in hockey if I have to,” defensive coordinator Tom Kaufman said after Tuesday’s practice. “Next series, the 2s are up.”
Kaufman said he felt some of the “1s aren’t playing like 1s” in practice, and he said the staff is going to evaluate each position. Even then, it’s more of a matter of who may start – not who may play.
UTC defensive backs Cameron Turner (16) and Kareem Orr (2) look on during the first day of fall practice at Scrappy Moore Field on Monday, July 24, in Chattanooga. Turner and Orr are both transfers, from Nevada and Arizona State respectively.“We’re not looking for the best 11 players,” he said. “We’re looking for 11 guys that are going to do their jobs, so we’re trying to figure out who those 11 guys are, but ideally 22 (defensive) guys are going to play significantly.”
Senior defensive end D.J. Prather loves the competition level in practice and said the team has to “continue to get better, day by day.”
“It’s the point at camp where everyone is tired,” Prather said. “Everyone has tired legs, but the (first) game is 18 days away and you’ve just got to bring it every single day, no matter what’s going on and no matter how you feel. It’s just got to get better every single day; you have to do what (the coaches) want to do on defense, and keep hustling and giving effort.
“That’s the way we can all solidify ourselves on the depth chart, and that’s what they’re looking for.”
Both Kaufman and offensive coordinator Justin Rascati said they’re looking to get playmakers on the field, which won’t be dependent on a player’s classification. Freshmen, seniors, it doesn’t matter – “I owe it to those other guys to play guys that are going to play,” Kaufman said – the most effective players are going to be on the field.
“We’ve got enough playmakers here. We’ve just got to find ways to get them the ball,” Rascati said. “We have to continue to develop the young players, but guys are working hard and buying into the new systems. We’ve just got to do a better job executing offensively. Once we do that, I think we will be fine.”
Arth said he and his staff feel they’re “pretty close” in identifying who those players are. The best part about all of the bodies at camp is that every skill level, every talent level – from seniors to walk-ons – will be reflected on the field. It’s also clear that with the recruiting class and transfers who have stepped on campus, the competition level has been enhanced.
“We need a lot of people to ideally be as good as they’re capable of being, but I think that’s the exciting thing about our roster is that we do have versatile athletes that are pretty well-rounded but can be special in certain areas,” Arth said. “We’re figuring that out, teaching them those roles and getting them to buy into those roles to understand how they can best impact our program.
“I think there’s still a lot of competition in camp, where people are really fighting to be in position to make an impact on Saturdays. I think it’s very positive, and I think players are handling it well and responding to it well.”
No. 13 in coaches’ poll
For the second straight day, the Mocs received a national ranking – this time No. 13 in the Football Championship Subdivision coaches’ poll. Southern Conference opponents Wofford (11), The Citadel (12) and Samford (19) joined UTC in the Top 25.
The Mocs’ opening-game opponent, Jacksonville State, is ranked fifth by the coaches. Defending national champion James Madison received 20 first-place votes and outpolled No. 2 North Dakota State by 24 total points.
Transfer Jones practices
Former Arkansas fullback Chris Jones went through his first practice with the Mocs on Tuesday. The 5-foot-11, 250-pounder played in 10 games while with the Razorbacks and is expected to compete for a spot in UTC’s fullback rotation.
Contact Gene Henley at ghenley@timesfreepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @genehenleytfp.